Calm Leadership offers an inspiring and hopeful insight into my calm approach to school leadership, which I have crafted, developed and honed over my twenty-four years as a school leader. Drawing on my experience, I reflect on the reality of school leadership in Calm Leadership, providing a candid and personal account of my journey.

I first stepped into headship in 2006, one of the few Black school leaders in the UK at the time. Over the next two decades, I learned to lead through the highs and lows of the role, from navigating imposter syndrome and everyday pressures to experiencing moments of joy and hard-won progress – and to do so calmly.

At the heart of this book is my ‘CALM’ leadership model, honed and crafted over many years, which entails: Confronting uncalm feelings, Adapting to the feeling of leadership, Leading people with humanity and understanding, and Maturing into the leader you are meant to be. This model offers a framework for managing stress, staying well and maintaining a positive outlook so that readers can sustain leadership roles in the long term.

This book addresses a part of leadership that’s often overlooked: what it actually feels like to lead. The central message of this book is that leadership doesn’t have to be a burnout job; it can be a source of joy, fulfilment and lasting impact when approached with the right mindset and strategies, which I attempt to present with clarity, passion and heart.

Essential for current and aspiring school leaders at all levels.