Imperfect Leadership in Action: A practical book for school leaders who know they don't know it all

by Steve Munby, Marie-Claire Bretherton

Foreword by Andy Hargreaves.Hero headship is out. Imperfect leadership is in. This book is designed to help leaders develop and embrace an imperfect leadership mindset as a foundation for growth and development. In his first book, Imperfect A book for leaders who know they don't know it all, Steve Munby uses the word 'imperfect' to describe his own leadership style. This is not something he apologises for; he feels imperfect leadership should be celebrated. Too often we are given examples of leaders who are put on some kind of pedestal, lauded as superheroes who have it all worked out and are so good at what they do that nobody else can come close. But imperfect leadership is the antidote to this flawed perception. In Imperfect Leadership in Action, Steve has teamed up with Marie-Claire Bretherton to delve in more detail into a broad range of themes under the umbrella of imperfect leadership. Writing with sparkling clarity, the authors explore the approach's key principles and share engaging exercises and inspiring case studies which give voice to a wide range of experiences from across the education sector.The central message is that we can use our imperfections as a springboard for leadership development by asking for help, investing in self-reflection, focusing on building teams - and by trying to be a better version of ourselves tomorrow than we were today.The book provides numerous prompts for self-reflection, and also includes a chapter on leading in times of change (such as the COVID-19 lockdowns) and how the principles of imperfect leadership turn out to be equally applicable in times of crisis.Suitable for all those in or aspiring to leadership positions in education.

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 8, 2022

Reviews

[Ian Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t normally put my professional reading on Goodreads but I thought I’d make an exception here because this is an excellent book about leadership and it’s one that I think could be utilised in other fields as well. The advice is broad but highly applicable to a lot of different contexts. The authors draw from a variety of sources to create a list of attributes and skills that a leader who knows that they don’t know it all can can use in their everyday working life. Recommended.