The Hidden Workload Problem School Leaders Keep Missing | Shawn Vanderhoven

Staff workload in schools isn't always visible — and even the clearest school improvement priorities can fail when hidden work consumes your team's time and attention. Most heads aren't short on effort when it comes to attendance. The harder truth: so much of it often rests on one or two people — and when that's the case, it never feels steady, however hard everyone works. That's the work I do. I run a funded Senior Attendance & Leadership Resilience Check for headteachers and trust leaders in complex schools. It starts with a short strategic assessment. For eligible schools, it opens into a full process: - On-site school visit - Detailed, school-specific report - Follow-up strategy session - Practical leadership tools for a clear 90-day plan Typically valued at £1,000 — currently funded for eligible schools. Apply here → https://atrejwhi.formester.com/f/hwL9GCyin/ In this episode of Headship After Hours, Paul Collin is joined by Shawn Vanderhoven leadership researcher and author of Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World, to explore how school leaders can reduce distractions, create clarity and help staff focus on the work that matters most. Drawing on research across education, technology and other sectors, Shawn Vanderhoven challenges a familiar leadership assumption: that doing more, moving faster and responding to everything will produce better results. Instead, he argues that the best leaders create deliberate moments to pause, clarify priorities and protect the conditions needed for excellent work. Paul and Shawn explore: Why staff workload is often greater than leaders realise The difference between activity and impact Why clear instructions aren't always understood as intended How to uncover hidden workload through the turn out your pockets exercise Why school improvement priorities compete with existing commitments How leaders can make difficult decisions about what to stop The importance of psychological safety when discussing workload Why giving staff permission to focus isn't enough How to protect deep work through sponsored monk mode Creating practical team house rules around emails, interruptions and communication Why productivity is a social problem, not simply an individual responsibility How school leaders can create the conditions for better thinking and stronger outcomes One of the most important questions in this conversation is: When you introduce a new school priority, what are you taking away to make room for it? For headteachers, executive leaders and senior leadership teams, this episode offers practical ways to move beyond being constantly busy and towards building a more focused, sustainable school culture. 🎙️ Headship After Hours with Paul Collin — honest conversations about school leadership, clarity, culture and the realities of leading schools. Guest: Shawn Vanderhoven Book: Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World link to his book https://www.pausebook.co/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnvanderhoven?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios Explore the guest's work and the leadership resources mentioned in this episode through the links in the show notes. 00:00 Why Clear Communication Isn't Always Understood 00:36 Introducing Sean Van der Hoven 01:30 The Research Behind Pause 03:25 Why Great Leaders Need to Pause 06:51 How to Identify Your Team's Distractions 09:09 Attendance and Leadership Resilience Check 10:35 Why Clarity Matters in Leadership 11:30 The Biggest Distraction: Unclear Priorities 14:49 The Picture Gap: When Staff Hear Different Messages 17:36 Turn Out Your Pockets: Revealing Hidden Workload 22:10 The Hit-or-Miss Priority Matrix 27:34 Why Schools Can't Do Everything 31:02 Sponsored Monk Mode: Protecting Deep Work 35:59 Establishing House Rules 42:16 How Great Leaders Multiply Intelligence 45:44 Sean's Advice to Headteachers 46:25 Why Productivity Is a Social Problem 48:43 Final Thoughts and Closing