Leading With Intention
How School Leaders Can Unlock Deeper Collaboration and Drive Results
Peter M. DeWitt & Michael Nelson
In Leading with Intention, Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson invite educational leaders into a deeper conversation about not just what we lead, but how and why. The book is built around five interconnected dimensions: self-awareness, relational intentionality, collective inquiry, networked learning, and designing your personal leadership ecology. These dimensions are grounded in stories from schools and reflections from the field, making the material tangible and relevant for anyone in a learning organisation, not just those at the top.
Key to this book is a focus on the internal, relational and cultural before leaping to strategy or tools. A chapter on collective inquiry, for example, doesn’t open with governance charts, it begins by asking how we open spaces for shared curiosity and trust, then moves toward structures, feedback loops and protocols. There is a generous use of reflection prompts, visual tools and checklists, but these are offered as invitations rather than prescriptions, reminding us that leadership always adapts to context.
The tone of the book mirrors an honest discussion: “Here’s what we discovered. Here’s a question we’re still grappling with. You might adapt this for your context.” It doesn’t claim quick wins; instead, it encourages ongoing experimentation, relational courage and reflective practice. Some readers may wish for richer case studies in very challenging contexts, or additional scaffolding for leaders in highly constrained settings, but that is part of the invitation: to fill in with your own context.
For principals, teacher-leaders, support staff and pre-service teachers alike, Leading with Intention offers a refreshing departure from the “tool-kit” genre of leadership literature. It reminds us that leadership is first and foremost human work, grounded in how we see ourselves, others and possibility. If you’re curious about how to lead more deliberately, relationally and purposefully, this is a book worth picking up and worth talking about together in your next staff professional learning session.
