May 14
Two very different events which I attended at the end of last week in Edinburgh ended with a very similar message about the importance of getting to know the people around us, and I thought this was worth reflecting on for a moment. The first event was a session on diversity – and, specifically, how …
May 07
I spent Sunday morning this week with my daughter at Kidzania, the ‘indoor city for kids’ situated in Westfield Mall at White City, London (and replicated in various major cities across the world). For those of you who don’t know Kidzania, it is designed so that children aged 4-14 can explore a replica ‘city’, with …
May 01
I have just been dipping in again to Erin Meyer’s very readable book ‘The Culture Map’, which I do from time to time, just to remind myself of the urgent imperative of developing cultural understanding in a globalised world – the world in which our young people are growing up, and in which they will …
Apr 23
One of the differences about working in Chinese schools, as I was reminded last week, is the importance of AQI. AQI, as I am sure you know, stands for Air Quality Index, and there are strict guidelines in schools in China for what needs to happen if the AQI rises above certain permissible amounts – …
Apr 15
This last week has been a whirlwind of activity for me in the great Chinese cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou, where I have had the pleasure of speaking at the Wellington Festival of Education. I have shared the experience with some other fascinating speakers and educators, and it has been enormously stimulating to elicit excited …
Apr 11
This week finds me in Shanghai, at the Wellington College International Shanghai EdFest, where in addition to talking about the benefits to young people of having global mobility – and what this means in practice – I have also been roped in to chair a couple of panel sessions on ‘Third Culture Kids’. Ably assisted …
Apr 05
I return to this blog with renewed vigour after an absence… and I put this renewed energy all down to my wonderful day’s coaching with my secret support – my own leadership coach. I have spent the day in the beautiful East Coast of Scotland town of North Berwick being challenged, prodded and uplifted, and …
Nov 12
Whatever we can do to support school leaders, we should. School leaders make a significant and positive difference in schools – just ask Professor John Hattie – and a poor fit (even of a highly skilled and highly experienced leader who is just in a place which needs something different) is enormously costly, both financially …
Aug 13
I have lost count of the number of years I have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe, let alone of the number of performances I have attended; what I have not lost, however, is the joy and wonder I feel every year when I immerse myself in much of what the Fringe has to offer. …
Jul 11
Behind every sporting triumph lies a great coach, who has helped the successful sportsperson or team grow, develop and excel. We take this almost for granted now – just as we take for granted in the world of business that for CEOs to flourish as leaders, they need someone else to challenge them, support them …