2-Day ACAMIS Workshop for New and Aspiring Leaders
Leading Effective Teams
From Individual Responsibility to Collective Performance
ISA Sciency City International School of Guangzhou
May 7-8, 2027
Dates
Friday & Saturday
May 7-8, 2027
Time
8:30AM - 4:00PM
including lunch and tea breaks
Certificate Program
16 Hours of Professional Development will be Awarded
Early Bird Price*
ACAMIS Members: USD 465
Non-members: USD 565
*Available until April 1, 2027.
This programme is for leaders who are responsible for bringing people together, organising shared work and creating the conditions in which a team can perform effectively.
Successful teams are rarely the product of chance. They are shaped by leaders who establish clarity of purpose, harness the strengths of different individuals, design purposeful ways of working and create the routines that sustain collaboration over time.
Designed specifically for the realities of international schools, this programme equips middle leaders with practical strategies to strengthen team effectiveness through intentional leadership.
Participants learn how to build teams that work interdependently towards shared goals, even amidst the competing priorities and constant change that characterise school life.
Who is this programme for?
Leading Effective Teams is designed for middle leaders who are responsible for leading collaborative teams and creating the conditions for collective success.
Heads of Department
Heads of Year
Curriculum Leaders
Pastoral Leaders
Team Leaders
Programme Coordinators
Middle Leaders responsible for leading collaborative teams
Learning Experience
Practical • Collaborative • Evidence-informed • Application-focused
Participants engage in structured discussion, practical leadership activities, team diagnostics, collaborative protocols, reflection and implementation planning throughout the programme.
DiSC Workplace Behavioral Assessment
A DiSC Workplace Behavioral Assessment is included for every participant.
Participants will complete the assessment before the workshop. Their customised Behavioral Profile reports will be reviewed during the workshop and used throughout the programme to develop greater awareness of self and others.
The assessment provides a common language to help participants understand different behavioural preferences, strengthen communication, reduce misunderstandings and work more effectively together.
Outcomes
Participants leave with practical tools, greater confidence and a clear leadership inquiry to strengthen the effectiveness of their own team.
Participants will develop the ability to...
Build greater clarity around the purpose, priorities and expectations of their team.
Recognise how teams develop over time and adapt their leadership accordingly.
Harness individual differences to strengthen collaboration and collective performance.
Design purposeful collaborative experiences that make better use of collective time.
Establish routines and structures that strengthen team effectiveness over time.
Create the conditions in which teams can work interdependently towards shared goals.
Pricing
ACAMIS Members
USD 540
USD 465 pp*
Non-members
USD 640
USD 565 pp*
Included with Registration:
DiSC Workplace Behavioral Assessment
Customised Behavioral Profile Report for Every Participant
*Early Bird Discount ends on April 1, 2027.
Agenda
Day 1 | Fri
Module 1
Creating Shared Purpose
9:00AM - 10:30AM, 15’ break, 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Leadership Question: How do effective teams develop a shared sense of purpose and direction?
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Team vs Group
Tuckman's Stages of Team Development
Shared Purpose
Team Norms
Collective Responsibility
Module 2
Harnessing Difference
1:15PM - 2:45PM, 15’ break, 3:00PM - 4:30PM
Leadership Question: How can leaders harness individual differences to strengthen collective performance?
-
DiSC
Behavioural Preferences
Communication
Adaptive Leadership
Productive Relationships
Day 2 | Sat
Module 3
Designing Collaboration
9:00AM - 10:30AM, 15’ break, 10:45AM - 12:15PM
Leadership Question: How do leaders intentionally design the way teams work together?
-
Meeting Design
Facilitation
Collaborative Protocols
Participation
Decision-Making
Module 4
Sustaining Team Effectiveness
1:15PM - 2:45PM, 15’ break, 3:00PM - 4:30PM
Leadership Question: How do leaders sustain effective teamwork throughout the realities of school life?
