ABSTRACT
The chapter elaborates on one of the major constraints upon staff development: the pressure of time on heads and deputies. Taking self-management as his particular theme, the author of this chapter argues that the effective management of self is a necessary precondition for the effective management of others. Using evidence from a time-task analysis which was devised by the author and colleagues who were members of planning teams for two regional in-service courses for heads and deputies in the East Midlands, he argues that the long hours and pressures from a variety of external and internal sources cause senior managers to tend towards reactive rather than proactive management strategies. The author suggests that there is a need for scheduled time for critical reflection and for in-service work which actively assists senior managers in the day-to-day handling of time, task and relationship.
