#54 Are Leaders Asking The Wrong Questions? With Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson

What if the biggest barrier to school improvement is the way leaders think about leadership itself?   Today, I’m delighted to welcome Michael Nelson and Dr. Peter DeWitt, co-founders of the Instructional Leadership Collective and two of the most respected voices in educational leadership today.   Michael has spent more than four decades in education as a teacher, principal, superintendent, state leader, and professional learning facilitator. A former Washington State Superintendent of the Year, his work is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and a relentless focus on improving outcomes for students. Peter is an internationally recognised leadership expert, author, speaker, and former principal whose work on instructional leadership, collective efficacy, and professional learning has influenced schools and systems around the globe.   In this episode, we explore why leadership can be an isolating profession and how collective inquiry is helping leaders move beyond that isolation. We discuss the critical difference between collaboration and collective leadership, why leaders need to stop asking what teachers should do differently and start asking what they should do differently themselves, and how evidence, vulnerability, and shared problem-solving can transform both leaders and school cultures.   We also examine the power of collective efficacy, the challenge of balancing technical and adaptive leadership, and how leaders can create the conditions for meaningful, sustainable improvement rather than simply implementing another initiative. Along the way, Michael and Peter share powerful stories of leadership transformation, reveal some of the common themes emerging from collectives across the world, and outline their ambitious vision for connecting educational leaders through shared problems of practice... and much more!   Welcome to The Well-being Classroom.   Click to learn more about the Instructional Leadership Collective: https://instructionalleadershipcollective.com