How to Think Long-Term When Everything's on Fire
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Your budget's been slashed, three teachers have resigned, parents are complaining about the new timetable, and someone's asking about your five-year strategic plan. Sound familiar? This episode tackles the leadership trap that stops brilliant school leaders from making real progress: abandoning long-term thinking the moment a crisis hits. Shane explores why waiting for things to calm down before thinking strategically means you'll be waiting forever, and why firefighting mode becomes a dangerous default that creates more problems than it solves.
You'll learn the three anchors that keep strategic leaders grounded during chaos: identifying your non-negotiables (three to five things that don't change no matter what), asking one weekly question that maintains forward momentum, and conducting a monthly review that prevents short-term decisions from creating long-term disasters. Shane shares research showing that 75% of change initiatives fail not because ideas were poor, but because organisations revert to short-term thinking under pressure. If you're exhausted from constant crisis management but frustrated that nothing's actually changing in your school, this episode will show you how to lead strategically even when everything feels urgent.
Resources & Links Mentioned:
Episode Partners
International Centre for Coaching in Education (Use discount code SHANE5 for 5% off)
Thank you for tuning in, and as always, if you found this episode useful, please share your experience. You can find me online on LinkedIn and Bluesky. My email address is shane@shaneleaning.com.
