I was recently described as a “wartime consigliere.”
It wasn’t a label I recognised, nor was it one I instinctively welcomed. It brought to mind The Godfather and for me that feels as far from leadership in education as it’s possible to get.
I have spent most of my career leading from a place that prizes integrity, humanity, and conviction. “Cunning” and “ruthless” are not words I have ever sought to claim. Perhaps they land differently for women; perhaps they always have. The qualities most needed in moments of pressure - decisiveness, sharp judgement, the ability to act with clarity and pace - are readily admired in some, and more cautiously received in others. For women in particular the line between strength and severity is more finely drawn, and more frequently misread. Where resolve is required, it can be recast as hardness; where clarity is essential, it can be interpreted as lack of warmth.
The language we use matters - not just in how it is heard, but in how it is held. It shapes what we feel permitted to inhabit, and what we instinctively resist.
I realise now that part of my initial discomfort lay here. Not in the substance of what was being recognised, but in the framing of it. I heard the sharpness of the words before I recognised the depth of the qualities beneath them. I heard a language that did not feel like mine, and so I did not immediately see myself within it.
But leadership, especially under pressure, does not conform neatly to expectation. It asks more of us than the categories we might prefer. Perhaps part of the work is to reclaim that language -- to recognise that clarity need not come at the expense of care, that decisiveness need not diminish humanity, and that strength, in its truest form, is expansive enough to hold both.
In recent months, as our trust has been thrust into the spotlight and placed under extraordinary pressure, I have found myself returning to this uncomfortable concept of the Wartime Consigliere: testing it, interrogating it, and, ultimately, understanding it in a different light. This is because in the midst of challenge, some things become clearer. Leadership reveals itself most starkly under pressure. In those situations it is not invented, nor is it performed: it is simply revealed. And what has been revealed to me is this:
Values are the glue
In moments of external pressure, values cease to be abstract. They are tested, exposed, and relied upon.
Our HEART values have been more important to us than ever in recent months. It has always been my contention that they seem warm and nebulous at first glance but that they become more steely as one tries to embody them consistently. It's been difficult to experience a situation where these values have not characterised the behaviour of others towards us - and the outcome for us has been to reflect and to respond by doubling down on what we consider important; in this respect we have never been more aligned and ultimately they have held us steady.
The role of the consigliere is to hold that centre and to ensure that decisions remain anchored when everything else shifts.
When the cortisol peaks and the decisions are being made in rapid succession against punishing timeframes, it’s important for any leader to be able to catch the eye of the consigliere and have that quiet reassurance that the actions match the values. That ethical ballast matters: by holding fast to values the vessel is steadied and avoids running aground on panic and short-termism.
Motivations surface
Pressure reveals what people are really serving.
In fast-moving, high-stakes environments, motivations sharpen into view. Purpose holds; ego fractures. What is misaligned becomes unmistakable.
With the vantage point of being the first follower rather than the leader, the consigliere is able to bring honesty and political clarity whilst holding the ability to intuit and diagnose intent. This judgement and insight from a second vantage point is not removed, but distinct. It is close enough to understand yet distant enough to see clearly. That perspective brings honesty, judgement, and political clarity when it is most needed.
In moments like this, leadership is not only about deciding what to do. It is about discerning why, both in ourselves and in others.
Narrative is formative
Under scrutiny, narrative becomes more than explanation. Telling the story becomes not just an exercise in speaking the truth but in expressing and confirming value, identity, morality and ethics. In telling the story about something in which you passionately believe, it reinforces that passion inwardly and strengthens and embeds what's really important.
To give voice to why decisions are made is to bring values into the light—to make them lived, visible, undeniable. It draws a line between what we say and what we stand for, binding a team not just in direction, but in meaning. Under pressure that clarity of story becomes everything: coherence steadies, honesty grounds, and moral consistency holds back the pull towards fragmentation when external forces press in. In these moments, narrative is not just a shield but a shaping force, forming who we are and how we hold together – and the consigliere takes the lead on creating and curating that narrative – listening to the voices, the nuances, the tensions and both reflecting them back to the team and outward to others.
Intensity breeds clarity
Just like the process which leads sand to become diamond, intense pressure can lead to the clarity of thought about beliefs and values like nothing else. There isn't time to be discursive or reflective - there is only time to say what you mean. Clarity is not a by-product of ease - it is forged under strain.
