Des O’Connor is Head of Secondary at The English Academy in Kuwait and an experienced international school leader. His work focuses on leadership development, school improvement and supporting aspiring leaders to build confidence, clarity and a stronger sense of leadership identity before stepping into formal roles.
Bio - Leadership before the title - TeacherCON
Many teachers are already leading through their influence, initiative and relationships, even before they hold a formal leadership title. This interactive workshop will help participants recognise where they are already demonstrating leadership and consider how they want to develop as an emerging leader.
Through guided reflection and practical discussion, participants will explore their leadership values, strengths and areas for growth. They will consider how they want colleagues and students to experience them as a leader, identify common barriers to taking the next step and develop a clearer sense of their emerging leadership identity.
Participants will leave with a practical reflection framework and one specific leadership action to take back into their school. The session is relevant to teachers who are considering middle leadership, beginning to take on additional responsibility or simply want to understand their leadership potential more clearly. Its focus is not on gaining a title, but on developing the confidence, self-awareness and intentionality to lead well before formal promotion.