Middle Leaders: Strategic Thinkers and Strategic Planners

Abstract

As the role of senior school leaders has become more complex, the leadership of improvement, innovation and change has been distributed to middle leaders. However, middle leaders are often not prepared for the shift to strategic thinking and leading. This chapter provides an overview of what it means to think and lead strategically when leading from the middle. Then, the theory is translated into practical templates and tools that can be employed by a middle leader. The context of this chapter is leading a faculty in a secondary school; however, the ideas and examples provided are easily translated to any middle leading context.

Citation

Benson, E. (2024), "Middle Leaders: Strategic Thinkers and Strategic Planners", Benson, E., Duignan, P. and Watterston, B. (Ed.) Middle Leadership in Schools: Ideas and Strategies for Navigating the Muddy Waters of Leading from the Middle, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 135-152. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-082-320241009