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Leadership Routines
Feedback
Reflection
Focus Inquiry
Continuous Improvement
Learning Design Principles
Dignity First
Participants learn best when they feel respected, psychologically safe and able to contribute authentically. Learning environments should encourage participation without performance.
Recognition Before Challenge
Effective professional learning begins by recognising the expertise participants already possess before introducing new perspectives and challenge.
Dialogue Over Performance
Learning happens through purposeful conversation, collaborative enquiry and structured reflection rather than passive participation.
Practical Over Inspirational
Participants should leave every session with practical strategies, tools and approaches that can be applied immediately within their own teams.
Implementation Matters
Professional learning is measured by what changes afterwards. Every participant leaves with a Focus Inquiry that supports the application of learning within their own context.
Facilitator
Michael Iannini
Founder of PeerSphere
Leadership Development Expert
Michael is ACAMIS’s Leadership Development Facilitator, Board Treasurer for SPAN, Special Advisor for NESSIC, and an affiliated Council of International School’s (CIS) consultant with the following areas of expertise:
Appraisal and professional development
Leadership training
School governance
Strategic planning
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Michael Iannini is the founder of PD Academia, with over 26 years of experience in school leadership development across Asia. His career began as a research assistant at Arizona State University’s Child Development Laboratory and progressed to becoming an Early Years Educator. Since relocating to China in 1999, Michael has advised and trained hundreds of international schools, specializing in strategic alignment, leadership development, and impact-driven professional development.
As the author of Hidden in Plain Sight: Realising the Full Potential of Middle Leaders, Michael’s leadership development approach is rooted in his platform, www.middleleader.com, where he shares insights and interviews with leadership influencers. His partnerships with ACAMIS and NESSIC reflect his deep understanding of the unique challenges facing China’s international schools.
Michael is dedicated to delivering customized solutions, engaging with stakeholders to align PD initiatives with strategic goals, and guiding schools through complex environments with an adaptive, hands-on approach. His commitment to holistic development ensures lasting impact and measurable success in school leadership.
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“Michael’s expertise has contributed immensely to the building of an effective Board. He has been instrumental in the development of a sustainable HOS performance evaluation process, building upon the benchmark evaluators of his Success Profile Analysis and has facilitated our Board review and training, bringing governors together for an annual reflection and deep dive into the work for the year and driving strategic direction for the year ahead.”
— Derek Pinchbeck, Head of School, and Edward Lau, Board Chair at International College Hong Kong
“The training has been very successful and has enabled our middle leaders, some of whom are fairly inexperienced, to develop a wider understanding of the leadership role and be provided with tools to scaffold their leadership journey.”
— Dr. Helen Kelly, Lower School Principal at Canadian International School of Hong Kong
“Michael involved himself deeply in the project, spending several days a month in Shanghai over the course of 9 months to administer the needs analysis, train our managers and support them in the development of PD opportunities for their staff, and also develop such opportunities himself with his team at PDAcademia. His contribution to our school has been very beneficial.”
— Emmanuel Bonin, Deputy Head at Shanghai American School
Learn with Peers at
ISA Sciency City International School of Guangzhou
128 Yuancunsi Rd, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, 510655
Andy Clapperton
Head of School
Early Bird Now Open
🐦
Early Bird Now Open 🐦
Pricing
ACAMIS Members
USD 480
USD 380 pp*
Non-members
USD 600
USD 500 pp*
*Early Bird Discount ends on April 1, 2027.
Included with Registration:
DiSC Workplace Behavioral Assessment
Customised Behavioral Profile Report for Every Participant
School Impact
Schools typically utilise Leading Effective Teams to:
Strengthen collaboration within departments, teams and professional learning communities.
Develop greater clarity around team purpose, expectations and ways of working.
Improve the quality of collaborative time and collective decision-making.
Establish consistent routines that strengthen communication, collaboration and accountability.
Build middle leaders who intentionally create the conditions for effective teamwork.
Develop teams that are better prepared to sustain improvement over time.
Bespoke Delivery
Leading Effective Teams can be contextualised to reflect your school's strategic priorities, leadership structures and existing approaches to collaboration.