D
ialogic Leadership Group has grown from my own journey through school leadership, doctoral research and family life. As an Executive Headteacher, father of five and researcher, I have become increasingly convinced that the strongest communities are not built through systems alone, but through relationships: honest conversations, shared responsibility and the courage to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with people when things are difficult.
The term dialogic comes from my academic work, particularly the writing of Mikhail Bakhtin, whose ideas about dialogue, voice and human dignity have profoundly shaped my thinking. At the heart of this work is a simple belief: meaning does not exist in isolation. Children, families and professionals are formed through encounter, conversation, relationship and community.
Throughout my career, I have worked in mainstream education, leadership development and specialist provision, often alongside children and families navigating significant challenge. Again and again, I have seen that high standards matter most when they are carried by trust, consistency and human connection. Strong leadership is not loud leadership. It is calm, relational, courageous and deeply committed to quality.
Dialogic Leadership Group exists to help build those kinds of communities across education, alternative provision, care, protected services and business. Schools, homes and services should not simply manage people efficiently; they should help them grow, belong and flourish.
— Dr Carl Rogers, Founder
Core values
Relationship
Because lasting change happens through strong human connection.
Courage
Because growth requires honesty, accountability and moral leadership.
Quality
Because every child, family and community deserves provision that aspires to excellence.
Services
- Executive coaching
- Sustained one-to-one work with headteachers and senior leaders.
- Leadership team development
- Facilitated thinking spaces for trust, focus and honest conversation.
- School improvement
- Patient, evidence-informed support for meaningful change.
- Research & inquiry
- Practitioner research and professional learning rooted in dialogic practice.
01
02
03
04
About
Dr Carl Rogers
Executive Headteacher · Doctoral Researcher · Founder
Executive Headteacher with more than two decades of experience leading schools, and a doctoral researcher examining the place of dialogue in school improvement. His work draws on Bakhtin, Buber and contemporary educational scholarship, and is grounded in the daily practice of running schools.