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🌟 Inspiration & Insight

Some guiding questions:

1. What part of the book inspired you the most, and why?

2. Was there a quote, idea, or moment that deeply resonated with you?

❗️Disagreement & Critique

3. Were there any parts of the book you strongly disagreed with? Why?

4. What questions do you still have after finishing the book?

🧠 Experience - Connection to Personal Experience

5. Did the book remind you of a personal experience or reflect your culture, background, or community?

6. Which character or idea felt most relatable to you? Why?

🛠 Application to Real Life

7. How can you apply something from this book to your own life? Did the book motivate you to change something in your habits, mindset, or relationships?

8. What practical lessons or strategies did you take from the book?

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[Option #1 - Write in prose]

My reflection after reading the book.....

[Option #2- Write in point form]

I- I think ....

D- I disagree

E- My experience...

A- I would like to....

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I - I was most inspired by how the methods introduced in the book can be applied in almost any workplace setting. From the simplest "I intend" method to the most idealistic "Emancipate not empower", the book had provided valuable insights on how to not just improve the workplace setting and efficiency but also the passion and inspiration of staff. The one idea that stuck with me is the Control, Competency and Clarity pillars of the leader-leader model.

D - There were generally no parts of the book that I was skeptical about or found questionable. The only thing that I still ponder about is that the techniques introduced are within a military setting where discipline and decorum is at the centre of all processes and infrastructure. Hence, would the same recommendations work just as effectively in civilian settings such as ours?

E - There were parts of the book that really resonated with me such as the common over-emphasis on assessment and evaluation that leads to rigor-fatigue where we just go through the motions without really finding meaning in what we do.

A - I will definitely be applying some of the techniques introduced both as an individual practitioner as well as within my department. Simple ideas such as the reflection questions in planning for our unit reviews. More importantly, to get a gauge of individual inspiration within the department.

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This book talks about Radical Candor which is part of the leadership and communication framework that strikes a delicate balance between being too nice and too harsh. I resonate with the author’s opinion that the best leaders build strong relationships and give clear and honest feedback to help people grow and teams to succeed.

The insights I gather from the book is that feedback in the form of both praise and criticism is essential for professional growth and trusting relationships is the backbone of the culture of guidance. I like how the author defines the two dimensions of feedback which are intuitive and logical; Care Personally – show genuine concern for people as human beings and Challenge Directly – give honest, specific and actionable feedback. I always feel that it is easier to care personally through fostering good relationships with my teachers than challenging them directly through hard conversations.

Sometimes I am guilty of landing myself in the quadrant of Ruinous Empathy (High Care + Low Challenge) when I avoid tough feedback to spare feelings of my teachers but then unknowingly, I would eventually miss the opportunity to help them improve and impede their growth. Going forward, I hope to be more conscious of this and to continue evolving my leadership journey from merely action management to empowering teams through frequent check-ins with my colleagues and providing them with timely, specific and actionable feedback.

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One quote that deeply resonated with me is the reminder that asking a single leader to “just go make it happen” is a woefully inadequate way to advance an innovative idea. Even the most visionary leader needs the right team to drive innovation—people who are committed to making things work—and the right conditions that enable success.

Question: Who saved the farm? I would think everyone on the team; success is a team effort. Yet the decision‑making process behind that success is far from simple. It involves determining which decisions matter most, when each decision must be made, and how to implement those decisions in ways that minimise resistance on the ground. It also raises deeper questions: how do we know whether a decision is the right one, and is there even such a thing as a definitively “right” decision?

The book reminded me that as leaders, it is essential to stay flexible and embrace change. What worked in the past may no longer work now or in the future; therefore, we must remain agile and adaptable so that we can be the right person at any moment—not only the right person at the right time.

Practical lessons from the book: “Putting learning first” underscores the importance of continuous learning. Innovation inevitably brings challenges, which makes it essential to learn from our experiences—our mistakes, what works and what doesn’t, and the reasons behind both. This reflective process enables us to improve, make better decisions, and adjust our strategies as we move toward progress and success. Instead of becoming fixated on short‑term results or immediate gains, it is vital to stay focused on the process and on long‑term goals.

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One key learning from the author is that effective critical feedback requires caring personally while challenging directly — grounding honesty in trust and a genuine belief in helping others grow. On a personal level, this also means being comfortable and genuine in inviting criticism, recognising it as an essential part of my own growth.

