Decision-Making Archives - Azimuth | Education Consultancy & Fractional Digital Strategy

Digital Strategy & AI

8 May, 2026

Clarity and Coherence: The Two Tests of a Digital Strategy

Most school digital strategies fail before the first tool is procured. The reason is rarely technical. It is almost always a failure to meet two simpler demands: clarity and coherence.…

José Picardo 1

Leadership & Coaching

23 April, 2026

Why Schools Keep Promoting the Wrong People

A head I once worked with led an oversubscribed independent girls’ school in suburban Surrey. By every available measure she was a successful head. Results were strong. Parents were satisfied.…

José Picardo 0

Leadership & Coaching

6 February, 2026

Pushing Back in Leadership: When Confidence Slips into Hubris

I should say at the outset that I have been fortunate. Every inspection of a school I have taught in or led has returned a positive verdict. I write, therefore,…

José Picardo 0

Leadership & Coaching

14 August, 2025

Cakeism and Car Salesmanship: The Hidden Cost of Over-Promising in Schools

This piece is written to prompt reflection. School leadership is complex, high-stakes work, often carried out under intense scrutiny and pressure to deliver more with less. The temptation to promise…

José Picardo 3

Leadership & Coaching

3 July, 2025

Latency and Leadership: Why Fast Talk Isn’t Always Strategic

In communication theory, latency refers to the time between stimulus and response. Some people respond quickly: we might call them low-latency communicators. They think aloud, process in real time, and speak early…

José Picardo 3

Leadership & Coaching

2 May, 2025

Beware the Octopus Head: Why Control Isn’t the Same as Leadership

While this reflection is grounded in school leadership (where I have worked and coached for many years) the dynamics described here echo more widely, across organisations, sectors and hierarchies. Wherever…

José Picardo 1