Selina Boyd, international editor of The Good Schools Guide, reveals what actually matters when parents choose schools for their children. With over a decade reviewing international schools and more than 1,600 schools assessed worldwide, Selina explains why authentic leadership isn't about what leaders say about themselves, but what parents and students say about them. This conversation challenges school leaders to rethink how they communicate their school's story in an era where parents are savvy researchers who trust other parents more than polished marketing materials.

You'll learn the specific moments that signal whether students are genuinely thriving, from children running up to show their work to sixth formers who can articulate why they chose your school. Selina shares practical examples of authentic school storytelling, including how one international school used Instagram reels to connect with future students in a way that felt genuine rather than contrived. If you're trying to build trust with prospective families whilst navigating social media and modern parent expectations, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on letting others tell your school's story.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

The Good Schools Guide

Selina Boyd on LinkedIn

International Leaders Conference

Teaching Walkthrus

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You hired the wrong person, killed a working programme, or ignored a massive risk whilst feeling completely rational the whole time. This episode unpacks five cognitive biases that sabotage school leadership decisions constantly: anchoring, availability bias, endowment effect, groupthink, and optimism bias. Shane shares real examples from his own leadership mistakes, including a disastrous hiring decision driven by a compelling opening story, and explains why these mental shortcuts that usually help us actually wreck leadership decisions.

You'll learn practical systems to catch yourself before these biases derail your next major decision. Shane walks through how to counter anchoring with "consider the opposite" thinking, why you need a decision journal to spot availability bias patterns, how to set up kill committees for initiatives you've personally championed, and why assigning a devil's advocate role fights groupthink. If you've ever wondered why smart leaders sometimes make terrible collective decisions, or why your optimistic timelines never match reality, this episode gives you the frameworks to make better choices and build trust with your team.

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Change Starts Here by Shane Leaning

Episode Partners

International Curriculum Association

Teaching Walkthrus

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Scorer and Shane Leaning got together to unpack some of the big themes from recent episodes, particularly that vulnerable solo episode Shane put out about self-doubt and imposter syndrome. The response to that one has been overwhelming, especially the private messages from leaders who haven't felt able to share their struggles publicly. Chris and Shane dug into why we've become so intolerant of failure in education, how accountability has overtaken development in our systems, and whether that's creating environments where leaders feel they have to hide their vulnerability rather than use it as a learning opportunity.

We also talked about Jet Wolper's brilliant episode on questioning the status quo and why we keep cutting the ends off ham. It challenged our developmental approach to change because sometimes, as Chris pointed out, you need to strip things back before you can build them up properly. Chris shared James Miller's gutsy move at Royal Grammar School Newcastle, where he simply got rid of anything that wasn't actually helping kids. We wrapped up talking about curiosity as an antidote to the winter blues and how being one step more curious this February might be exactly what we need.

Episodes mentioned:

• Tam Proctor on school character and culture: shaneleaning.com/podcast/140
• James Mannion on making change stick: shaneleaning.com/podcast/142
• Jet Wolper on the tab tax and cutting the ends off ham: shaneleaning.com/podcast/144
• Self-doubt and imposter syndrome (solo episode): shaneleaning.com/podcast/145

• Join us live: educationleaders.live

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.