Why the future of leadership depends on seeing the whole organisation.
Last week, I used a throwaway observation in a LinkedIn post and then found myself reflecting on a seemingly small change within the latest Academy Trust Handbook. Amongst the 2026 updates is an expectation that newly appointed CFOs should normally hold, or be working towards, a recognised accountancy qualification.
It is an understandable addition. Academy trusts are becoming larger, more complex and increasingly accountable. Strong financial stewardship has never been more important, and professionally qualified finance leaders will undoubtedly strengthen many organisations.
It does, however, raise a different question. As organisations become more complex, is deeper expertise within individual functions enough? Or do leadership teams also need a different capability?
Over the past decade, every operational discipline in our schools has become more specialised. Finance, governance, cyber security, estates, HR and risk management have all developed their own expertise and professional standards. This is undoubtedly progress in what were once, rather dismissively, referred to as the school’s “back office” functions. Yet alongside this increasing depth of expertise, we have become less conscious of something equally important.
Who sees how it all fits together?
Every member of a leadership team quite naturally views the organisation through the lens of their own professional expertise. Each perspective is essential. But organisations don’t operate in departments. They operate as interconnected systems where decisions made in one area inevitably influence another. Financial constraints shape curriculum delivery. Workforce planning affects educational outcomes. Estates, safeguarding, governance and risk are rarely separate conversations.
The challenge facing modern school leadership teams is no longer about building stronger individual functions but developing leaders who can connect them.
SBLs. We see you.
The SBL role has never simply been about managing operations. It requires an understanding of the relationships between finance, people, estates, governance, operations and educational priorities, balancing competing demands while keeping the whole organisation moving towards a common purpose.
As trusts continue to evolve, should we only be thinking about the qualifications of individual specialists? Or should we also be asking how we develop school leaders who can integrate those specialisms into one coherent organisation?
The future of leadership is not simply about developing deeper expertise. It is about developing leaders who can see the whole organisation.
