Culture of Excellence

The Pathway to Inspired Learning, Empowered Teaching and Intentional Leadership

By Lee Crockett

$39.95

“Lee Crockett pushes beyond the familiar 'good to great' narrative and reminds us that excellence is not about perfection, but about progress, momentum, and impact.”

John Hattie, Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus

Meet the author: Lee Crockett

Culture of Excellence is a blueprint for schools ready to move beyond scattered initiatives, reactive leadership, and the exhausting cycle of “one more thing.” It’s a call to leaders who believe that culture isn’t created by accident — it’s created by alignment, clarity, and deeply intentional practice.

Drawing from decades of global work with schools, this book reveals a simple truth:
when purpose is clear and people feel empowered, improvement becomes inevitable.

Inside, you’ll discover a research-grounded, practice-tested framework that helps schools:

Build clarity of purpose and a unifying vision for learning
Strengthen professional trust, agency, and shared ownership
Lift engagement, wellbeing, and achievement through coherent systems
Create rhythms and routines that sustain momentum long after the excitement fades
Lead confidently through complexity, change, and modern pressures

Through compelling case studies, real-world examples, and the Six Aspects of Excellence, you’ll see how schools around the world are building environments where staff flourish, students thrive, and community confidence grows — not through heroic effort, but through intentional design.

This is not a book about managing schools.
It is a book about building schools that elevate people.
Cultures that endure.
Systems that empower.
Leadership that lasts.

Culture of Excellence gives every leader — principal, system executive, teacher-leader, or leadership team — a clear pathway for shaping the future of learning with purpose, coherence, and confidence.

If you’re ready to move your school from aspiration to alignment, and from effort to impact, this book will show you the way.

Also available as an ebook from your favourite ebook store

ISBN: 9781738053186

Size: 254 x 178 mm

Black & white, 204 pages

Published: December 2025

About the author: Lee Crockett

Lee Crockett is a global thought leader and author whose work bridges research, reflection, and real-world leadership. Through partnerships with governments, schools, and organisations in more than 20 countries, he helps leaders cultivate trust, coherence, and wellbeing across their systems.

His acclaimed programs—Culture of Excellence and Professional Wellness—redefine how leaders sustain performance and purpose. Drawing on Zen practice and systems thinking, Lee teaches that excellence is not about doing more, but about doing what matters with clarity and intention.

Praise/Testimonials

Excellence is far too rarely spoken about in education. Lee Crockett pushes beyond the familiar "good to great" narrative and reminds us that excellence is not about perfection, but about progress, momentum, and impact. This book makes excellence real-something that can be lived, measured, and sustained.
John Hattie, Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus

School improvement is crowded with frameworks and slogans. What's rare is a model that respects the real complexity of schools while still offering leaders a clear path forward. Culture of Excellence does exactly that. An essential read for leaders serious about building better schools.
Adam Voigt, Founder & CEO, Real Schools

Lee Crockett gives school leaders a genuinely usable roadmap for working toward excellence. His pathway helps adults lead with coherence, trust, and shared meaning-so excellence becomes not just a slogan, but a lived experience.
Jennifer Abrams, Author of Having Hard Conversations

Lee demonstrates exceptional leadership in teaching and learning through a clear vision and collaborative approach. His Culture of Excellence work challenges leaders to think differently while offering practical strategies that empower educators and improve outcomes.
Mark Battistella, Schools Performance Leader, Catholic Education South Australia

Culture of Excellence is an inspiring and pragmatic guide for educators striving to create meaningful, future-focused learning communities. It blends clarity, conviction, and practical wisdom in a way that genuinely elevates leadership practice.
Paul Watson, Principal, Emmanuel Catholic College

This book doesn't just describe what excellence looks like-it walks leaders through how to build it, grow it, and sustain it. Clear, thoughtful, and practical, it feels like a handbook leaders will return to again and again.
Eva Kannis-Torry, Principal, Thebarton Senior College

Culture of Excellence captures exactly what modern schools need: clarity, purpose, and a shared vision for excellence. It is a powerful resource for strategic leaders building thriving, future-focused learning environments.
Tyson Grinham, Principal, Lockleys North Primary School

With 'excellence' so often used but rarely unpacked, this book offers both challenge and clarity. It forces leaders to rethink practice while providing practical tools to ensure the right work gets done in complex school environments.
Tim Hildebrandt, Leadership Consultant, Independent Schools NSW