In crisis, the consigliere sees sharply. Intensity accelerates theirs and others’ decision making and the role of the consigliere is to simplify complex realities without dumbing them down. They identify what must be done and what can be ignored, and their calm under pressure creates organisational clarity. Most importantly, they don’t confuse urgency with panic.
Authenticity anchors
When integrity is challenged, narrative questioned and motivations under fire, there is only one way to remain resilient, and that is to be absolutely true to self. Speaking honestly, being attuned and attentive to self and choosing coping strategies that are authentic and appropriate to each person and moment is critical. Masking, cloaking and acting the part do not cut it under pressure.
In an environment where authenticity is key, trust is the consigliere’s currency. A Wartime Consigliere must be trusted absolutely: they speak truth to power giving unfiltered advice and they show up as a whole, consistent person.
Their authenticity allows the leader to reveal vulnerabilities of their own, to think aloud safely and ultimately to make even braver decisions.
Delivery rules
In a large organisation it is neither possible nor desirable for a moment of crisis to absorb the attention and energy of the whole team. Having methods and habits for delivery of both strategic and operational goals becomes the strength of a team in such moments. Having brilliant leaders that know they are needed for the work that existed before the crisis and will certainly outlast it is what enables those under the greatest pressure to have confidence. It's the beating heart of the organisation and it's what keeps the focus where it absolutely should be: on our children and particularly upon those experiencing the greatest disadvantage, whose life chances drew us into the sector in the first place and whose success will be the measure of our own.
The consigliere gets things done. Wartime leadership is not theoretical and the consigliere's value lies in ruthless prioritisation, in operational grip, and in translating strategy into execution. They make sure the mission moves from intent to impact, quickly and cleanly.
Know your team; know yourself
We have a brilliant team who care deeply and earnestly about their work and about each other. To be called into question and spoken about so derisively has been a deeply painful experience and our team has been each other's strength. The deep injustice of the situation led some to what was, professionally, something of a Dark Night of the Soul – some questioned their preparedness to continue with the work. When pressure gathers from without in this way, it is what lies within that carries us through. What has sustained us is not performance, but connection: a team that knows itself, trusts without hesitation, and chooses openness in the moments that matter most. To understand what you need and to name it aloud is not weakness, but strength in its most disciplined form. We have been tested, and ultimately we have held - not through perfection, but through aching honesty. The primacy of the work pulled us back and reset our commitment to education in our trust – this was intentional decision making from a period of moral uncertainty.
And so, to the role of the Wartime Consigliere: a figure defined not by ruthlessness, but by clarity; not by detachment but by judgement; not by aggression but by a steady pulse in a racing moment. They connect with their inner survivor: their resilient, pragmatic strategist.
At heart, the role is this:
- The moral anchor
- The reader of motive
- The shaper of narrative
- The finder of clarity
- The trusted truth-teller
- The driver of delivery
- The steward of people and relationships
It is not a role I sought, nor one I would have named for myself. Some parts sit instinctively; others I am growing into, as the moment demands.
As a person I am exceptionally resilient and I have always counted my softness to be integral to that. I feel my work deeply; it concurrently breaks my heart and makes it soar and race. But this softness, this emotional depth is intuition - and as Wartime Consigliere intuition comes into its own. It is a role defined by loyalty, clarity, execution, foresight, and strategic counsel: the qualities leaders rely on most in turbulent times.
It has only been through delving in and reflecting deeply on the concept of the Wartime Consigliere that I have realised what an honour it was to be viewed in this way. It was a mistake to rail at the language that spoke to me of aggression and tactical manoeuvring and to assume that this was different to insight, incisiveness, astuteness. I was mistaken to presume that a Wartime Consigliere might not be principled, might not be human or humble. They can be all these things - they need to be all these things - to be effective and to deliver at the moment when they are most in demand.
I was mistaken to hear only the edge of the language, and not the depth beneath it; to miss the quiet presence of insight, decisiveness, foresight, and care. I see it differently now.
It was never a slight, nor a slur, but something far more generous: a moment of recognition, offered with intent and weight. What a rare privilege it is, not simply to bear that name, but to step into it, to grow into it, and to serve within it.
And ultimately, it seems, my role is to hold even this role steady and sure as the world shifts dizzyingly, relentlessly, around it.
- Sally Apps is Deputy Chief Executive of Cabot Learning Federation
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