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Insights:

Innovation Requires Structural and Cultural Separation—But Not Isolation

Building a dedicated innovation team is like starting a new company within the organisation. It needs space, support, and sometimes reorganization to operate differently, while still sharing resources with the core business. Tension between the “old guard” and the “new” is inevitable, but success depends on nurturing a healthy partnership rather than forcing alignment too early.

Dissonance:

What if we failed?

The story concluded on a positive note. One thing I'm curious about is what would have happened if the innovation project had failed. How might the story have unfolded differently? And would people still have the courage to experiment and try again?

Experience:

Innovation Is a Whole-Organisation Effort—and Failure Is Part of the Story

Everyone defines success differently, and innovation exposes conflicts, trade-offs, and discomfort. Innovation only works when the entire organisation plays its role despite different pace of adoption. Buy-ins will be required. Even when initiatives fail, the real test is whether the organisation can learn, adapt, and still dare to experiment again.

Application:

Leadership in Innovation Is About Learning, Not Just Performance

Innovation leaders must run disciplined experiments, prioritise learning over immediate profit/outcomes/results, and make fast decisions to minimise losses. Their performance cannot be judged by KPIs alone—managing relationships, objectivity, trust, and organisational sentiment is equally critical. This is about applying adaptive leadership.

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After reading How Stella Saved the Farm, my biggest insight is that Windsor Farm is rescued not by one “Big Idea” but by building a system. Deirdre first thinks picking the winning plan and naming a leader is enough. But the core business, with its rules, budgets, metrics, and “faster, stronger, more efficient” mindset, keeps pulling people back. It isn’t laziness; it’s how the work is measured. Deirdre then gives the luxury wool venture a real team, real time, and executive cover, and treats each step like an experiment: state the hypothesis, test the key uncertainties, learn fast, then scale.

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After reading How Stella Saved the Farm, my biggest insight is that Windsor Farm is rescued not by one “Big Idea” but by building a system. Deirdre first thinks picking the winning plan and naming a leader is enough. But the core business, with its rules, budgets, metrics, and “faster, stronger, more efficient” mindset, keeps pulling people back. It isn’t laziness; it’s how the work is measured. Deirdre then gives the luxury wool venture a real team, real time, and executive cover, and treats each step like an experiment: state the hypothesis, test the key uncertainties, learn fast, then scale.

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I: I am inspired by how Dierdre values ideas from all levels and resists over-defining success too early. The emphasis on learning through experimentation, rather than immediate success, reinforces the idea that innovation is a journey of inquiry—much like effective teaching and learning itself.

D: In schools resistance to change is often less about misunderstanding and more about change fatigue, fear of increased workload, or perceived loss of professional autonomy. While clear communication is necessary, but I question if it is sufficient. Leaders should also attend to the emotional dimensions of change, creating time and space for sense-making, dialogue, and trust-building—elements that are less visible in the book’s narrative.

E: This reading connects to my experiences leading departmental initiatives. Eg, integrating AI-supported learning—I have observed that the idea itself is rarely the main obstacle. Instead, challenges often arise in execution: unclear expectations, uneven readiness among teachers etc.

A: Create structured spaces for idea generation. Invite contributions from teachers across roles, without over-prescribing outcomes; Use experimentation metrics (assumptions, reflections) alongside traditional performance indicators.

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The book How Stella Saved the Farm centred on the challenges of innovation. The title seems misleading as majority of the chapters revolved around Deirdre instead, a pragmatic leader who dealt with the threats of bankruptcy, managed conflicts and made difficult decisions for the common good.

The book title credited Stella as the catalyst for the change with her high-value innovative idea but I think the farm was saved by Deirdre, who has the courage to challenge the status quo to build the system e.g. dedicated team supported with resources, to allow the idea to survive, as well as the collective contributions of the diverse animals of clashing "personality" traits that sets the stage for friction and success.

The story serves as a reminder in our leadership journey about making choices. We can choose to ignore issues by holding back to surface hidden problems (due to our discomfort to creating friction) but which can lull us into complacency and doing business as usual under "false" harmony or teamwork.

The insight gained to managing the present as a leader, out of our professional responsibility, is not to eliminate friction but to manage friction and disagreements productively. The "productive" tensions experienced can fuel growth in our leadership journey and organisation, to building for the future.

One insight on learning is to unlearn and let go our beliefs, practices and approaches which brought success in past but may be outdated, as they can be obstacles to our re-imagining to create relevance and possibilities for the future.

