How to Think Long-Term When Everything's on Fire

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:

FCLT Global and Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Forum research

McKinsey 2017 study on long-term thinking

Boston Consulting Group research on organisational change

Episode Partners

International Centre for Coaching in Education (Use discount code SHANE5 for 5% off)

International Curriculum Association

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

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