Voices of Change Article 6 – Joanna Povall

Article #6 – Joanna Povall

In this edition of Voices of Change, we feature an inspiring conversation with Joanna Povall, author of Kind Leadership: Leading Schools with Empathy, Honesty and Impact, a Principal, COBIS Lead Improvement Partner, and Tes International School Principal of the Year 2024/25. Renowned for championing empathy, integrity and high-impact leadership, Joanna Povall shares powerful insights into building school cultures where people feel valued, psychologically safe and empowered to thrive — proving that kindness and high standards go hand in hand.

What inspired you, as a woman, to take the step into educational leadership?

I often describe myself as an accidental leader. My path into educational leadership wasn’t sparked by a single defining moment or an inspirational figure. In truth, I never set out to lead at all. I simply wanted to be the best teacher I could be. As the years passed, frustration began to grow. I realised that if I genuinely wanted to influence the culture of a school, I couldn’t do it from the sidelines.

My journey into leadership came from a conviction that schools deserve leaders who balance rigour with humanity. I wasn’t seeing enough of that balance around me. So, although reluctantly at first, I stepped forward. If I wanted schools to be places where people felt valued and supported, then I needed to model that leadership myself. I needed to walk the walk.

In the early 1990s, leadership was often seen as needing to be strong, assertive and results‑driven. I am sure that this is still the case in some schools. While those qualities have their place, they often leave little room for empathy, emotional intelligence, or compassion. I witnessed leadership that lacked kindness, and those experiences shaped me and clarified the kind of leader I refused to become.

I wanted to build school environments where staff and students felt genuinely seen, psychologically safe, and able to thrive. Schools where joy and happiness was a priority. That commitment is what ultimately drew me into leadership: the desire to create communities where people feel safe, supported, and human. Happy schools. And every day since, that vision has guided me.

What achievements in your leadership journey make you most proud?

When I reflect on my leadership journey, the achievements that make me most proud are the ones that have shaped school culture in meaningful, lasting ways. Developing the CHASE framework is one of them. It began as a simple belief that kindness should sit at the heart of school leadership. It evolved into a structured approach that helps schools embed these values in daily practice. Seeing CHASE influence how teams communicate, support one another, and make decisions has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career.

I am equally proud of the work I have done to build school environments where happiness and kindness are not slogans, but lived experiences. Creating schools where staff feel valued, where students feel seen, and where psychological safety is prioritised has always been my deepest motivation. When people describe a school that I have led as “a happy place” or “a kind community,” that means more to me than any inspection rating or external award.

These achievements matter because they speak to culture. Developing CHASE and nurturing happy, kind schools has shown me that leadership is not about authority. It is about creating conditions where your whole school community can learn and grow together. And if my work has helped even a few communities experience that, then that is the legacy I am most proud of.

What challenges have you faced as a woman leader, and how have you navigated them?

I have to be honest, I have never really thought of myself as a woman in leadership. I have always seen myself simply as a person who leads people. I recognise how fortunate I am in that respect; I have never felt that my professional journey was fundamentally shaped or limited by my gender. The challenges I have encountered, such as navigating change, leading teams, driving improvement, managing financial pressures, are the familiar terrain of leadership, regardless of who you are.

The period that tested me most personally that is possibly most commonly felt by women, came when I served as Vice Principal in an international school that my own children attended. Balancing professional responsibility and parental presence within the same walls required constant emotional calibration. I was determined to be fair, consistent, and visible as a leader, whilst also protecting my children’s sense of normality.

Complicating this further, my husband worked away for long stretches of time, leaving me to manage both leadership and family life largely on my own. That taught me more about resilience than any leadership course ever could. It made me realise the importance of boundaries, and the power of a supportive team. It also taught me when to admit that you are not managing well and that you need to ask for help.

The challenge I faced was not rooted in being a woman. It was rooted in being a leader, a parent, and a human being trying to do justice to both worlds. It was a very delicate balance between two identities and one that I know that I didn’t get right. My own children told me that they felt that I cared more about work than them. It was the reality check that I needed. That experience shaped me into the leader I am today. Understanding that strength and vulnerability often walk side by side.

How do you feel women leaders are influencing the future of education today?

I believe that women leaders are helping to redefine what effective leadership looks like. They are challenging the outdated idea that leadership must be authoritarian, and distant. Instead, they are modelling leadership that is relational, emotionally intelligent, and grounded in the wellbeing of both staff and students. I also have several male colleagues in the sector who champion this way of leading, perhaps suggesting that this shift is not necessarily gendered but generational. This is reshaping schools into places where psychological safety is seen as essential to learning, not an optional extra.

Another powerful influence is the way women leaders are elevating the importance of voice. This ensures that diverse perspectives, including those of students, teachers, and parents, are genuinely heard. This collaborative approach is strengthening school communities and creating more inclusive decision‑making cultures.

Women leaders are also driving innovation in areas such as safeguarding, wellbeing, and pastoral care. They are often the ones pushing for systems that prioritise kindness, clarity, and consistency, recognising that sustainable improvement comes from nurturing people, not just managing processes.

Perhaps most significantly, women leaders are expanding the narrative of what leadership can be. By leading with both high standards and compassion, they are demonstrating that strength and empathy are not opposites. Their influence is shaping the future of education while strengthening the humanity and compassion that define it.

What message or advice would you share with the next generation of women aspiring to lead in education?

My message is simple: lead with your values. Never be the version you think leadership requires. Be yourself.

Leadership is not about perfection, nobody is perfect. It is also not about needing to have all the answers. It is about being willing to listen, to learn. To admit when you are wrong. Your strength will come from your values, your integrity, and your ability to create environments where others feel seen.

Most importantly, believe that you belong in the roles that you step into. Surround yourself with people who lift you, challenge you, and remind you of your purpose. And remember that your path does not need to look like anyone else’s. There is no single blueprint for leadership. If that is the kind of leader you aspire to be, then the education sector is in safe hands for the future.

What are you most passionate about in your work?

If there is one area that drives me above all else, it is kind leadership. One of the initiatives closest to my heart is the development of the CHASE framework. I designed it as a model to place kindness at the centre of school leadership culture. CHASE grew from a simple observation: schools thrive when people feel psychologically safe, valued, and feel that they belong.

CHASE offers a structured way for schools to embed compassion into everyday practice. This is achieved through: communication with clarity and kindness, honesty, accountability, self-esteem and ego awareness. What has been most powerful is seeing how CHASE helps teams articulate the kind of culture they want to create and then gives them the tools to build it.

This work has shaped some of the projects I am most proud of: developing staff‑led wellbeing initiatives, redesigning communication pathways to reduce anxiety and increase transparency, and creating student environments where feeling “seen” is as important as academic achievement.

For me, kindness is an integral part of leadership. It requires consistency, courage, and a willingness to see people as whole human beings. My hope is that the CHASE framework is my little contribution to helping schools do exactly that.