As a Principal, I am privileged to serve alongside an Executive Team committed to enabling a growth culture for students and staff. 

Over time, our team has built a rhythm around formation and shared practice at the start of meetings. One of these elements is an Executive Book Club, where leadership formation unfolds through shared reading and honest conversation. From what I’ve observed, it also fosters a strong sense of accountability in exploring ideas beyond our setting. 

John Coleman writes: “For business leaders, the most impactful reading extends beyond explicitly business books to include histories, biographies, novels and even poetry.” Whilst we haven’t quite ventured into Mary Oliver’s garden, we have stepped beyond our small pond. 

Neil Blumenthal captures it well: “From a team dynamic standpoint, it helps build stronger working relationships. It helps build trust when you create what is a safe environment to share or debate ideas.” 

A colleague pauses, reflects, then shares a story drawn from practice. Another builds on the idea, offering a different lens. Someone else challenges the thinking and applies the learning in the space between the pages. 

Together, we have explored: 

• Virtuous Educational Leadership by Viviane Robinson 
• Clarity by Lyn Sharratt 
• Driving School Improvement by Pamela Macklin and Vic Zbar 
• Elevated Conversations by Dr Simon Breakspear 
• The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni 
• The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle 
• Legacy by James Kerr 
• What Every Teacher Needs to Know by Jade Pearce 
• Why Don’t Students Like School? by Daniel Willingham 
• Teachers who Lead by Ryan Dunn, Pauline Thompson and John Hattie 
• Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet (thanks for this suggestion Chris Black) 
• Hidden Lives of Learners by Graham Nuthall 

Across each text, a pattern has emerged. Leaders bring their experience with generosity. Ideas evolve through dialogue. The gift sits within the sharing. 

Understanding deepens, and with it, purpose sharpens. Through these conversations, alignment begins to take shape, around the mindset, language and the behaviours that bring our strategy to life, anchored in what matters most for our students and our community. 

What would you suggest we read next? 

#Leadership #StartWithWhy #Formation #EducationalLeadership 

Lisa Harkin
Principal