Steve Munby has spent his whole career in education, first as a teacher and then as an adviser and inspector before moving into leadership. Between 2005 and 2017 he was chief executive first of the National College for School Leadership in England and then of Education Development Trust, an international education charity. He is now a self-employed consultant and speaker on leadership and on system reform. Steve is also a visiting professor at University College London Institute of Education and is the facilitator for the Atlantic Rim Collaboratory (ARC) summits, which bring together education systems from across the world. He was awarded a CBE in the New Year honours list in 2010. Marie-Claire Bretherton trained as a teacher before becoming a head teacher in Lincolnshire, where she led three very different schools to secure improved outcomes for pupils, including in the most challenging of circumstances. She is now Director of School Improvement for Anthem Schools Trust in England, as well as the Education Director for KYRA - a community for teaching, leadership, research and school improvement partnerships. Andy Hargreaves is a world-renowned British-Canadian educator who has dedicated his life to working with teachers and schools to make learning and teaching more engaging, fulfilling and collaborative for everyone. An author or editor of almost 40 books, Andy is a gifted writer who has become one of the most cited education scholars alive and has received 8 outstanding writing awards to date. He is an education adviser to the First Minister of Scotland, and for the Minister of Education for New Brunswick in Canada. He holds Honorary Doctorates from Sweden, Hong Kong and the University of Greater Manchester, has been honoured in the UK, Canada, the US and Australia for services to public education and educational research, and was awarded his university's Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award in 2015 at Boston College in the US. You can learn more at www.andyhargreaves.com and can join his 40,000+ followers on X (formerly Twitter) @hargreavesbc or Bluesky @ahargreaves.bsky.social.
Imperfect Leadership in Action is a remarkably useful and deeply
human book. With wisdom and authenticity, Steve Munby and
Marie-Claire Bretherton invite leaders into a space of
self-discovery, reflection and growth. Every educational leader can
benefit from these empowering mindsets, practical frameworks and
inspiring examples.Dr Simon Breakspear
In Imperfect Leadership in Action, Steve and Marie-Claire offer
wise, honest and compelling reflections on leadership. The personal
case studies are powerful and persuasive and make the book hard to
put down. They share great stories of lives devoted to finding
better ways of making more of a difference. All in all, it is an
inspiring book but also a very practical one with so many ideas to
help refine and improve leadership that it is impossible to close
it without learning and aspiring to do better.Christine Gilbert
Imperfect Leadership in Action is a book you won't put down. It is
a practical, evidence-based guide that is brimming with great
leadership advice. Steve Munby and Marie-Claire Bretherton
demonstrate wisdom, authority and compassion in every page of this
text. This is a must-read for leaders everywhere - it is, quite
simply, a tour de force of a book!Alma Harris
I predict that any head teacher or senior leader reading this will
experience two very powerful emotions. Firstly, a sense of relief
that it's okay not to be perfect and to make mistakes. We all talk
about being open to self-reflection and learning from our mistakes,
but this book makes it so much easier to do. Secondly, a sense of
connection or empathy. There is no sugar-coating of the day-to-day
realities of leading a school, which means the narrative
understands our world and becomes our friend. These two very
helpful aspects of the book are combined with a brilliant
articulation of what the authors describe as 'the imperfect
leadership mindset' - a series of internal and external foundations
for successful leadership. If you want a book that resonates with
you, lifts you up and gives you hope and optimism about the future,
then look no further. Imperfect Leadership in Action is a real
gem.Andy Buck
The next generation of leaders in education - whether in schools,
multi-academy trusts or national organisations - will be so much
more successful for reading this readable book which matches theory
with fascinating personal stories and cameos. I wish it had been
written when I started out as a leader, or later when I was
wondering whether or how I could go on as one. Today's leaders can
now have it at their side and wise leaders will refer to it on a
regular basis.Sir Tim Brighouse
Authenticity, integrity and inspiration are words I have often used
when describing Steve Munby. This book is rich in all three. For
me, it is the book on school leadership - and that is also thanks
to the pragmatism, generosity and insight of Steve's co-author
Marie-Claire Bretherton.Richard Gerver
Imperfect Leadership in Action is probably the perfect sequel to
Imperfect Leadership. The latter encourages education leaders to
humbly strive to become better leaders, not for perfection, but for
service to education. The former, as the title implies, shows these
leaders in action. From the pens of Steve and Marie-Claire, this
book brings the experiences of imperfect leaders to readers as case
studies for learning. In the book, one can find stories of the
joys, frustrations, successes and struggles of education leaders in
