Research School Network: Influence That Lasts: Leading with Integrity, Clarity, and Care Jon McNamee, Headteacher at Brownhills West Primary School, walks us through the ideal principles of a school’s shared vision

Influence sits at the heart of leadership. Andy Buck reminds us that leaders don’t shape culture through authority alone (Buck, A. (2023) Leadership Matters 3.0, P128). They influence by engaging others in a compelling vision, acting with integrity, and choosing how to influence with care and precision.

As a leader at Brownhills West Primary School, this message resonates deeply. We are leaders of people first, and teaching staff second. When we influence well, professional practice becomes the natural expression of strong relationships, shared purpose, and collective ambition — the very conditions that help us close the disadvantage gap.

Engaging Others in Vision

Influence begins with a vision people can believe in. A vision is not a laminated poster or a strategic document — it’s our shared story of purpose. Each leadership team meeting always links back to our shared vision, and our school’s story.

This is echoed strongly in the EEF’s A School’s Guide to Implementation (EEF, 2024) , which emphasises that change succeeds when people understand why it matters and feel emotionally connected to the direction of travel. Leaders must therefore:

1. Connect the vision to values, belonging, and meaning

2. Make the vision co‑owned, not imposed

3. Create clarity about what the vision looks like in practice

Systems, routines, expectations, and relational practice work well as adults understand the purpose behind them and feel part of a shared culture.

Our work is not just organisational — it is moral. It aligns directly with the EEF’s core purpose: to break the persistent link between family income and educational achievement. Engaging our people in a shared vision while deliberately building a culture of trust, we create the conditions where every child — regardless of background — can thrive.

Integrity as the Foundation

Influence without integrity is manipulation. The EEF’s Effective Professional Development (EEF, 2021) report reinforces this. Teachers are more likely to engage in new practices when they trust the leader, believe the process is fair, and feel psychologically safe. Integrity shows up in:

1. Consistency between words and actions

2. Transparent decision‑making

3. Fairness in how expectations are applied

4. A willingness to listen, adapt, and acknowledge mistakes

Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety echoes this, which shows that people contribute more openly and take positive risks when they feel respected and protected. Integrity is therefore not a ​“nice to have” at our setting — it is a foundation of influence.

Choosing How to Influence

Leaders need a repertoire of influence strategies — from coaching and persuasion to directive clarity. The skill lies in choosing the right approach for the right moment.

The EEF’s Improving Behaviour in Schools (EEF, 2019) guidance supports this idea: effective leadership requires both relational warmth and instructional clarity. Our leaders must judge when to:

1. Coach to build capacity

2. Persuade to build buy‑in

3. Direct to protect standards, safety, or wellbeing

Viviane Robinson’s research strengthens this point further. She found that the most impactful leaders promote and participate in teacher learning, working alongside staff rather than above them. Influence, then, is not a single style — it is a deliberate choice rooted in context, values, and the needs of the people we serve.

When prioritising people — their emotions, motivations, identities, and sense of belonging — professional excellence follows.

The EEF’s Rapid Review of Leadership Approaches (EEF, 2023) discussed how strong relationships, clarity of purpose, and supportive culture are also important foundations of improved teacher retention as well as teaching and learning.

Leading people first means:

1. Seeing the human before the role

2. Understanding that influence is emotional before it is instructional

3. Recognising that belonging drives performance

This people‑centred approach is not separate from improving outcomes – it is the foundation of it. The Education Endowment Foundation’s core purpose is to break the link between family income and educational achievement, and the evidence is clear that the most effective way to do this is through consistently excellent teaching. Teachers are far more likely to deliver that level of practice when they feel valued, supported, and part of a team with shared purpose. When staff experience belonging and psychological safety, they are better able to engage with coaching, adopt new habits, and sustain the high‑quality teaching that makes the biggest difference for disadvantaged pupils. In other words, leading people well is inseparable from closing the attainment gap.

Closing Reflection

Influence is not about bending others to your will. It is about inviting them into a vision they can believe in, grounded in integrity and shaped by wise choices in how we lead.

When we lead people first and teaching staff second, we don’t just improve practice — we unlock purpose, connection, and collective ambition. That is where leadership truly matters, and where evidence‑informed leadership can make the greatest difference for disadvantaged pupils.

References

Buck, A. (2023) Leadership Matters 3.0.

Coyle, D. (2018) The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups. Bantam.

Edmondson, A. (2019) The Fearless Organization. Wiley.

Education Endowment Foundation (2019) Putting Evidence to Work: A School’s Guide to Implementation.

Education Endowment Foundation (2021) Effective Professional Development.

Education Endowment Foundation (2019) Improving Behaviour in Schools.

Education Endowment Foundation (2023) Reviewing the evidence base on school leadership, culture, climate and structure for teacher retention .

Robinson, V. (2011) Student-Centred Leadership. Jossey-Bass.