Leading for Success: How International School Principals Can Retain Teachers Through Blended Leadership

Janice Chan had always dreamed of leading an international school. After years of climbing the ranks as a teacher and administrator, her moment finally arrived when she was appointed principal of an established international school in Kuala Lumpur. But it didn’t take long for Janice to realize that her biggest challenge wasn’t curriculum development, parental complaints, or exam results. It was teacher retention.

By the end of her first term, two teachers had already left, and several others were openly talking about exploring other opportunities. A survey conducted with staff revealed why: teachers didn’t feel supported, workloads were overwhelming, and professional development opportunities were limited. Some said they didn’t feel heard; others simply said they were tired. Janice knew that if she didn’t address this soon, it could destabilize the entire school community.

Teacher retention is one of the most pressing issues facing international schools today. Studies show that turnover rates in international schools are significantly higher than in public or national schools, with some schools losing up to 25% of their staff annually (Bunnell). High turnover rates disrupt continuity in learning, increase recruitment costs, and lower morale among staff who remain.

Janice initially thought the solution was obvious. Many experts said that transformational leadership—the kind that inspires and motivates teachers through shared vision—was the answer. Others argued that transactional leadership, which establishes clear structures and incentives, was more effective. But Janice quickly discovered that neither model alone was enough. Effective school leadership isn’t about finding the perfect strategy. It’s about having a toolbox of strategies and knowing when to pull out the right tool for the right situation.

(Janice Chan is a fictional character created to exemplify the leadership challenges and strategies described in this article.)

Blending Leadership Styles: How Janice Got It Right

At the start of her second term, Janice decided to rethink her leadership approach. She realized that her school didn’t need one leadership style—it needed five.

1. Creating Clarity and Accountability

Janice started with transactional leadership to bring order and consistency to the school’s daily operations.

She introduced a dashboard system to monitor performance in real-time. During staff meetings, Janice shared the data on student performance, teacher feedback, and school-wide progress. This made goals visible and allowed teachers to adjust their strategies accordingly.

She also rolled out performance-based incentives tied to key performance indicators (KPIs). Teachers who introduced innovative teaching methods or showed improvement in student outcomes could earn bonuses, extra leave days, or professional development opportunities.

"Once the dashboards were introduced, staff meetings became more focused,” Janice said. "Teachers started holding each other accountable without me needing to push."

2. Inspiring a Shared Vision

Once stability was established, Janice shifted toward transformational leadership to motivate her team.

She launched a leadership development program where teachers were encouraged to take on leadership roles. When the literacy program began to underperform, Janice empowered a group of teachers to form a committee to redesign the program. The committee gathered data, collected feedback from staff and students, and created a new strategy that resulted in a 10% improvement in literacy scores within one term.

"It wasn’t about fixing literacy—it was about showing teachers that they had the power to drive change,” Janice said.

Janice also implemented a feedback-driven improvement cycle where teachers were encouraged to regularly provide feedback on school-wide initiatives. This increased teacher buy-in and strengthened the sense of shared purpose.

3. Raising the Standard of Teaching

Janice knew that motivation alone wouldn’t drive improvement unless the quality of teaching also improved. She leaned into instructional leadership.

Janice introduced data-driven instruction by analyzing student performance data to identify gaps in learning. She then arranged professional development workshops tailored to those gaps. Experienced teachers were assigned as mentors to coach newer staff on instructional techniques and classroom management.

"The data allowed us to see exactly where students were struggling, and the PD workshops gave teachers the tools to address those issues,” Janice explained.

4. Building a Culture of Support

Janice also understood the importance of emotional support. Through servant leadership, she created a more inclusive school culture.

She introduced student-centered policies that allowed for more flexible deadlines and personalized learning plans. She also implemented continuous feedback loops where teachers could regularly provide feedback on school policies and propose improvements.

When a teacher confided that she was struggling with childcare responsibilities, Janice worked with the teacher to adjust her schedule and arranged after-school care through the school’s support network.

"When teachers know you have their back, they show up differently in the classroom,” Janice said.

5. Empowering Leadership at All Levels

To create lasting change, Janice shifted toward distributed leadership.

She established teacher-led committees where staff could take the lead on school improvement projects. Budget decisions, curriculum design, and even professional development priorities were decided collectively.

"It’s not about giving up control—it’s about trusting your team to make smart decisions,” Janice said.

Why Blended Leadership Works

What makes Janice’s leadership approach effective isn’t that she’s a transformational leader or a transactional leader. It’s that she’s adaptable. Research supports this strategy.

A 2021 study found that principals who blend transformational, transactional, and distributed leadership styles see higher staff morale and lower turnover rates (Sun, Chen, and Zhang). Furthermore, schools with strong instructional leadership report an average 15% increase in student outcomes within two years (Leithwood and Jantzi).

More importantly, blended leadership creates a school culture where teachers feel both supported and motivated. Studies show that teacher retention rates improve by up to 20% when staff feel they have a direct impact on school culture and decision-making (Ingersoll).

The Takeaway for School Leaders

Too many new leaders read one book on transformational leadership, get fired up about the vision, and rush to implement it, only to fail. Others become obsessed with transactional leadership, setting rigid policies and enforcing accountability, only to create resentment and burnout. Life isn’t about one-size-fits-all solutions. Leadership is about being equipped with a toolbox of strategies and having the skill to pull out the right tool at the right moment.

In The Witcher, Geralt is trained to listen and observe first before acting. That’s what great leaders do. They adapt. They watch. They learn. And when they act, it’s from a place of understanding and wisdom.

And you will make mistakes. A lot of them. But if you lead with sincerity, if you adapt with courage, and if your heart is genuinely in it for your teachers and students—then one day, maybe someone will tell you that you did your best. And maybe that will be enough.

Works Cited

Bunnell, Tristan. The Changing Landscape of International Schooling: Implications for Theory and Practice. Routledge, 2016.

Ingersoll, Richard M. "Why Do High-Poverty Schools Have Difficulty Staffing Their Classrooms with Qualified Teachers?" Center for American Progress, 2022.

Leithwood, Kenneth, and Doris Jantzi. "Linking Leadership to Student Learning." Educational Administration Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 4, 2018, pp. 529-561.

Sun, Jing, Xi Chen, and Yong Zhang. "Blending Leadership Styles for School Improvement: An Empirical Analysis." Journal of Educational Leadership, vol. 23, no. 2, 2021, pp. 45-62.