various situations. Readers will probably see some of themselves in
these stories - and will gain much from reflecting on and
responding to them. Imperfect Leadership in Action is a wonderful
gift to school leaders who would like to reflect on and improve
their own leadership in practical ways, encouraged by the
understanding that the lonely path of leadership need not be that
lonely after all.Pak Tee Ng
Who would have thought that a book called Imperfect Leadership in
Action would contain countless more ideas about how to be an
effective leader than any ten books that promise to make you a
great leader? Every one of the eleven chapters can be treated as a
stand-alone set of lessons, examples and guiding questions to help
you deal with a vexing issue, and to become ever better. Use this
book alone and with others and you will be immediately rewarded
with ideas, confidence and readiness to act. It is a treasure trove
for dealing with the most difficult issues you will face.Michael
Fullan
This book is about the mindset of leadership. It is written with
disarming honesty and humility, and is full of integrity. It offers
a series of incredibly helpful tools, reflections and ways of
thinking which is a little bit of a goldmine for leaders. It does
not offer or advocate complacency in imperfection - rather it sees
imperfection as a strength and as an opportunity to learn and grow
as a leader. In the words allegedly inscribed on Mother Teresa's
wall, the book's wisdom is its dictum: 'Give the world the best you
have and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you have
anyway.'Leora Cruddas
Recognising one's imperfections is a hallmark of great leadership,
and openness to learning from other people's experience is a
condition for any leader's growth. Professor Steve Munby's mantra
that 'being an imperfect leader is not a skill set, it is a
mindset' is powerfully illustrated in his latest book, co-authored
by Marie-Claire Bretherton.Drawing on the thoughts of a wide range
of successful (but self-defined 'imperfect') head teachers and
CEOs, they illustrate the dispositions and behaviours that help
leaders to be less negatively self-critical in striving to learn
from mistakes and become better versions of themselves as they
shape organisational culture and foster the self-belief of others.
Readers will be refreshed by the candour, humour and pragmatism of
this book, which serves as both a mirror and a route map.Sir Hamid
Patel
After so many years of us being encouraged to aspire to heroic
leadership, Steve Munby's first book Imperfect Leadership was a
game changer. It showed that anxiety, disappointment and self-doubt
aren't weaknesses; they are essential parts of the inner landscape
of the most self-aware, humane leaders. This new book with
Marie-Claire Bretherton takes those insights to a new level,
providing a practical, empowering and uplifting handbook to
rejuvenate our own leadership insights and finally kick imposter
syndrome into touch.Geoff Barton
To produce two books focusing on imperfect leadership seems to be
making a point, and there is indeed a message in the title. Steve
Munby, joined this time by Marie-Claire Bretherton, builds on his
first book and looks at how imperfect leaders manage real
situations in schools. Both authors are successful in their field
and are held up as examples of excellent practice, so the openness
with which they admit to doubts is a powerful message to others
that no one gets it all right and that perfection, though often
demanded by others, is rarely achieved by anyone. People will
recognise their own leadership successes and dilemmas in the case
studies - and this reflection of reality is one of the book's many
strengths. We know that there are no easy answers to the many
challenges that face school leaders, but too often we don't
encourage the skills or allow school leaders the space and time
that they need in order to find the best possible solutions. The
practical suggestions in this book, together with the examples of
others, address this directly and effectively. Imperfect Leadership
in Action will be a constant and reassuring guide for many in our
schools.Rt Hon Baroness Estelle Morris
The whole concept of imperfect leadership is one that has resonated
with leaders across the education system since Steve Munby
published his first book in 2019. I have spoken with many school
and trust teams who have been inspired by the notion that we learn
more from what we get wrong than we do from that which we get
right. This new book, a follow-up written in collaboration with
Marie-Claire Bretherton, takes the thinking a stage further by
asking the practical questions that lead to better implementation
in different settings. Marie-Claire is one of the education
system's best collaborators and school improvers and her personal
reflections add weight and insight to Steve Munby's excellent
thinking. Imperfect Leadership in Action should form part of every
school leadership team's library. Whether you read it as an
individual leader - curious about the notion of imperfect
leadership - or as a member of a team wrestling with challenges
that we face today, I cannot recommend the book highly enough.Sir
David Carter
Imperfect Leadership in Action is a refreshingly candid and
inspiring reminder of the importance of leadership character, and
of the worth of investing in its development through the many
reflective activities and exercises that are included. The engaging
writing style and rich examples make this book a very worthy
follow-up to Imperfect Leadership.Viviane Robinson
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
