Getting to the Heart of Leadership: Emotion and Educational Leadership

The last book I read on emotional leadership was Leading with Teacher Emotions in Mind (Leithwood and Beatty, 2008). This was a very academic book almost like a PhD thesis and impenetrable. So when I came to this book I was hoping for something very different. To my delight it was. It is a very accessible book that is written in an engaging and fluid style that encourages you to keep reading. Its strong points are the leadership voices that flow through the book and are both captivating and informative and do so much to link theories and ideas to practice. The book is clearly focused with nine chapters. After an initial chapter that sets the scene for the book, the author reviews the various perspectives on emotional leadership. This and succeeding chapters end with a “think piece” for the reader to reflect on their own emotions and leadership skills. The author then considers the importance of educational leadership storytelling where leaders can make sense of their emotions. Chapters four, five and six look at: the people we are, the people we work with and the places we work. This enables the reader to consider the emotional side of leadership in themselves, their colleagues and the context in which they work. Again the leadership stories and accounts in the book give a vivid sense of reality and purpose to the key ideas the author is trying to convey. Chapter seven looks at being a headteacher and in particular being an emotionally coherent leader. This is insightful and many readers will recognise themselves in the descriptions and accounts. The final two chapters – “Looking forward” and “Personal and practical wisdom” – enable the reader to reflect on where leadership is going and the emotional skills and resolve they will need. In summary this is an excellent book, well worth the read.