The Magic in the Space Between: How a unique mentoring programme is transforming women's leadership - Softcover

Ian Wigston

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1913622525 ISBN 13: 9781913622527

Publisher: John Catt Educational Ltd, 2021

Synopsis

Responding to a challenge posed by state and independent school leaders, Ian Wigston put together a team of experienced leaders from business, the public sector and the military to enable nearly a hundred women to explore their potential for school leadership.

The Magic in the Space Between explores how mentoring, in tandem with a variety of innovative community projects undertaken by the women, provided a platform for each of them to develop a range of skills which saw more than a quarter achieve promotion within two years.

As well as telling the stories of individual success, frequently challenging their own assumptions, the book includes contributions from former Schools Minister David Laws, actor Juliet Stevenson and Commodore Mel Robinson, one of the most senior women in the Navy. The book concludes with proposals to address the continuing problem of building a pipeline of future women’s leadership in education.

About this title

About the Author

Ian has been an independent consultant and coach for more than 25 years. He specialises in coaching, innovation, and leadership development. He has undertaken projects for organisations as diverse as Barclaycard, Boeing, Boots Healthcare International, Santander and the Church of England and has been an advisor to the UK Government on Education Policy. 

Prior to establishing his own business, Ian built and ran Barclays’ innovation unit in the early 1990s. The team worked with external clients including ICI and Shell, and also undertook internal projects in retail and wholesale banking. Prior to this his career had spanned relationship management in the Natural Resources team, the development of the Strategic Planning function for the Markets Division of BZW and the design and development of Electronic Banking Department. He was responsible for introducing coaching into Barclays.

Ian and his wife Hilary established Bright Field Consulting in 2013 and presently work with more than 100 state and independent schools in the UK. In one project, described by The Times as “unique”, Bright Field is enabling nearly 100 future women leaders by helping them develop their personal brands and marketing themselves more effectively in order to secure promotion. More than 25% of the cohort have won new roles. 

He is a Trustee of Multi-Academy Trusts in Peterborough and Romford and is also a Trustee of the Church of England Diocesan Board of Finance in Suffolk. He holds a BA (Econ) from Nottingham University, and an MBA from Henley Management College. For his work in education and elsewhere he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2005, and is also a Fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Catt Educational Ltd
• Publication date: 2021
• ISBN 10: 1913622525
• ISBN 13: 9781913622527
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 160