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I: The quote 'If you put learning first - learning through disciplined experimentation - you’ll make better decisions and get to profitability sooner' resonates with me because it reframes results as a consequence of learning. By prioritising disciplined experimentation, we build deep understanding, and develop solutions that work in practice. Progress becomes more sustainable, and success follows from learning well.

D: Stella did not truly save the farm; it was Deidre who exercised leadership, galvanised her people, and drove the transformation. While the book offers a feel-good account of how collaboration, trust, and alignment lead to positive outcomes, it oversimplifies. In reality, change is complex and time-consuming, shaped by resistance, honouring losses, and the challenge of holding firm through implementation dips and early failures. I feel that it reads more like a Hallmark storybook than a realistic portrayal of how organisational change actually unfolds.

E: I found the book a challenging read because the rapid introduction of many animal characters, each symbolising a different organisational role, required considerable effort to follow. I was also uncertain about the farm’s purpose beyond its goal of producing alpaca wool. Can horses, cows, sheep, chickens and alpacas live together, without eating each other?

A: I appreciated how Deidre led change by pacing the process carefully and listening to others. I hope to be equally adaptive in leveraging people’s strengths and (re)deploying them to areas where they can grow and thrive. The book reinforced for me that effective leadership lies not in control, but in building trust, shared ownership, and conditions for people to move forward together.

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I - In bigger and more complex systems such as schools (or running a nuclear submarine) the traditional leader-follower dynamic cannot achieve the results that are required. Modern organisations require leader-leader organization structures to achieve the best outcomes - in terms of people development, latency in decision-making, quality of decisions. c.f., core theory of success.

D - The shift from briefing to certifying was an interesting suggestion, but I have questions about how to do it in a way that isn't lip service but meaningful in our context. Works in a nuclear sub bcos when things go wrong, big boom. Could be less apparent in our context.

I wonder too if the mission (national defence) is different compared to our context. A more concrete mission with immediate evaluation - readiness condition, uptime, enemy defeat - is easier to measure than student development which can take years. Could be due to more evolved metrics in the military compared to our context.

E - Nil.

A - Goals need to be clearly identified for the leader-leader strategy to succeed. To answer the previous question, what then are the metrics that an SEC must communicate to not just facilitate reporting/attainment, but empower others to be leader-leaders too?

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This book reshaped my understanding of leadership as empowering others through listening, learning, and persuading rather than directing. The idea of caring personally while challenging directly resonated strongly with me, especially as someone who tends to avoid conflict. The book helped me realise that being “nice” by avoiding difficult conversations can actually hinder growth. Although I agree with most of the book, I still wonder how easily radical candour can be practised in environments where trust is low. I related closely to the discussion on motivation, particularly the idea that people thrive in different roles and seasons of life. Going forward, I hope to communicate more honestly, support others’ growth, and better understand what truly motivates each person.

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I - One idea that resonated with me was the tendency to produce work that is technically sound but not always meaningful. This often translates into time spent on processes that feel disconnected from their intended purpose. The book's emphasis on having short, early conversations struck me as a practical way to reduce inefficiencies by ensuring alignment before significant effort is invested.

E - The book’s focus on language and intent closely mirrors how I try to work with colleagues. When ideas are shared with a clear sense of intention, conversations become more purposeful and decisions can be made more efficiently. I also saw parallels in how our school moved away from certain monitoring processes, such as file checks and TSI files, and instead found alternative ways of supporting quality and accountability. This shift signalled greater trust while still keeping professional standards in view.

D - I found the idea of 'thinking aloud' thought-provoking but challenging personally, especially in a group setting. While it can surface assumptions and support collective sense-making, carefully considered responses are 'expected'. This can make exploratory thinking feel risky to me.

A - Overall, the leader-leader model resonates with me, particularly in balancing responsibility with trust. While structural changes can enable better ways of working, I wonder if structural changes are enough without corresponding shifts in mindset?

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Some of the ideas I've learnt from this book are firstly, conflicts between new and old teams need to be dealt with effectively without harming anyone; next, the performance of the innovation leader should be evaluated in such a way that she controls the experimental efforts, rather than evaluating performance of others. I connect these two ideas back to "psychological safety", where the team members will safe to express their own opinions and okay to experience failure along the way while trying out innovation

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I resonated with the idea that caring personally for our teammates is a key to building relationships. I believe that how we strike the balance between giving direct feedback and being empathetic is one of the keys to the effectiveness of our leadership.

