DIFFERENT PATHS TO THE SAME GOAL: LEADERSHIP APPROACHES IN HIGHPERFORMING SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN BOTSWANA

Abstract

Leadership is a critical determinant of organisational performance, particularly within the
education sector where it enhances teaching quality, school culture, and student achievement. This
study examined how leaders in high-performing senior secondary schools in Botswana employ
different leadership approaches to achieve similar goals of excellence. Underpinned by the
constructivist paradigm, the study adopted a phenomenological qualitative design to explore the
lived experiences of 16 school leaders, including school heads, deputy school heads, and heads of
departments, purposively selected from eight consistently high-performing public and private
schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically.
Findings revealed that while both public and private school leaders emphasised teamwork and
democratic leadership, contextual factors influenced their approaches. Public school leaders
highlighted parental involvement as a major contributor to their schools’ success, whereas private
school leaders attributed theirs to the availability of human and material resources. Across both
sectors, leaders fostered collaboration, encouraged participation in decision-making, and promoted
a learning-oriented culture where mistakes were addressed through mentoring and coaching. Key
leadership traits identified were respect, honesty, trustworthiness, and vision, developed through
experience, education, and professional development. However, the study also uncovered
significant gaps in leadership training, indicating that many leaders assumed their roles without
adequate preparation. This study concludes that while the paths to success vary, effective
leadership in Botswana’s high-performing schools converges on shared principles of teamwork,
inclusivity, and consistent professional growth. A proposed teamwork-based leadership model is
presented as a framework to guide emerging leaders and inspire performance improvement in less
successful schools.