Being the head - Understanding people

In this special collaborative episode of Stepping into [ed]Leadership, we join forces with the UK-based Being The Head podcast to explore what it really means to lead with humanity first and outcomes second. Drawing on Jane and Jacquie’s rich experience as head teachers, we dive into the emotional labour of leadership, the invisible work of holding communities together, and the moral purpose that keeps leaders anchored in helping students be fit and ready for the next stage of their lives.

Across the conversation, we unpack the complex pressures facing school leaders in the UK: post‑COVID attendance, recruitment and retention, the five‑year exodus from teaching, and the weight of accountability frameworks such as OFSTED. Jane and Jacquie speak candidly about emotional accountability, the tragic consequences of unrelenting pressure, and how school improvement can and should be more collaborative, with leaders feeling supported rather than judged.

We also explore the deeply human side of headship. Jane and Jacquie share practical wisdom on emotional intelligence, listening over doing, training people to have difficult conversations, and why leadership is really very little about authority and much more about influence and connection.

Throughout the episode, we return to wellbeing, boundaries and modelling a sustainable life: “eating the frogs for breakfast,” protecting time for exercise, and creating safe spaces for principals to offload through mentoring, supervision and deep reflective conversations. Ultimately, this is a hopeful conversation about reimagining leadership so that no one leads alone, leadership is valued for its humanity, and impact is found not just in big metrics but in the quiet wins - watching people grow, flourish and discover their own influence.

Credits:

Podcast theme music composed by Julian Ferraretto

Logo Design by Meredith Baker

Photography by Carmen Roberts