In this special episode, Shane Leaning discusses his new best-selling book "Change Starts Here: What if Everything Your School Needed Was Right in Front of You?", co-authored with Efram Learner. Shane shares why they wrote the book, its core philosophy, and how it can help school leaders drive meaningful change by looking inward to their communities rather than constantly seeking external solutions.
Pre-order "Change Starts Here" on Amazon
Key Points
- The Confidence Crisis: Many schools are experiencing a confidence crisis, constantly looking outside for solutions from consultancies and companies, inadvertently outsourcing their thinking
- A Different Approach: Instead of providing prescriptive solutions, the book offers 40 powerful questions organized into 8 stages to unlock the wisdom that already exists within school communities
- Based on Design Thinking: The framework adapts the British Design Council's Double Diamond model for educational settings
- Already a Bestseller: The book has achieved bestseller status within a week of pre-orders being available
What Makes This Approach Different
- Embraces Complexity: Change involves people, and people are complex - this book doesn't try to oversimplify that reality
- Community-Centered: Involving multiple perspectives leads to better quality change and develops genuine buy-in
- Engages Head and Heart: Questions engage with feelings as much as thoughts, helping people follow through even when change becomes challenging
Who Is This Book For?
- School leaders (primary audience)
- Teachers developing minds in their classrooms
- Parents supporting their children
- HR managers thinking about recruitment challenges
- CEOs of school groups
- Anyone who believes in community-led change
Episode Partner
The International Curriculum Association: Learn more
Thank you for tuning in, and if you found this episode useful, please share. You can find me on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports international schools globally. Passionate about empowering educators, he is currently co-authoring 'Change Starts Here.' Shane has extensive experience in the UK and Asia and is a recognised voice in international education leadership. Learn more at shaneleaning.com.
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