#EdInfluence
S05E09 - Series 5 Retrospective with Iain Blatherwick
Jul 12, 2026
Season 5
Episode 9
Browne Jacobson
Nobody is coming to make leadership easier, and that can be the most useful thing we admit out loud. We sit down for our Series Five finale to trace the thread that keeps surfacing from wildly different guests and settings: stop waiting for perfect conditions, lead from where you are, and build momentum with the people already in the room.
From there, we explore what it takes to stay effective when uncertainty is the default. We talk self care as a leadership practice rather than a luxury, including the need for real thinking time, “time with no purpose”, and the tougher idea of “living in the gaps” instead of filling every silence with a phone, a meeting, or a hot take.
We also dig into why curiosity matters when leaders do not have all the answers, and how experimentation can beat the fear of getting it wrong.
If you care about education leadership, university governance, organisational culture, and better decision making under pressure, this one will give you plenty to chew over. Follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review, what theme should we pull on in the next series?
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