Your practical guide to leading with clarity, credibility and care
Tips and Traps for School Leaders helps you build strong teams, resolve tricky conflicts, and navigate legal grey zones — all for the benefit of students.
Tips and Traps for School Leaders is a practical, experience-based guide to the real challenges school leaders face every day; not theoretical ideas, but what actually works in schools.
Authors Trevor Doyle and Ross McSwan have led schools and systems across Australia. This book draws on their frontline experience to share proven strategies for:
- Navigating high-stakes conversations
- Leading with purpose in complex environments
- Supporting staff and student wellbeing
- Building positive, resilient school cultures
Includes self-coaching tools, short videos, case vignettes, and digestible research.
Everything in here is designed to be used — not just read.
Also includes the following appendices:
- Dr Paul Browning’s Matrix of Trust
- Preparation worksheet
- Useful phrases
- People skills
- Checklist – participants role in a facilitation
- Checklist – opening script for a facilitator
- Information sheet for a support person
- Information sheet for a representative
- Template to interview a student
- Exercise – past experience with conflict
Why this book matters
The candid conversation framework underpins conflict management, promoting early intervention in the most informal and appropriate manner. For complex and sensitive issues like discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying, which may escalate, the book offers guidance on understanding and implementing effective dispute resolution methods as an alternative to litigation.
This book serves as an invaluable resource for employers, human resource practitioners and line managers. It includes numerous checklists, policy summaries and exercises.
It’s an ideal resource for both school and organisational leaders.
Trevor Doyle draws from 47 years’ experience as a former School Principal, Area Supervisor and System School Leader.
Ross McSwan leverages from his experience as a Barrister-at law, Mediator and preferred supplier to the Queensland Department of Education.
What’s inside
In this ground-breaking book, we offer practical tips to help you:
- Foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
- Cultivate high-performing teams.
- Navigate challenging conversations.
- Effectively manage difficult behaviours among colleagues and parents
- Develop strategies to address workplace stress and promote psychological wellbeing.
Who’s it for?
Tips and Traps for School Leaders is written for those who shoulder the daily responsibility of leading schools and shaping futures. It is not an academic textbook to sit untouched on a shelf — it is a working companion for leaders in the field who want practical, candid advice.
This book will resonate most strongly with:
Principals and Deputy Principals
Those navigating the constant pressures of managing staff, parents, and system demands while keeping students at the centre.
Middle Leaders
Heads of department, year-level coordinators, and aspiring leaders who want to strengthen their confidence, credibility, and capacity to lead others effectively.
Aspiring Leaders
Teachers considering leadership roles who want to understand both the rewards and the pitfalls of leadership before stepping up.
System and Regional Leaders
Professionals supporting schools across networks who need clear insight into the realities on the ground.
About the authors
Trevor Doyle
Trevor Doyle draws from his experience as a former principal with 27 years’ practice in schools from small to large, including remote, rural, and urban settings. He also spent twenty years as an Area Supervisor and System School Leader, collaborating with Leadership Teams in primary schools, secondary schools, and P-12 colleges. Trevor has played a significant role in principal appointment, development, monitoring, and review. He holds qualifications in education and leadership and is a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders (Queensland, Australia).
Ross McSwan
Ross McSwan brings over thirty years of legal experience beginning his career as a solicitor in 1994 before becoming a barrister-at-law in 2011. He serves as a Commander in the Royal Australian Navy Reserve; specialising as a Legal Officer. With experience in lecturing at the Masters level in workplace dispute resolution he is the principal consultant for School Dispute Resolution Services (SDRS). He is a preferred provider for the Queensland Department of Education. His consultancy delivers professional development across the state, independent and Catholic schools in Australia and New Zealand. Ross offers services such as mediation, investigation and training. He holds a Master of Laws, and qualifications in workplace investigations and Military Law.
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