Unbound SBLs: Does systems leadership have to be serious? on Creating Value In Schools

Emma Gray and Helen Burge explore what system leadership looks like in practice, why curiosity and collaboration matter, and how SBLs can recognise and extend the influence they already have.

Episode: 43
Listening time: 26 minutes
Released: 3 November 2026

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Emma Gray and Helen Burge explore what system leadership looks like in practice, why curiosity and collaboration matter, and how SBLs can recognise and extend the influence they already have.

You don’t need a particular job title, or a seat on the SLT, to be a systems leader. The Unbound SBLs discuss how it can come through:

Moving from delivering to shaping, and from asking “what’s in front of me?” to “what’s the pattern here?”
Learning from Ted Lasso: be curious, be humble and be the goldfish.
Networking and sharing what you know – without worrying about being the expert.

A listener’s dilemma generates discussion around the risk of loyalty leading to burnout, and the importance of being able to leave a role.

“Being indispensable is not good leadership.”

“Think about your own personal risk register. What are you trying to protect yourself against, and what controls have you got in place?”

Emma Gray and Helen Burge have both been executive business leaders in trusts, and now support school business professionals through coaching, training and consultancy. Emma is a DfE accredited school resource management advisor, and Helen co-chairs the UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group. They are fans of risk management, internal scrutiny and operational excellence.

Liz Worthen’s career in education spans teaching, training, commissioning and programme development. Creating Value in Schools is all about sustainable working: taking care of people, planet and resources to secure better outcomes for children and communities.

Previous Unbound SBL episodes