PiXL Leadership Bookclub

In this episode, Rachel Johnson is joined by two school leaders; Daniel Opoku of Ark Blake Academy and Richard Tyrrell of The Kingston Academy, to discuss 'Essentialism' by Greg McKeown. According to McKeown, an Essentialist lives by three principles: they do less but better, they follow the disciplined pursuit of less, and, ultimately, they live a life that really matters. In education, where the...

Series 2 of PiXL's Leadership Bookclub begins with a discussion around a classic leadership book: Legacy by James Kerr. Rachel Johnson (CEO of PiXL) speaks with school leaders Matthew Crawford (CEO of Embark Federation) and Sue Plant (Head of School at John Taylor Free School) about their key takeaways from the book. What legacy do you hope to create? What is your place in your school's history, a...

Welcome back to Series 2 of PiXL's Leadership Bookclub. In this podcast, Rachel Johnson (PiXL CEO) and school leaders discuss their takeaways from the best leadership books, from Legacy by James Kerr to Becoming by Michelle Obama. PiXL is a partnership of 3,000 schools and colleges spanning KS1-5, focusing on equipping leaders and teachers to bring a better future and brighter hope to young people...

In this final episode of the season, things are a bit different. Rachel Johnson is joined by guest, Adrian Kneeshaw CEO of the Carlton Academy Trust Good To Great focuses on the gap between the organisations that do well and the organisations that become outstanding in their field. Rachel and Adrian speak about this in the context of schools. This podcast will get you thinking about how you could...

In this episode, Rachel Johnson is joined by two school leaders; Jess Leonard of Walton Academy and Marcus Shepherd of Wells Academy, to discuss 'Drive' by Daniel Pink. The premise of the book is that rather than being driven by external rewards, we are truly motivated by intrinsic rewards - to have autonomy, purpose, and mastery in our lives. Talking about the book's tenets in the context of scho...

The PiXL Leadership Bookclub makes a return this week, with Rachel Johnson speaking virtually with school leaders Sonette Schwartz and Hamira Shah. The trio discuss their key takeaways from Matthew Syed's book 'Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking', applying them to a school setting. Could your team be collectively blind, operating in an echo chamber of validation? Where do the best ideas co...

Brené Brown's book 'Dare to Lead' holds the central tenet that when we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. In this episode, Rachel Johnson, Nav Sanghara and Aziza Ajak exemplify this leadership approach: they explore vulnerability, perfectionism, self-compassion and fear of failure in this 'whole-hearted' and open discussion that w...

In this episode, Rachel Johnson, Lindsay Skinner, and Joe Sparks gather together to share the insights they gleaned from Patrick Lencioni's 'The Five Dysfunctions of a Team'. They wrestle with the book, the ideas in it, and what it's meant for them and examples of how they have handled 'dysfunctions' in teams. PiXL is a partnership of 3,000 schools and colleges spanning KS1-5, focusing on equippin...

In this episode, Chris Edwards and Matt Burton join Rachel Johnson to explore the ideas in Damian Hughes' book 'The Barcelona Way'. Although it's the backdrop, this is not about football! It is about high performing teams, which we find in schools across the country. Such teams aren't made overnight, nor are they made by accident, but are created by 'cultural architects', who are clear role models...

In this episode, Rachel Johnson is joined by school leaders Colette Firth and Patrick Cozier to discuss David Marquet's book, 'Turn The Ship Around'. Reflecting on their own experiences in leadership, the trio discusses how they have turned their own leadership situations around, how they have tried to get the best from others, and how they decided the kind of leader they wanted to be. They explor...

In this episode, Rachel Johnson is joined by school leaders Dominique Gobbi and James Heale to discuss Simon Sinek's book, 'The Infinite Game'. Reflecting on their own experiences in leadership, the trio discuss Sinek's view of an 'infinite mindset' and how it could lead to stronger and more progressive school environments. They draw on the importance of collaboration, the notion of 'worthy rivals...

This show is about school leaders reading non-education books and learning lessons that we can apply to our school leadership. Subscribe now to download every episode directly to your phone automatically. PiXL Leadership Bookclub is a We Are In Beta production. PiXL (Partners in Excellence) is a partnership of over 1,600 secondary schools, 500 sixth forms, 830 primary schools and 75 providers of a...