ABSTRACT
It’s easy to write off people who seem out of date, tired and resistant to change. Real leadership, though, involves working to everyone’s strengths, so that nobody’s left out in the cold, disgruntled and resentful. This is a very real issue in today’s schools. Early retirements are less readily available than they once were, and it’s very common for a new head, brought in to stir things up, to find that there’s a minority of people who are stuck in their ways, reluctant to change. What’s the leader to do? Wring hands and complain? Try to sack people? Complain to the authority? None of those are very positive, and hardly to be expected of someone who’s presumably been chosen because of their above-average leadership skills.
