Imperfect Leadership In Action

A practical book for school leaders who know they don’t know it all

Filled with engaging exercises and insightful case studies, this fieldbook is designed to help leaders pursue imperfect leadership as something to be celebrated and as a foundation for success. In his first book, Imperfect Leadership: A book for leaders who know they don’t know it all (ISBN 9781785834110), 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. Now, 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. The authors explore the approach’s key principles and share a variety of inspiring case studies which give voice to a wide range of experiences from across the education sector. The central message of this book is that we can all learn to be better leaders if we use our imperfections as a springboard for our leadership development by investing in self-reflection, asking for help, focusing on building teams, and continually learning.

Features and benefits:

• Provides numerous prompts for self-reflection, as well as a range of engaging exercises for leaders to try out – either on their own or with their colleagues.
• Contains a wealth of authentic examples from leaders around the world who have opened up their own imperfect leadership as case studies to be examined.
• 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.