Best Practice

School leadership: How to respond to and solve problems

As a school leader, problem or cause analysis is important and it can be worth taking time to understand a problem’s root causes before springing into action. Sean Harris considers two models for moving from reactive to responsive problem-solving


In the 1940s, Allied forces plotted an invasion of Sicily to tackle the growing problem of Mussolini’s fascist regime. To mitigate against the problem of enemy forces discovering the plan, British intelligence officers devised an elaborate scheme.

“Operation Mincemeat” involved obtaining the body of a deceased homeless man and dressing him as an office of the Royal Marines. The body as Captain William Martin, real name Glyndwr Michael, contained fake documents signalling that allied forces would invade Greece and Sardinia.

This solution to a significant problem may have seemed ludicrous to military leaders at the time, but it was a success. As a result of the fabricated information, 160,000 Allied troops successfully invaded Sicily in July 1943. The mission is considered a turning point in the war. It’s little surprise that a film of this affair has been created.

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