Leadership and Learning Pathways

 

email: llpathways@btinternet.com

 

 

The beginnings of Leadership and Learning Pathways go back to 1991 when I was studying for my post-grad in the education of adults at the University of Surrey.

 

It was there that I began my research into leadership in education.  I was encouraged to do so by Professor Brownhill, who lectured on the 'philosophy of education' at Surrey.  Incidently, the first 'Centre for Leadership' was established at the University of Surrey in the early 1980s.  Philosophy and psychology were a major part of my own degree course at the Open University. 

 

Prior to the O.U. I ran my own businss for almost 15 years.  The research I carried out at the University of Surrey made me realize that many of the problems I confronted as M. D. of Freya Fashions (the name of the manufacturing company) could well have been avoided if an understanding and application of the principles of leadership had been applied.

 

Over the past seventeen years my understanding of leadership has evolved, and continues to do so to the extent that it has diverged very much from the present orthodox approach and understanding of leadership.  An orthodoxy espoused by schools of leadership, business schools, organisational consultancies etc., and costing millions, if not billions of pounds/dollars/euros of business and tax payers money every year with very little to show in return.

 

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s Leadership and Learning Pathways conducted a limited number of workshops for head teachers.  All agreed that the understanding of leadership offered made a lot of sense in relation to sustainable school improvements.

 

However, the structures that existed, and sadly still exist, throughout much of the educational environment, as indeed throughout the business and social environments, is not conducive to the changes that the understanding and adoption of leadership demands.

 

The idea that power must be distributed much more equability across the social, business, educational etc., worlds - that is if long-term positive results were to become the norm - were not welcome by the existing power structures.

 

On retirement some four years ago, Trevor Coffey - a head teacher and then chief advisary officer for the local educational authority - and myself launched Leadership and Learning Pathways in order to promote an understanding of leadership and learning that would genuinely help and support, not only those in positions of authority, but indeed all involved in the day-to-day life the school, or organisation.

 

The overall purpose of Leadership and Learning Pathways is to advance the idea that together people can change things for the better.

 

 

 

Eugene Gallagher

 

Co-founder of

Leadership and Learning Pathways