Developing education leaders through creative approaches.

There has been a considerable interest in how to develop effective leaders for higher education but there has been limited research in this area (Stefani, 2015). Quinsee and Parker (2017) discussed the lack of leadership development and support available for those in these roles and that this is an area that needed to be explored further. The changing nature of higher education with increased marketisation, higher student demand, rising workloads, and a changing student demographics, have all created challenges for university leaders. Over the past two years Covid-19 pandemic increased the range of challenges leaders had to manage and this for many has meant drawing on a wide range of skills and being creative in approaches to problem-solving (Kennie & Middlehurst, 2021). Effective leadership for the 21st century requires innovative approaches to lead organisations (Basadur, 2004). Creating opportunities for leadership development that are engaging and exploring different ways of supporting emerging leaders is therefore an area of increased interest. The importance of playful learning in creating a safe and supportive learning environment and supporting individuals to build resilience from learning from failure as well as success cannot be underestimated (Whitton & Moseley, 2019). This paper explores how different approaches to leadership development and support have been explored at City St George’s, University London many of them according with Moseley’s principles around playful leadership (Moseley, 2021).