Micropolitics in the United Kingdom: Can a principal ever be expected to be 'one of us'?

In these e-mail exchanges, I describe my experience as a headteacher and principal under the changes that have been implemented in recent years in England and Wales. In the context of working within a centralized system with devolved funding to the school level, I raise the question: can a principal ever be expected to be 'one of us'? I describe some of the challenges I have confronted, and some of the leadership strategies which I have used in different situations to use micropolitics to achieve positive outcomes: using tension and confrontation as steps toward change, encouraging participation in decision making. My experience suggests that there is a need for leaders under conditions of reform to be guided in their actions and reactions by principles, philosophy and values.