Finding Focus in School Leadership

Has anyone on your school leadership team taken up their role in the last two years? If so, up to half will be judged as having failed within that same period. The definition of failure may vary, but perception matters more than precision.

So, what separates those who thrive from those who falter? One factor stands out: the ability to focus on a single, clear ambition and to bring others along with it.

Moving from fog to focus has been the hallmark of effective leaders across sectors.

•    John Kotter, the management guru, highlights the importance of urgency and relentless communication in leading change.

•    Mellody Hobson, Chairwoman of Starbucks, insists that leaders must first own the problem and hold themselves accountable.

•    Sir Michael Barber, architect of Tony Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ agenda, argues that bold ambition and myopic focus, backed by consistent clarity, are what drive systems forward.

•    David Hieatt, whose firm focusses on making the world’s finest jeans, reminds us: Do one thing well. It’s enough.

Schools renowned worldwide embody this idea. Gordonstoun in Scotland is known for expeditionary learning. Eton for oracy. Raffles for tradition. Avenues for interdisciplinary curriculum. Each stands out because they channel their energy into one defining focus, while running their routine work seamlessly in the background.

And yet, many schools still resist the lesson. Strategic plans pile up into pillars and initiatives, each treated as equally urgent. The result? Overwhelm, fatigue, and middle leaders stuck managing rather than leading.

Why It’s Hard Today

The pandemic seemed, briefly, to herald new habits—remote learning, flexible work, students owning their learning. Yet by 2023, most institutions had snapped back to old ways. As we head into 2026, our attention is pulled in every direction as the pace of change around us picks up further momentum. 

We want to do everything, but rarely achieve our to-do list by the weekend. 

Old habits die hard because schools struggle to work at the right level. Too often, Boards leap to lofty ambitions without securing the basics. Too often, leaders fill “strategic pillars” with what should be business-as-usual routine. 

The reality is that leadership operates across three levels:

1.    Level 1 – Routine Work: The basics done automatically and well. Hiring, formative assessment, DEI work, professional growth, curriculum delivery. Like plumbing, this work isn’t glamorous, but without it, nothing flows.

2.    Level 2 – Bold Ambition: The singular stretch goal everyone can align behind. Not ten goals, not three. One. With time, it too becomes routine.

3.    Level 3 – Prospecting: Quiet R&D, exploring possibilities, discarding what doesn’t work, seeding the next ambition.

Schools that lack focus often don’t yet have Level 1 in place. If the basics aren’t routine, new ambitions crumble under the weight of unfinished work.

The Cost of No Focus

A lack of focus leads to poor decisions. Consensus decision-making often produces “strategic minestrone soup”: everyone adds their ingredient until the result satisfies no one.

Decision-making by consent offers a healthier model: a decision proceeds unless someone believes it will irrevocably damage the organisation. Disagreement isn’t enough; damage is the threshold.

James Clear describes decisions as hats (easy to change), haircuts (sometimes embarrassing, but fixable, with time), and tattoos (permanent - or painful and expensive to put right). Without focus, leaders can waste time debating and deferring hats while ignoring tattoos.

Another cost is the disease of everythingitis. WordPress lost a year trying to build everything into version 3.0. Apple faced criticism for what the first iPhone couldn’t do. Both remind us that everythingitis delays progress and creates frustration. Schools are particularly prone to it. Strategic plans become laundry lists instead of clear choices.

Focus, by contrast, allows leaders to say: this is what we’re doing now. Everything else will come later.

Three Steps to Finding Focus

So, how do school leaders move from fog to focus?

1. Get Your Levels Right

Before reaching for bold ambition, check whether Level 1 is truly routine. Are the basics of teaching, learning, assessment, and inclusion running smoothly, with little extra effort? If not, start there. Only when the groundwork is solid should you set a Level 2 focus. And protect your Level 3 R&D team so they can quietly prepare for the future.

2. Choose One Bold Ambition

Every great school is known for something. Not everything. Something. Ask:

•    Do we already do the basics really well?

•    Do we stand out for one thing insiders and outsiders both recognise?

•    Do our community and our desired families care about it?

If the answer to the first is no, pause. If the answer to the second or third is unclear, gather evidence. But if all three align, you have your focus. Pursue it with clarity, consistency, and patience until it becomes part of your routine.

3. Resist the Big Launch

Avoid rolling out the next idea with fanfare. Launches are for leaders, not communities. Instead, start small. Identify the 25% who are undecided but open to change. Test with them. Share results. Build momentum.

Movements, whether political or educational, succeed not because everyone is convinced, but because a small group is. As Erica Chenoweth’s research shows, it can take just 3.5% of people actively engaged to tip the system.

Focus Helps Everyone

Schools are already mission-driven places, powered by staff who choose the work despite its challenges. Focus honours that commitment by giving people clarity, reducing overwhelm, and creating real progress they can see.

When you focus, you avoid the trap of everythingitis. You empower middle leaders to turn stretch work into routine. You make better decisions. And you give your community something simple, meaningful, and motivating to rally behind.

As David Hieatt, Steve Jobs, and Plato put it: Do one thing well. It’s enough.

Ewan McIntosh, founder of global education consultancy NoTosh, is a keynote speaker at GESS 2025, known for helping schools and leaders find focus and design bold strategies.