#ECISMiddleLeaderCafe: Leading with Agency: Tiny Shifts That Transform How Middle Leaders Influence, Support, and Grow: 07 May

07 May 2026  

9:00 London time AND 16:00 London time  (see respective links below)

Presenter: Tonya Gilchrist 

Middle leaders occupy one of the most complex positions in any school: expected to lead with influence rather than authority, to grow teacher agency while navigating decisions they didn’t shape, and to hold teams together across competing priorities and pressures. It’s relational work and relentless. 

This session draws on research-backed ideas from The Little Book of Agency to explore what it can actually look like to lead in ways that build genuine ownership and engagement, not just compliance, in the people around us. Through working conversations and practical reflection, participants will examine their own contexts and leave with concrete moves they can try immediately.  

This session will focus on three shifts that matter most for middle leaders—each one small enough to try on Monday, and specific enough to actually change something. Participants will leave having applied each idea to their own context, not just having heard about it. These aren’t aspirational ideals. They’re small, specific, and doable even inside systems that weren’t designed with agency in mind.

Participants will leave with: 

A personal reflection tool mapping where agency is currently thriving or constrained in their leadership context, with specific prompts to guide next steps 

• Three concrete “tiny shifts”, practical, low risk moves they can apply in their next team meeting, coaching conversation, or planning session 

• A shared language for agency, engagement, and interdependence that they can bring back to their teams 

• A curated one-page reference guide connecting the session’s key ideas to further reading and application 

Further reading: The Little Book of Agency: Tiny Shifts That Transform How We Learn, Lead, and Grow by Tonya Gilchrist (Tiny Shifts Press, 2026) available at tonyagilchrist.com/books and Amazon. 

PRESENTER

Tonya Gilchrist is an educator, speaker, author, and leadership consultant whose work spans international schools, nonprofits, and organizational learning teams across six continents. For over two decades, she has worked alongside teachers and leaders committed to building conditions where people can think, contribute, and grow. 

Her first book, The Little Book of Agency: Tiny Shifts That Transform How We Learn, Lead, and Grow, was published in April 2026. It is the first title in The Little Book Series, a collection of practical, research-grounded guides for educators and leaders who want real change without more noise. 

Tonya’s sessions are known for being research-informed, immediately applicable, and grounded in the real complexity of the work—not the trend of the moment. 

🌐 tonyagilchrist.com
📚 tonyagilchrist.com/books
💼 linkedin.com/in/tonyagilchrist
📸 instagram.com/tonyagilchrist/ 

REGISTER HERE