Book Review: The Skillful Team Leader: A Resource for Overcoming Hurdles to Professional Learning for Student Achievement

‘Even the most consistently high functioning, high impact teams come up against hurdles to learning and achievement’ (p. 9). The search for ‘practical solutions grounded in theory and research’ resulted in Elisa MacDonald’s The Skillful Team Leader. Practical solutions abound, with references to research usually located in traditional textbooks. This is not a textbook. As the subtitle emphasizes, it is: A Resource for Overcoming Hurdles to Professional Learning for Student Achievement.

Crucial to MacDonald’s approach are five ‘foundational’ values: collaboration; shared leadership; goal setting and attainment; rigorous discourse and continuous improvement; all, as she states, associated with the professional learning community. With eyes firmly on the prize of student achievement, MacDonald seeks to inspire, encourage and develop team leaders to adopt the five values, using emotional intelligence and the appropriate mindset. Drawing on Dweck’s (2006) research, MacDonald defines the Growth Mindset as ‘a belief that every student and every teacher can improve as can her own ability to lead’. This foundation for skillful team leadership is communicated insistently and with emotional intelligence, Goleman’s (2006) well-known concept, defined by MacDonald as ‘one’s ability to be attuned to and respond to emotions in self and others’. MacDonald considers emotional intelligence another key attribute, wherein ‘The skillful team leader possesses wisdom, timing and deftness as she navigates the hurdle filled waters of leading a team’ (p. 6).

An obvious question arises: why hurdles? MacDonald describes having ‘this inspiring image of the team leader as a runner, leaping over one hurdle after another’ (p. 11). She acknowledges this ‘requires skill’; and advocates a skillful approach: identify the hurdle; explore possible causes; respond and consider school culture. Having established the foundation for skillful team leadership, Part 2 addresses hurdles associated with the five values in separate chapters – how to:

In explaining the rationale for selection, MacDonald considers these hurdles substantial and ‘universal.’ The five hurdles and associated dilemmas would certainly not seem out of place within the concerns of team leaders known professionally in international contexts. Consider ‘how do I lead an action oriented team when external changes impact our ability to sustain implementation or results?’ (p. 144). This chapter, in common with all on ‘overcoming hurdles’, ends with ‘Application to your own practice: connect, observe; explore; act.’

Given the aim of ‘practical solutions’, it is powerful that when MacDonald offers strategies, we are convinced she is speaking with the voice of substantial experience. It should be acknowledged though that the ‘workshop’ style may not be to everyone’s preference, for example, ‘think and write independently for 5 minutes.’ This may be excused by the depth of understanding, as evident in Chapter 6 (pp. 103ff.). Here MacDonald delivers her promise of ‘strategies to team leaders to facilitate discourse that is evidence based, dialogic, culturally efficient and ‘actionable’ (p. 103).

To illustrate: ‘instead of asking what the teacher could do differently … the team leader might ask what does this student need instructionally … what evidence in the student’s work demonstrates understanding or confusion … what do students need to know and do better?’ MacDonald rightly argues that ‘focusing the discussion on students reduces any concerns or blame or judgement and encourages the team to look more analytically, discuss more openly and problem solve collaboratively’ (p. 114). This advice is pertinent when ‘rigorous discourse surfaces assumptions, beliefs and values that are sometimes disturbing to hear and calls for a culturally proficient mindset’ (p. 120). The section reinforces MacDonald’s ‘values-laden leadership’ (Bell and Stevenson, 2005: 150). The emphasis is not on policy hurdle jumping from what Ball (2003, 2012) names ‘performativity’; rather, as Fullan cited by Bell and Stevenson (2005: 50) asserts ‘values provide the ‘moral compass’ to navigate the murky waters, and in some cases the hazardous swamps, of external policy imperatives’.

MacDonald writes disarmingly that a friend describes the book as ‘revolutionary common sense.’ There is much of ‘sense’ in the book; and sense which may not be especially common e.g. ‘having an open dialogue with teams in advance of new changes can help teams evolve with the change’ (p. 147) and ‘what good is a brilliantly written action plan … if it doesn’t get anyone to take action?’ (p. 142). Equally, the book’s ‘culturally proficient’ stance is perhaps more ‘revolutionary’ than one would like to think.

The book is of course more than ‘common sense’ – however un-interrogated the concept. Rigour and scholarship complement the ‘can do’ approach as evident in the discussion of concepts and references from research literature. However, MacDonald places professional experience at the forefront of her academic credentials. This is reinforced through creative layout with a differentiation between the practical, advisory, yet well-referenced main section and the more research-based input.

The research-based sections are as much a resource as the resource section ending the book. Recommended is ‘considerations for selecting assessments’ (p. 112) especially its references to Love’s ‘data driven dialogue’ (2009) and MacDonald’s adaptation of Love et al’s ‘data pyramid’.

MacDonald describes the format as ‘unique’. Like ‘revolutionary’ this may be an accolade too far; nonetheless, it is unsurprising to learn that her Master’s degree is in critical and creative thinking. There is a freshness about the format. This may partly be attributable to gender dynamics; where, for example, it seems intentional that as a woman writing about team leadership she often refers to the team leader as she.

The book has numerous shifts in tone, reflecting MacDonald’s experience; moving clearly, smoothly and always accessibly between the formal and informal register of team leader, trainer, consultant; to the exploratory coaching type of questions, alongside modes of the qualitative researcher. This is balanced by a consistency of format helping to pinpoint information quickly.

The most consistent, compelling aspect of this research-based book is encapsulated in the question McDonald asks of ‘Carmen and her team … They are adept at working together yet to what impact on student learning does their collaboration yield?’ (p. 45). There is much to support, inspire, coach and challenge team leaders and their teams in schools, colleges and other educational settings to develop and sustain high performing team leadership toward student learning and achievement…and to surmount obstacles along the path to success.