Shane Leaning
I help leaders grow confident, high-impact schools - Best-selling author & chart-topping podcaster
Join my leadership intensive:
educationleaders.co/intensive
My book:
amzn.eu/d/e4z6Y2T
My podcast:
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- The most effective part of PD is the one we all avoid: rehearsal. We'll read about techniques, discuss them, plan to use them. But practise out loud in front of colleagues? No thanks. That awkward practice is what actually sticks. What's stopping it in your school? 👀 buff.ly/rSKzFMq
- The culture develops through the work, not before it. Stop waiting for perfect conditions to start coaching in your school. Listen here: buff.ly/9nm3O4t
- On my way to check out the venue for something I’m genuinely excited about. We’re bringing formative action to Shanghai – turning assessment into something that actually changes what happens in classrooms. If you’re curious: www.pdacademia.com/implementing...
- It's coming up to midnight and I'm up..... Just about to deliver a guest lecture for MEd students at St Mary's University College Belfast on how to lead effective professional change. Can't wait!
- "Coaching is confidential" might be the thing killing coaching programs. Gene calls it a lethal mutation. His doctor analogy changed how I think about this. Listen here: buff.ly/9nm3O4t
- Gene Tavernetti told me he doesn't tell educators at parties that he's an instructional coach because they've had so many bad experiences with coaching. That's our starting point. Listen here: buff.ly/9nm3O4t #SchoolLeadership
- Sometimes the frameworks don't help. Sometimes logic isn't enough. Sometimes you just need to feel the feelings, and that's okay too. buff.ly/Kfl2BjL
- Posted about waking up feeling like an imposter and the response was overwhelming. Person after person saying "me too." Shame can't survive empathy. Listen here: buff.ly/Kfl2BjL
- Art unveiling yesterday. Liu Shuang's 4x4m painting connects Shanghai/London. Emma modelled for it - she's literally in there reaching across the cities. For me, artists painting connection when everything feels fractured is exactly what we need. Off to London later this year.
- Small flat, big hearts. Our annual January party crammed friends from 10+ countries into our tiny Shanghai place. Chili, bread, music, laughter. Started after lockdown as a lifeline. Now it’s tradition. Year of the Horse, here we come.
- My brain took three data points and constructed an entire narrative about my professional demise. Does yours do this too? buff.ly/Kfl2BjL
- Speaking at the FOBISIA conference in Shanghai (March 19-21) on building bridges through collaboration. My session will walk through the question-based approach I use with international schools across Asia. Less telling, more listening. Anyone else going?
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- Headrest UK's 2026 report: 82% of school leaders experienced abuse from parents last year. We've normalised this crisis. And it's not just happening in the UK. If you're carrying weight you don't talk about, you're not alone. educationleaders.kit.com/posts/abuse
- Did you catch Education Leaders LIVE? No worries if not, you can catch up here. Wow - what a conversation! youtu.be/8UDx0MnTvSY?...
- Brené Brown: "Guilt says I did something bad. Shame says I am bad." That distinction changes everything about how we process imperfect work. Listen here: buff.ly/Kfl2BjL
- Most leaders feel like they're starting from zero when they're really not. You've done hard things before. Read rooms. Navigated uncertainty. Had difficult conversations. The problem? Your skills don't automatically transfer. They just sit there until you deliberately map them.
- Woke up recently convinced I don't belong here, that everyone's about to find out I'm not good enough. All from one piece of work that wasn't perfect. Got vulnerable about it in this ep. Listen here: buff.ly/Kfl2BjL #SchoolLeadership
- A privileged to be asked to take part in this panel at 21st Century Learning Conference. Topic is right down my street. Will you be there?
- Sunday catch up vibes ☺️
- The ham story from this conversation will change how you see every system in your school. Trust me on this one. Listen here: buff.ly/NbN2Va0
- Recording with Jett about school systems turned into a conversation about hams, legacy software, and why "it works, don't touch it" shouldn't be our standard. Listen here: buff.ly/NbN2Va0
- Want to improve your leadership using coaching techniques? Come along and learn with me. A few places left at early bird price: leadingasacoach.eventbrite.com DM me if you want more info
- "No teacher has ever said they spent too much time with their students." Yet 50-60% of teacher time goes to admin tasks. We talked about fixing that. Listen here: buff.ly/NbN2Va0
- "Be more direct." Terrible leadership advice. The variable that matters isn't directness, it's clarity. youtu.be/x_KcuuTkn_Q?...
