Abstract
This study explored the relational and strategic dimensions of self-leadership among
principals and heads of departments in public high schools in Bindura District, Zimbabwe,
within increasingly demanding educational contexts marked by limited resources, policy
shifts, administrative burdens, and declining teacher morale. While previous leadership
studies have largely concentrated on managerial and instructional functions, limited
attention has been paid to how school leaders enact self-leadership through relational
engagement and strategic responsiveness in everyday school practice. Grounded in
Manz’s Self-Leadership Theory and Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory, the
study adopted an interpretivist qualitative case study approach to examine how school
leaders practise and experience self-leadership in challenging school environments. Data
were generated through semi-structured interviews with twelve purposively selected
participants, comprising four principals and eight heads of departments from four public
high schools. Thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework, was
employed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that relational and strategic selfleadership
was enacted through effective communication, empathy, visionary thinking,
adaptability, goal orientation, and role modelling. These practices enabled school leaders
to foster trust, articulate institutional goals, navigate contextual challenges, and positively
shape school culture. However, the study also identified challenges associated with
emotional labour, performance expectations, and continuous adaptation within resourceconstrained
settings. The study contributes to educational leadership scholarship by
broadening understandings of self-leadership beyond self-regulation to include relational
influence and strategic adaptability. The study recommends leadership development
programmes that strengthen communication, empathy, and adaptive leadership
competencies in school leadership preparation and practice.