
In leadership, we talk a lot about courage. About standing strong when the winds of chaos blow through our day. About leading not with perfection, but with connection.
And sometimes, it’s the small, brave choices we make — the ones that say “I see you. I’ve got you.” — that change everything.
One of those small, mighty practices?
It’s called the 10 Past 10 Morning Briefing.
What is it?
It’s a simple, powerful gathering that happens every day at 10:10am — a time just late enough to catch your breath, but early enough to still shape the day ahead.
Room Leaders and the Nominated Supervisor come together for a quick, purposeful check-in. Fifteen minutes, give or take. That’s all it takes to step out of the rush and stand together in clarity and courage.
And where it happens? Wherever you are.
A hallway. An office. Even over the intercom — it’s not about the space. It’s about the heart you bring into it.
Why It Matters
Leadership is lonely without unity.
And communication isn’t just about sharing information — it’s about building trust.
By connecting at 10 past 10, you hand your team something precious: clarity, purpose, and a sense that we’re in this together. You stop the scramble. You quiet the shouting across rooms. You replace last-minute panics with calm, deliberate action.
You create a shared story for the day — one where everyone knows their part.
And here’s the brave bit: you pass the baton.
Messages go to the Room Leader, not the whole room.
You trust them to carry it forward.
You empower them to own it, speak it, live it.
That’s leadership. That’s building more leaders.
What It Looks Like
Here’s what a 10 Past 10 might sound like:
- Educator concerns: What’s heavy on our hearts today? What needs our attention?
- Parent concerns: Any important family messages we need to hold with care?
- Sign-ins: Who’s here, who’s coming, who needs a little extra from us today?
- Events: What’s happening? What are we preparing for?
- Programming and breaks: Any roster updates or changes we need to dance with?
- Focus areas: Are we leaning into the values and practices that matter most?
- Kitchen updates: Any special meals, allergies, or changes for the day?
- Celebrations: Who’s showing up with courage? What can we honour together?
Notice how it’s not just logistics — it’s about seeing each other, listening deeply, and sharing the load.
The Real Gift
The 10 Past 10 isn’t about ticking boxes.
It’s about weaving connection into the fabric of your day.
It’s an act of courage to trust your leaders to carry the message forward.
And it’s an act of unity to say, “We’re better when we move together.”
When you show up every morning, when you build this ritual, you don’t just streamline your day — you build a culture where every voice matters, where information flows freely, and where people feel safe enough to be bold, be real, and belong.
In the end, that’s what leadership is.
Not commanding a ship alone — but building a fleet of leaders who trust each other to weather any storm.
Adrian Pattra-McLean is a management consultant with a Master of Education (Ed. Psychology). He is currently facilitating "The Leadership Umbrella." A webinar series for Nominated Supervisors.
Have you tried the 10past10's? Do they work at your service?
Oh I LOVE this! Will be introducing this idea at our weekly Centre Leadership Team tomorrow!!
Love to hear how they went!
This is such a simple way to maintain connection and communication between leadership and teams - but I love it! We have been 'going to' organise a weekly Leadership meeting but something always gets in the way. This has prompted me to reassess my priorities and I will be introducing the 10 past 10 daily check ins from next week (with a few tweaks for our smaller service!) Thanks for the great suggestion.
Thanks for the comment. Would love to hear how they go!
Thank you, Adrian, for another practical, high-quality and realistic example of leadership in action! We have our daily "Pow-Wow" each morning (inspired by Farran Street Education), I will add the "10 past 10" to my day in term 2.
They are a great way to make sure the right people, get the right information, at the right time. Enjoy your easter break!
We have been incorporating 10 past 10 into our daily routine for over 12 months now.
We have provided our rooms with a diary to feed the information back to their teams. We find them a great way to touch base with the whole centre
We have shared The Leadership Umbrella with all of our Lead educators and continue to incorporate this into our daily practices.
We appreciate all of your insight Adrian and the best thing about it is seeing it evolve in our centre.
Thank you for always inspiring us to grow and learn.