- Why do schools keep using systems they hate? Jett's answer surprised me and it's not what you think. Listen here: buff.ly/NbN2Va0
- Woke up feeling like crap about myself today. That "I don't belong here" feeling. All because something wasn't perfect. Not a disaster. Just not my best. Recording a podcast episode on what to do when this happens. If you've felt this way, reply. You're not alone.
- An ode to A4 paper 🥰 youtube.com/shorts/KW_bv...
- You default to telling because it feels faster. But it just makes you the bottleneck. Two days in Shanghai (27-28 Feb) fixing that. 12 spots. 6 left. 80% practice, not theory. Early bird ends Friday. buff.ly/LowOLnn #Leadership #Coaching #EduSky
- The leaders I admire most are fluent in both direct and indirect communication. In both cases, nobody's confused about expectations. The skill is staying clear, not staying direct. buff.ly/6jNmCi3
- Outstanding book, @chrispassey.bsky.social @mradamkohlbeck.bsky.social Outstanding guest host @scottinghatt.bsky.social #MondayMorningListen
- "Your classroom management needs some work." You've been direct. But the teacher has no idea what to change. Direct doesn't always mean clear. buff.ly/6jNmCi3
- Next time someone tells you to "be more direct," pause and ask: is the problem directness or is the problem clarity? Those are two different things. Listen here: buff.ly/6jNmCi3
- I've seen straightforward UK heads leave their staff confused. And I've seen Chinese leaders who never confront anyone directly, yet everyone knows exactly what's expected. Directness and clarity aren't the same thing. #SchoolLeadership Listen here: buff.ly/6jNmCi3
- Here’s where education leaders is charting this week! Where are you listening from?
- Huge thanks to Eunice Okpotu for the conversation that sparked this episode. We landed on this idea of "indirect clarity" together and it completely changed how I think about communication. Listen here: buff.ly/6jNmCi3
- 🎉 @walkthrus.bsky.social are now podcast partners! Here's what teachers tell me: training days feel great, but by Monday it's faded. Little transfer from training room to classroom. Teaching WalkThrus fix this. Teachers genuinely love them. Have a listen to learn more. buff.ly/Lfwqtcb
- 17 years to get 14% of doctors using proven treatments. If healthcare struggles this much with evidence-based practice, no wonder schools do too. Implementation science matters: buff.ly/7llOyoW #EducationalLeadership
- 18 leaders. 10 weeks. Tomorrow we start. They're going to practice the hell out of 10 core leadership skills until they stick. I'm so excited I can't focus on anything else.
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- Ground rules sound boring until you realise they're the difference between honest feedback and everyone protecting their job. Five-minute interviews create safety for disagreement. James Mannion breaks it down: buff.ly/7llOyoW
- People value autonomy more than salary. So when decisions get made behind closed doors and just announced, it creates that "us and them" dynamic that kills buy-in instantly. Dr James Mannion on why top-down keeps failing: buff.ly/7llOyoW
- Moderating a panel tomorrow asking if wellbeing is a luxury in high-expectation schools. Here in China where results matter A LOT, it's a spicy question. ISS EDU EXPO Shanghai. Come say hi if you're around.
- Slice teams have three levels. Most schools stop at level one (consultation we'll ignore) or two (steering group that checks in). Level three is where the team actually owns the change. No veto allowed. That's the difference: buff.ly/7llOyoW
- Asked school leaders what proportion of change initiatives actually worked. They laughed before answering. Then most said 10-20%. When I pressed for sustainable change with real evidence? Nearly zero. Dr James Mannion explains why: buff.ly/7llOyoW #SchoolLeadership
- Next week at ISS EDU EXPO Shanghai: Is wellbeing a luxury in high-expectation schools? Moderating what should be a good conversation. Say hello if you’re there.
- The gap between knowing best practice and making it happen? That's what the top episodes were really about. Year in review: buff.ly/y8X9XLA
- Just went through the year's listening stats. You lot doubled the podcast in six months. Absolutely wild. Here are the five episodes that resonated most: buff.ly/y8X9XLA #SchoolLeadership
