The Leader Who Keeps Going
A reflection on what sustains those who give themselves to others
I have been thinking a lot recently about what it actually takes to sustain a long leadership vocation in a school. Not what it takes to survive a difficult term, or to get through an inspection year, but the deeper question of what keeps a person going across the full span of a career spent in service of others.
It is a question worth asking, because the demands of school leadership do not diminish over time. If anything, the complexity increases. The expectations placed on headteachers and senior leaders in Catholic, Church of England and wider Christian schools have grown considerably over the past decade, and the personal cost of carrying those expectations is something the sector is still learning to speak honestly about.
Most school leaders I know carry far more than is visible to those around them. There is the weight of the children whose circumstances are difficult and whose faces stay with them long after the school day has ended. There is the responsibility for staff who are themselves under pressure, and who look to the headteacher for steadiness even when the headteacher is finding it hard to feel steady. There is the accumulated complexity of governance, finance, relationships with parents and the slow work of building and maintaining a school culture that genuinely reflects Christian values rather than simply stating them.
None of that weight is incidental to the role. It is the role. And the leaders who carry it well, year after year, are doing something that deserves more acknowledgement than it usually receives.
What I notice in leaders who sustain themselves well
Over many years of working alongside school leaders, I have paid attention to the ones who seem to remain genuinely well across a long career, and there are patterns worth naming.
The leaders who sustain themselves tend to have at least one relationship in which they do not have to manage how they come across. A spouse, a close friend, a mentor or a trusted colleague who knows them fully and with whom they can be honest about what they are finding hard. Leadership can be a lonely role, not because the leader is surrounded by difficult people, but because the nature of the responsibility means there are things they cannot say to those they lead. Having somewhere to be fully known is not a luxury for a school leader. Over time, it is a necessity.
They also tend to have some practice that genuinely restores them rather than simply occupying them. The distinction between the two is one I find leaders sometimes need to sit with. Distraction, scrolling, busyness in a different register, fills time without giving anything back. What restores a person is more specific than that, and more personal. For some it is physical activity or time outdoors. For others it is prayer, or reading, or music, or the company of people who have no connection to school life. The content matters less than the honesty with which a person identifies what actually works for them, rather than what they feel they ought to be doing.
And the leaders who sustain themselves well tend to have clarity about what they are fundamentally for. Not what they are responsible for, though they understand that clearly enough, but what they believe, at depth, about the work. Leaders who have genuinely reflected on their own vocation, on what draws them to this particular kind of school, on what they hope their presence will mean for the children and staff in their care, tend to be more resilient under sustained pressure because they have something to come back to when the difficulty is real.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
I return to that invitation often when thinking about school leaders, because it seems to me to speak very directly to people who have given a great deal of themselves and who are sometimes reluctant to acknowledge that they are tired. It is not a call to withdraw from the work. It is something closer to permission to bring the weight of it somewhere, honestly, rather than continuing to manage it alone.
A question worth sitting with
If you are a school leader reading this, I want to offer a question that I find more useful than most of the questions we are asked about leadership development and professional wellbeing.
Not what do I need to do differently, but what is genuinely sustaining me at the moment, and is it enough?
It is a harder question than it appears. Many of the leaders I work with are considerably more skilled at identifying what needs to happen for other people than they are at asking honestly what they themselves need. That is often part of what makes them good at the role. But over time, the inability to ask the question catches up with people, and the cost tends to be paid not in a single dramatic moment but in a slow diminishment of the quality of presence they are able to bring to those they lead.
The children, staff and communities in faith schools deserve leaders who are genuinely well, not simply leaders who are managing. And the work of staying genuinely well across a long vocation is something that requires the same thoughtfulness and intention that leaders bring to everything else.
An open door
If any part of this reflection has resonated with something you are carrying at the moment, it may be worth giving it a little more time rather than moving on quickly. And if you are someone who is thinking about your own leadership journey, whether that is a question about next steps, a sense that something needs to change, or simply a desire to talk things through with someone who understands this world, we would be glad to hear from you.
We work alongside leaders at all stages of their vocation, and the conversations we value most are often the ones that begin not with a vacancy or a role, but with a leader who simply wants to think carefully about where they are and what comes next. You are very welcome to get in touch.
About Liam Dowds
Liam Dowds is the Managing Director of Emmaus Leadership and has spent over two decades working alongside school leaders, governors and dioceses in Catholic, Church of England and wider Christian education. He has supported leaders at every stage of their professional journey, from those considering their first headship to those stepping into the most senior roles in faith education nationally. He is known for the depth of his relationships with the leaders he works with, and for the care and discretion he brings to every conversation.
📞 01737 652 043
📩 ldowds@emmausleadership.me
About Emmaus Leadership
Emmaus Leadership is a specialist senior leadership recruitment consultancy working exclusively within Catholic, Church of England and wider Christian education. We support dioceses, trusts and schools in finding leaders who are not only professionally exceptional but vocationally suited to the distinctive character of Christian education. Every search we undertake is shaped by a deep understanding of the sector and a genuine commitment to the communities we serve.
👉 Find out more at emmausleadership.me