My overarching goal as an educationalist has been to occupy that space bounded by the vertices of policy, research and practice. In maintaining that position, I have had to make many changes and transitions between roles and sectors. Adventure Learning – My early experiences with Outward Bound and later as an International Mountain Guide generated a life-long love affair with the mountains and instill in me a deep belief in the power of experiential learning. School Improvement Activism – At Cambridge, I began with colleagues there and many others in the ‘invisible college’, to develop and nurture the emerging field of ‘school improvement’. Academic Leadership – As Dean of Education at Nottingham, my task, I was told, was to ‘modernise’ the School and Faculty and bring it up to national and international standards. System Leadership – My increasing engagement with international projects and the national education scene, led to me being appointed as Chief Adviser to the Secretary of State on School Standards. This meant that I had to negotiate and survive in the civil service and political culture, which was indeed another mountain to climb! In concluding the chapter,I reflect on the importance of moral purpose, sustaining narrative, careful navigation and maintaining collaborative relationships.