by Michael Iannini
One of the most frequent and quietly corrosive challenges international school middle leaders face is the “That’s not my job” response from colleagues. It’s a moment that can stop progress in its tracks, especially in schools where collaboration, adaptability, and shared responsibility are essential to success.
This challenge is often amplified in the international school environment, where diverse staff bring deeply held professional norms shaped by national culture, training, and past roles. Teachers aren’t necessarily being unhelpful or resistant; more often, they’re drawing from what they sincerely believe to be appropriate professional boundaries.
Understanding this can bring a much-needed dose of empathy to leadership. It’s not defiance’s difference. But when these differences go unspoken, they can quickly turn into tension.
When Expectations Collide
International schools can be rich ecosystems of cross-cultural learning. But they are also places where hidden assumptions about “what it means to be a teacher” often go unchallenged – until conflict arises.
Middle leaders frequently tell us they’ve assumed a shared understanding of educational roles, only to find themselves at odds with team members. And let’s face it: When was the last time you actually talked through your educational philosophy with colleagues? Most of us don’t – we assume our professional values are evident in our work, our expectations clear through our leadership.
But what one leader sees as “stepping up,” another might interpret as overstepping or being asked to go beyond their contractual duties. This disconnect isn’t personal – it’s structural. As Hofstede (2010) and Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner (2012) remind us, workplace expectations are shaped by culture, training, and previous work environments.
A teacher from a system that values strict job demarcations might find it inappropriate—even unethical – to take on tasks beyond their specific remit. Conversely, someone from a more collaborative or flexible culture might naturally pitch in wherever needed. Neither is wrong, but the lack of shared understanding can generate frustration on both sides.
The Mismatch of Assumptions
One middle leader recently shared in a coaching call that they felt nervous simply approaching their Senior Leadership Team (SLT) with an idea. In their previous work context, this level of interaction would have been seen as inappropriate. For others, that same interaction is standard. This example highlights just how easily misalignment can occur, not due to laziness or entitlement, but a clash of professional norms.
Leaders often assume reluctance stems from unwillingness. But more often than not, it’s a reluctance rooted in unfamiliarity or insecurity. Instead of defaulting to frustration, leaders are better served by getting curious. What are the beliefs, fears, or assumptions driving the response?
When someone says, “Do I get paid extra for that?”, it’s not necessarily a challenge to your authority – it might be a genuine question about how things are done here.
A Critical Mid-Year Moment
It’s around this point in the school year – the so-called “post-honeymoon” phase – when many of these differences start to surface. Initial goodwill gives way to daily routines, and cracks in expectations can become fault lines.
Unfortunately, many middle leaders are left without the tools to navigate those awkward, high-stakes moments – especially the public ones – when a team member says, “That’s not my job.”
But there are ways to foster greater alignment without erasing cultural identity. By creating space for reflection and dialogue, leaders can build a stronger, more adaptable professional culture.
Six Strategies for Rebuilding Alignment
1. Recontract Around Expectations
As mid-year reviews and appraisal check-ins begin, take the opportunity to revisit expectations. Be explicit about job scope, role flexibility, and how your school culture values shared responsibility. Transparency here can prevent assumptions from calcifying into conflict. Use these conversations to explore grey areas – what’s expected, what’s appreciated, and where boundaries might reasonably lie.
2. Frame Contributions as Collective, Not Additional
Reframe requests in terms of team goals and student outcomes. Avoid presenting tasks as “extra” – instead, highlight how each contribution serves the broader mission. This helps shift thinking from “me” to “we.” Instead of saying, “Can you do me a favour?”, try, “How might this help our students thrive?”
3. Acknowledge Prior Norms Without Judgement
Start with validation. “I understand this may not have been expected in your previous role” is a simple phrase that can disarm defensiveness and open the door to meaningful dialogue. Recognising that different systems operate differently doesn’t undermine your leadership – it humanises it.
4. Model Flexibility Through Peers
Highlight examples of staff who embody a team-first mindset. Peer modelling often carries more weight than top-down direction. Consider inviting these staff to share their mindset or approach in team meetings. Social proof can reshape culture more quickly than formal policy.
5. Create Space for Reflection in PLCs
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) offer ideal forums to explore professional expectations and how they vary across cultures. Use these to invite personal reflection: “How did my last school define responsibility? How do I define it now?” This kind of discussion can reframe “resistance” as “reorientation.”
6. Encourage Dialogue Over Directives
Leadership isn’t about dictating the terms – it’s about facilitating shared understanding. Rather than insisting on compliance, invite collaboration. Ask staff how they perceive their roles and what support they need to contribute meaningfully. Co-creating expectations leads to greater buy-in than imposing them.This past weekend has seen our middle leadership workshop in collaboration with LYIS. It is evident that teacher leaders must develop and rely on relational power to hold team members accountable to agreed-upon norms and shared goals.That sentence above participants tackled this weekend, and how they now have the tools to begin to address this productively. Their journey to realising transformative collaboration with their teams, though, has only just begun. Empowered with a clear and compelling professional inquiry, each participant can now begin working with peers and their supervisors to make their role and responsibilities relative to a specific team goal more clear and actionable.
Final Thoughts: It Starts With Conversation
Leading in a cross-cultural international school isn’t just about strategy – it’s about mindset. Every team member brings with them a set of deeply embedded professional beliefs. As leaders, we can either clash with those beliefs or explore them.
So next time you hear, “That’s not my job,” pause before reacting. What are they actually saying? What past experience is speaking through that comment? What assumptions might you be making?
Middle leaders sit in the tension between vision and execution, culture and compliance. They deserve the tools – and the trust – to navigate this space with confidence.
By replacing frustration with curiosity, and assumption with dialogue, we don’t just avoid conflict – we build a team culture capable of thriving through difference.
Michael Iannini, CEO, PeerSphere; Professional Trainer, Facilitator, ACAMIS, CISLYIS is proud to partner with WildChina Education