Conclusion
The high expectation placed up on leaders in schools has led to an extensive internatiนnal interest in the effectiveness of the journey to leadership, the nature of Coaching for leadership in schools successful headte acher development and the transition of aspirant
leaders to senior leadership and headship. The management of leadership talent from its identification to
experienced incumbency remains an important issue for schools and authorities in
many parts of the world. In this paper we have approached leadership in schools as
being typified by the journey from aspiration to incumbency as a headteacher. We do
not seek to generalise this perspective to be typical of all aspects of leadership in every
school in an international context and nor do we generalise about the role self-efficacy
plays in the journey to school leadership. Ours is a perspective rooted in society where
belief in an individual’s self-efficacy is paramount. The three-stage framework we
propose for the professional development of aspirant and incumbent heads is designed
to increase their own self-efficacy (see Table II-IV) via processes of acculturation,
assimilation and actualisation. We argue that opportunities for mentoring and
coaching that can effect acculturation; assimilation and actualisation so as to enhance
self-efficacy may have potential benefits in schools in many countries, not only to
promote the transition to senior leadership, but also to strengthen coping and
perseverance with the demanding daily tasks of leadership in schools