Think back to a time when your leadership team felt aligned. Everyone understood their role, communication was clear, and decisions felt purposeful. That sense of cohesion doesn’t just make school life easier. It directly impacts staff morale, pupil experience and whole-school performance.
Now consider the opposite. A team operating in silos, with blurred responsibilities, mixed messages and growing tensions beneath the surface. Even the most experienced teams can drift into misalignment over time, especially during periods of change or pressure.
As one academic year ends and another approaches, now is an ideal moment to reflect on how your leadership team is functioning. Whether you’re leading a senior team, pastoral leaders, or non-teaching middle managers, taking time to reset and refocus will help you start the next year with clarity and confidence.
Why Team Cohesion Matters
Strong leadership teams don’t just deliver tasks. They shape culture. When teams work well together, they communicate consistently, support one another under pressure, and help keep the broader team community steady and positive. In an educational setting, where responsibilities extend beyond the classroom and into the wider life of the organisation, that sense of cohesion is essential.
A cohesive team isn’t one where everyone always agrees. It’s one where people trust each other, understand their roles, and have the confidence to work through challenges constructively.
Common Barriers to Team Alignment
Leadership teams often lose cohesion not because of conflict, but because of common structural issues:
- Limited time for strategic reflection
- Assumed understanding of roles and expectations
- Unclear boundaries or overlapping responsibilities
- Lack of feedback or honest communication
- Development that focuses on individuals rather than teams
The quieter summer period provides a valuable opportunity to address these issues. With fewer day-to-day demands, teams can step back, reflect and reconnect.
Three Ways to Strengthen Your Leadership Team
- Make Time for Reflective Conversations
Strategic reflection often takes a backseat to operational demands. But without space to reflect, teams can lose sight of their purpose and drift into reactive mode.
Use the summer or early autumn to schedule dedicated conversations. Ask questions like:
- What went well for us as a team this year?
- Where did we face friction or miscommunication?
- What are our priorities as a team in the coming year?
Whether informal or structured, these conversations build trust and alignment.
- Clarify Roles and Responsibilities
Unclear roles can create friction, especially in busy school environments. When people are unsure about decision-making authority or task ownership, it slows progress and undermines confidence.
Take time to review responsibilities across the leadership team. This might mean refreshing job descriptions, discussing handovers or clarifying how key decisions are made. Clear roles help people work more efficiently and reduce misunderstandings.
- Invest in Shared Development
Too often, professional development focuses on individuals. While coaching or training can build confidence and skills, it can unintentionally create silos if team members are developing in isolation.
Prioritise team-based development opportunities. This could include joint coaching sessions, facilitated workshops, shared leadership reading, or collaborative planning. Development that brings people together reinforces a shared sense of purpose and strengthens relationships.
Bring in Objective Insight
To truly support a cohesive team, it’s important to move beyond assumptions. This is where structured, objective feedback can make a real difference.
At The Managers Training Company, we offer a 360 feedback programme called Insight 360. It is designed specifically for educational leaders who want to grow with confidence and clarity. By gathering perspectives from peers, direct reports and senior leaders, Insight 360 provides a clear picture of strengths and areas for growth.
Too often, leaders feel unsure about how they’re perceived or what to prioritise in their development. Without structured feedback, blind spots go unnoticed, and development plans remain vague. Insight 360 creates a clear, evidence-based starting point for meaningful leadership growth and supports the development of emotionally intelligent, self-aware teams.
Feedback is handled sensitively and constructively. Leaders receive practical insights, supported by coaching, to help them take clear, confident steps forward.
Our Approach to Team Development
We work with education organisations across the UK to strengthen leadership at every level. Our approach is collaborative and consultative. We don’t believe in off-the-shelf training. Instead, we work with you to understand your school’s context, challenges and goals.
Our support includes:
- Team development workshops and planning sessions
- One-to-one coaching for leaders in non-teaching roles
- Structured 360 feedback through Insight 360
- Ongoing mentoring and consultancy tailored to your needs
We believe the best teams are those that take time to reflect, communicate openly, and invest in building strong relationships. Whether you are leading a long-established group or building a new team, the principles of cohesion remain the same: clarity, trust and shared purpose.
The most effective leadership teams are not just a collection of capable individuals. They are connected, collaborative and clear on what they stand for.
If you want to build a stronger, more cohesive leadership team this year, we’d love to help. Book a call with us to explore how Insight 360, coaching and collaborative development can support your organisation and your people.
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