#27 Leading with Care, Compassion and Community with Fiona Cottam

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In this episode, we sit down with Fiona Cottam, Principal of Hartland's International School in Dubai. Recorded before the situation in the Middle East unfolded, Fiona shares how strong, values-driven leadership enables a community to face uncertainty with resilience and unity.

Fiona takes us through her leadership journey — from teaching in the UK to heading one of Dubai's most prestigious international schools. She reflects on the role models and supporters who shaped her along the way, including parents who instilled in her the belief that anything was possible.

She speaks openly about the importance of leading with care and compassion, building a community aligned around a shared vision, and the power of both leaning into local support and reaching outward into the global network for expertise and fresh perspective.

As a passionate advocate for female leadership, Fiona believes women have a responsibility to lower the ladder so others can rise alongside them. She encourages women to use their voice, ask for what they need, intentionally role model for others, engage with coaching, seek inspiration in other women's stories, and create spaces where everyone feels genuinely welcomed.

Fiona also reminds school leaders of the importance of carving out time for the strategic and intellectual dimensions of leadership — reading widely, engaging with research, and thinking deeply about education. She champions coaching, networking, and professional sharing as essential tools for ongoing growth.

Three leadership takeaways to carry with you:

1. Believe in yourself — keep taking the next step forwards
2. Listen deeply — to yourself, those around you, and your wider community
3. Lean in to those close to you, and lean out into the wider network for support and guidance

Let me know if you'd like a shorter version, a different tone (more conversational, more formal), or if you need chapter markers or show notes formatted differently for Buzzsprout!