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Zoom in, Zoom out, individual & teams

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This is a picture of the most overpriced water ever. I brought a tumbler of coffee from home, trading off that I could buy water more cheaply here. I was wrong.

Sometimes, you trade off wrongly. It’s ok, just ask for ice (to salve the wound) and move on.

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Integral to effective practice is really the time set aside to consolidate, review and evaluate our work in a timely basis along with reflections. In our line of work, we fill every void with "doing", often finding it hard to find emotional freedom and space for reflection. It would be good to have "free parking" time for us to just take a good birds' eye view of what we are doing and untangle some of the knots that have come up along the way.

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I remembered I got inspired by the recruitment to be a teacher by an advertisement of a teacher speaking to the students under a tree.

A reminder of back to the basics and intent.

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This life buoy reminds me that leadership is about knowing when to step in and when to step back. As a teacher to my students and leading a team, I want to throw the help line at the right time when someone really needs support. It shows that good leadership means being there for others, without taking away their chance to try and grow.

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Everyone has potential to do something good; all we need is the spark.

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Tree symbolizes growth in a nurturing environment. From the book Radical Candor, growth requires feedback in a form of praise and criticism and I hope to become more skillful in providing timely and actionable feedback to my teachers for their professional growth :)

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Real:

Knowing it will dry, shed needles, and be returned to the earth mirrors life’s cycles, growth, celebration, letting go. Value of process over permanence.

Artificial:

Using the same tree year after year can resonate with stability, memory, and tradition, a fixed anchor across changing seasons of life.

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Christine

Like solar panels installed on water, my work as a teacher leader focuses on making purposeful use of limited existing resources to generate new possibilities. By moving away from conventional structures and rethinking how curriculum time, pedagogy, and collaboration are organised, we can create innovative and sustainable solutions that strengthen teaching and learning.

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The floating platform represents the weight of responsibilities that weights us and to maintain stability and stay level we need the floating buoys of diverse skills to keep us afloat with tide of shifting changes in education landscape.

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Nature and technology coexisting, neither one overwhelming the other, mirroring work-life integration

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Developing the growth mindset to embrace changes and navigating all challenges with grace, just like the boat that navigates with ease and glides smoothly across the vast reservoir.

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Taking time to take a step back to put things in perspective. Very often, there is a tendency to focus on the immediate issues or the unknown, due to the desire to clarify. This is a good reminder to us to consider the broader context before concluding. By Mandy and Shi Hua

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Not inevitability but as contingency. Balancing necessity with readiness.

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Like these trees, people grow differently. Some need space, some need structure, some need time, and others need a gentle nudge. Coaching is about recognising these differences and responding with intention. When we tailor our guidance and support, we create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to grow stronger, taller, and better in their own way.

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家人和朋友不是等我有空才重要，

而是我愿不愿意为他们停下来。

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It’s a team of people with different expertises to get things going. Believe that everyone has desire to grow and do well in the right places. Interact with them, understand them and put them in the right places.

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Beyond caring personally and challenging directly, what resonated with me was to be centered (self care) such that one can lead others when he or she is calm and collected. Being new to the school, it is a good reminder for myself to give time to get used to new work environment. I can then lead others effectively.

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To be fluid like water, yet steadfast with the signposts.

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The highest good is like water.

True goodness is gentle, humble, and adaptable. Like water, it benefits others without competing, stays low without weakness, and shows great strength through persistence rather than force.

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The two plants look similar, but one needs support while the other doesn’t. Some thrive alone, some need support — effective leadership lies in understanding differences and guiding growth with care.

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Reflection:

The different vehicles used by the police—cars, motorcycles, boats, and ambulances—remind us that there is no single way to serve, protect, or respond. Each vehicle has a distinct role and function, designed for specific situations, yet all work towards the same purpose: safeguarding lives and maintaining order. Similarly, as educators, we take on different roles at different moments—teacher, mentor, counsellor, disciplinarian, role model, and sometimes first responder to a student in need.

Just as a patrol car cannot replace a rescue boat, and an ambulance is critical in moments of urgency, our roles as educators must be timely and appropriate. Some situations call for firm guidance, others for empathy and quiet listening. What matters is not doing everything at once, but being the right presence when the moment demands it.

These vehicles must also be well maintained to perform reliably when time is critical. In the same way, educators must take care of our professional skills, emotional well-being, and values. Continuous learning, reflection, and mutual support ensure that when students need us most—academically, socially, or emotionally—we are ready, steady, and effective.

