Education Leaders | Strategic School Leadership How Leaders Beat Cognitive Overload
Oct 27, 2025
Many brilliant teachers suffer as overwhelmed leaders, mainly due to cognitive overload from basics. Shane shares the story of Sarah, a new head of English facing anxiety from meetings and decisions. He explains how cognitive load theory impacts strategic thought. By systemizing fundamentals like meeting types and difficult conversations, leaders can free up mental space. Shane outlines ten essential leadership levers, emphasizing the need to tackle cognitive clutter before strategic change. Immediate, practical strategies offer a way to reclaim leadership focus.
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Teacher Promoted Then Overwhelmed
- Sarah, a brilliant teacher, became head of English and started dreading Monday evenings due to mounting basics like meetings and decisions.
- Shane worked with her to systematise routines and she regained mental space to lead strategically.
Cognitive Load Explains Leadership Fatigue
- Cognitive load theory explains leaders run out of capacity because extraneous load from basics consumes working memory.
- That leaves no room for germane load, so strategic thinking collapses under daily friction.
Systematise Basics To Free Mental Space
- Systematise basics so routines become automatic and free up working memory for strategic tasks.
- Use rehearsal and repeatable processes to move effortful thinking into automatic habits.
