Driven by the country's need to compete in a global economy, the UK government is imposing rapid and relentless educational change on schools. School leaders face the challenge of managing the impact of externally driven change and supporting others' resilience while frequently paying scant attention to their own. Six semi-structured interviews with headteachers and a review of the literature provide an insight into complex relationships which underpin school leaders' emotional resilience. A model is proposed which suggests where attention should be focused to strengthen resilience. Recommendations are made affecting headteachers, school governors, authors of leadership development materials and government policy-makers.