For me, binary tension is the relationship between two opposing forces, between antagonist and protagonist. I first learned of this idea from the work of Robert Fritz, where he outlined the idea of structural or creative tension. Here the protagonist is my future potential and the antagonist is my current reality. The gap between the two provides the tension, much like a rubber band. The discomfort of this cognitive (or even emotional) dissonance provides the energy for action and growth.

This concept has stayed with me ever since, and in recent times, I have begun to see may such dualities that seem to set themselves up as systems of binary tension, where the stretch between antagonist and protagonist provides some sort of potential energy or even stasis. Here are some examples:

• Talk - Listen

• Teaching - Learning

• Observe - Analyse

• Doing - Reflecting

• Individual - Community

• Me - You

• Integrity - Desire

Some of these are truly binary - they are either/or relationships with some sort of stretch between them. Where the two opposing forces have some crossover, sometimes an interesting pivot point, maybe even set spot appears. Between you and me, for instance, appears the concept of us.

It strikes me that middle leaders in schools have more of these binary tensions to deal with than they realise.

• People who lead me - People who I lead

• Getting a lot of stuff done - Doing things well

• Operational demands - Improvement demands

• Managing unwanted behaviours (in my team) - Being liked

• Wanting to say what needs to be said (especially to parents) - Remaining professional

• Learning a heap of new stuff (especially this year) - Leading others on a heap of new stuff

I know that there are more, and I’m really interested in hearing, if you are a teacher leader, what your binary tensions are.

I’m holding a conversation with teacher leaders, tomorrow, in an online discussion (definitely not another webinar). The idea is to share a couple of useful models to frame the discussion, then over to you to raise, discuss and explore ways through this interesting territory.

I'd love you to join me, or maybe pass this onto a teacher leader you know. Registration: https://bit.ly/LTTAsia (11 June, 4-5pm).