Imperfect Leadership in Education: Insights from Professor Steve Munby

Professor Steve Munby is a consultant and speaker on leadership and system reform in education. Between 2005 and 2012, Steve was Chief Executive of the National College for School Leadership in England. From 2012 to 2017, he was Chief Executive of the Education Development Trust, an international education charity working in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. He was awarded the title of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010 for contributions to leadership in schools and children’s services.

He is also a member of Nord Anglia’s Education Advisory Board, chaired by Lord David Puttnam.

His most recent books are “Imperfect Leadership – A book for leaders who know they don’t know it all” (Crown House, 2019) and, co-authored with Marie-Claire Bretherton, “Imperfect Leadership in Action – A practical book for school leaders who know they don’t know it all” (Crown House, 2022). 

What skills do young people need to thrive? Has your own thinking evolved on that?

I think that the knowledge and skills that we teach young people are really important but I would also focus on the experiences we give young people: opportunities to work in teams; to engage in outdoor pursuits and residentials; to visit to mosques, churches, temples, or museums; to experience performing in a play; or of debating one point of view and then debating the same issue from another point of view; to have experience taking responsibility for something in school.  

Those kinds of things teach resilience. They teach flexibility, but not through a deliberate ‘here's this skill’ approach. It opens their minds. 

What have you learned along the journey about how to create cultures in schools where learning flourishes? You’ve talked at length about the notion of ‘imperfect leadership’.

Mindset in leadership is really important.

When I first started in leadership, I focused mainly on “what to do” but as I grew more experienced, I realised that “how to be” was just as important as what to do.

I am a big believer in having an imperfect leadership mindset. If you have an imperfect leadership mindset, you know what you're good at and what you're not too good at. And because you know you're not perfect and can’t be successful on your own, you invest in empowering and developing your teams.

Because you know you aren't perfect, you're okay about asking for help from others. And if you ask for help, you end up getting better expertise, making better decisions, and building a sense of collective responsibility amongst your colleagues.

And because you know you're not perfect, you are always learning. 

Also, you understand no one else is perfect either. You understand more deeply that you have to lead with love as well as with power and drive, because you have to take people with you. So the love side of leadership becomes more important. And I suppose, in the end, it's also about you learning to be your authentic best self. 

But how hard is it to change mindsets? 

It's not too hard to change if you want to change. I think the problem is a lot of people don't want to change. They like the way they do things, the way they've always done them; they like the mindset they're already in. And if that's the case, it's very hard to shift them. If they think that in order to be a leader, you have to be a hero and you have to be perfect and do everything yourself and know all the answers, and if that's what they get their kick out of—so that people tell them they're wonderful—then it's very hard to get them to change.

But I do think you can change your mindset. It takes daily practice but it’s possible. It’s not like a skill. It's more like a habit. 

Can you explain a little bit more? 

A big part of the imperfect leadership mindset is hopefulness. We know that hopefulness and hopelessness are both contagious.

If we spend time with hopeful leaders, we end up feeling more hopeful, and if we spend time with leaders who lack hopefulness, we end up feeling more hopeless ourselves.

Leaders with a hopeful mindset, despite the challenges, help to create a hopeful culture, focusing themselves and their organisation not on what they can't do, but on what they can do—not on the differences they have no control over, but the differences they can have control over.

I believe that a hopeful mindset is essential at this challenging time in education. 

Whenever I went to see Tim Brighouse, who was my mentor for 20 years, I would bring all the problems that I wanted him to help me to solve. In response, he would say ‘Is this issue working well anywhere in your organisation? And, if so, start with where it's working and ask why’.

He valued appreciative enquiry just as much as problem-solving. He always used to say to me, you may have all these issues, all these barriers, but “look for the gaps in the hedges”. 

I think that if we're going to be able to lead in these very challenging times, we have to have hopefulness. We have to behave in a hopeful way, create a hopeful culture, have appreciative inquiry and look for the gaps in the hedges. 

Where do you see Nord Anglia Education’s strengths? 

I love the broad curriculum. The work in STEM with MIT, the arts with Juilliard in New York, the UNICEF work, and all the sports work with IMG Academy, it gives a message to young people and to their parents that it's not just about qualifications, though that’s important, but it's about a broader range of experiences and opportunities. 

I also think their approach to teachers’ professional development is really, really positive. When I started with Nord Anglia on the Education Advisory Board, most of the appointments for school principal were men. The number of external appointments was significantly high. 

Now, as a result of their leadership development programmes, they've improved the gender balance of principals and also have a much stronger internal pipeline, where about 70% of principal appointments are internal. A great way to grow an organisation is to grow your own talent and that is what Nord Anglia is doing.

I also think that Nord Anglia University is a huge resource, allowing people all over the world to access training and support and share what they're doing with other people. The investment in professional learning is a win-win. The people who work for Nord Anglia as leaders, or as teachers, or in other roles will increasingly feel that they're learning and they’re valued. They've got a chance to grow and develop. This makes the job more fulfilling, and it also makes it very attractive if you want to come and join Nord Anglia. 

Why did you join Nord Anglia’s Education Advisory Board? 

I joined because a wonderful man called David Puttnam asked me. He is the Chair of Nord Anglia’s Education Advisory Board. I talked earlier about mindset and the importance of an imperfect mindset. People who have that kind of mindset generate hope; they are invitational in their approach. Well, that's David and it has been a delight to work with him. And not only that, but other colleagues on EAB are inspirational and it’s such a privilege to be involved with them. 

Learn more about Nord Anglia’s global education philosophy here.