Category: School improvement

The recent Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast miniseries offers a rich seam of insight for educators. Though ostensibly about spontaneous speaking in high-stakes professions—negotiation, broadcasting, refereeing—it invites us to reconsider the nature of talk in the classroom—not as a peripheral skill or passing distraction, but as a central pillar of how learning happens.

What emerges from the series is a truth both obvious and counterintuitive: spontaneous speaking is not the antithesis of preparation, but its culmination. The ability to respond thoughtfully in the moment—to speak before one is entirely certain, to listen deeply, to adjust mid-flight—is a skill that grows out of deep rehearsal, structured thinking, and intentional practice.

It is also, I would argue, at the heart of great teaching.

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In my recent post, From Oversight to Insight, I made the case that line-management conversations, when thoughtfully led, can be quietly transformative. They’re not just accountability checkpoints — they’re opportunities to build clarity, capacity, and trust.

But what happens when those conversations don’t feel that way?

Sometimes, it’s not what’s said in a one-to-one that matters most — but how it’s said, how often, and what it reveals about the line-manager’s priorities.

To explore this, I’ve adapted the Thomas-Kilmann conflict model to frame line-management interactions not as conflicts, but as signals of how much a leader values a given issue, and how much they value the relationship.

Here’s what it looks like:

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A well-chaired line management meeting is calm, structured, and quietly transformative. Done well, it doesn’t just support the work – it can shape the culture. It helps people reconnect to purpose, realign with strategy, and recommit to their own professional growth. Over time, consistently well-led meetings don’t just serve individuals – they shape the organisation itself.

But when handled poorly, line management becomes one of the most wasted opportunities in any workplace – reduced to a box-ticking exercise at best, or at worst, a slow erosion of trust, morale, and momentum.

I’ve experienced both ends of the spectrum. The time I sat across from a boss who, without looking up from his laptop, continued typing an email while I waited awkwardly for the meeting to begin. On another occasion, the tone of questioning was so unusually pointed and calculated that, at the time, it felt less like a collegial dialogue and more like an exercise in scrutiny, unsettling in its intensity.” Neither exchange left me feeling seen, supported, or motivated to do better – and both made me think hard about the kind of leader I wanted to be.

In contrast, some of the most impactful line management conversations I’ve had haven’t always been with high-performing colleagues gliding from success to success, but with those who were stuck – professionally, personally, or even within the parameters of a competency process. When done well, these meetings became moments of clarity, connection, and forward movement toward steps that suddenly felt both visible and possible. But equally, great line management recognises when someone is thriving – and enables them to fly higher. It should lift, not just steady.

If we take our cue from the best thinking in leadership, coaching, and organisational development, line management meetings shouldn’t be a performance review in disguise. They should be structured opportunities to listen, support, challenge, and build capacity – for others and for ourselves. And over time, consistent conversations like these help align the behaviour of teams with the values and direction of the whole organisation.

Here’s how.

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