Ultimately, just as every police vehicle contributes to a larger system of safety, every role we play as educators contributes to a supportive ecosystem where students can grow, feel safe, and find their direction in life.

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Knowing people well, listening deeply and closely, remembering

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I like how the seating is arranged in a loose circle, yet no one is occupying the “centre.” The seats come in various shapes, colours, allowing different posture, and distance from others. There is no obvious focal point, no single position of prominence. Instead, the space invites autonomy, comfort, and self-direction.

This resonated with me as effective leadership begins with recognising and affirming individual uniqueness, rather than insisting that everyone move towards the same predefined expectation or goal in the same way. Leadership is not about forcing alignment through uniformity, but about designing conditions where different strengths can surface naturally. When individuals are trusted to choose where and how they contribute, they reveal preferences, readiness, and capability that rigid structures often conceal.

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A reservoir is calm on the surface, yet it holds depth, strength, and purpose beneath. It collects water over time, stores it carefully, and releases it when the community needs it most. In many ways, this mirrors the roles we play as educators.

As educators, we are not only delivering content in the moment; we are steadily building capacity within our students—knowledge, values, resilience, and character. Some days may feel quiet, even routine, much like the stillness of a reservoir. Yet unseen learning is taking place, accumulating gradually through consistent guidance, patience, and care.

A reservoir must be well maintained to remain clean and reliable. Similarly, educators need continual renewal—professional growth, reflection, and self-care—to ensure what we offer our students remains clear, relevant, and life-giving. When crises arise or students face moments of drought—stress, failure, or uncertainty—we draw upon what has been built up to support them.

Ultimately, the reservoir reminds us that our impact is not always immediate or visible. By holding steady, nurturing growth over time, and releasing support when it matters most, we enable our students to thrive long after they leave our classrooms.

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"A mountain cannot turn, but a road can."

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For some reasons, the tarred road is changed to a sandy track as I walk down. Walking on the sandy track is uncomfortable, with sand getting into your shoes and I need to avoid puddles of water at some point walking down on this track.

Adjustments need to make in order to continue to move ahead. “山不转路转，路不转人转。”

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An indoor adventure playground is a carefully designed space for exploration, challenge, and growth. While it appears playful and energetic, every structure—climbing walls, tunnels, nets, and slides—is intentionally built to stretch abilities while keeping children safe. This reflects the roles we play as educators.

As educators, we are designers of learning environments. We create spaces where students can take risks, try new paths, stumble, and climb again—knowing that there are boundaries, support, and guidance in place. Like facilitators in an adventure playground, we do not climb every structure for our students; instead, we encourage, spot, and step in only when needed.

Different parts of the playground serve different purposes: some build strength, others coordination, confidence, or teamwork. Likewise, our roles shift—teacher, coach, mentor, and guide—depending on the learner and the moment. Not every challenge looks the same, and not every student grows in the same way.

Most importantly, an indoor adventure playground balances freedom with safety. As educators, we aim to do the same: providing structure without restriction, challenge without fear, and support without dependence—so that students develop the confidence to explore beyond the playground and into the wider world.

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Be willing to walk the path less travelled

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The book discusses distributed leadership, moving away from a traditional leader–follower model towards a leader–leader approach. He explains that this model is more effective because leaders focus on clearly communicating the ‘why’ and ‘what’, rather than prescribing exactly how tasks should be carried out. This supports better decision-making and helps to build ownership, accountability, and resilience within teams. As a result, performance, morale, and staff retention improve.

A few ideas in the book stood out to me, including the quote, “Leadership should mean giving control rather than taking control.” Marquet also emphasises that leaders should not reward outcomes alone, but instead reward the process and behaviours that lead to good results. He cautions against the dangers of micromanagement, which can undermine trust in the team.

I agree with the author’s view that leadership should be distributed, where everyone is encouraged to think and act like a leader. When individuals are empowered, they are more likely to take ownership of their work and grow through the opportunities given to them. This can positively impact staff morale and retention over time. However, I also believe that the readiness of the team or individual needs to be considered. Some people may require more guidance and support. The challenge lies in deciding how much support to provide and how willing we are to accept failures that may arise as leadership is distributed. Personally, I would consider the stakes involved in the task before deciding how much control to release and whether I am prepared to accept possible mistakes as part of the learning process.