Acting Deputy Principal

Leadership Revealed in Our Response

Last Friday, 23 October, provided a wonderful opportunity for our College community to recognise and celebrate student leadership, as we congratulated our Year Ambassadors, Eucharistic Ministers and Summer Captains across our sporting and cultural programs.

The occasion began with our regular Friday morning Mass, during which the students’ Eucharistic Minister badges were blessed. St Paul’s words about forgiveness, love and eternal life in heaven reminded us that our faith calls us to something greater: to love, to forgive and to be people who lift others up. This message became a strong theme throughout the assembly that followed. 

As part of the assembly, where our students were formally recognised, I spoke about a broader understanding of leadership and the importance of character, particularly in those moments when things do not go as we had hoped. Receiving positions of leadership, these roles are an honour, but more importantly, they are a responsibility: a responsibility to set an example, support others and contribute to making our College a better place for everyone. 

Here is a copy of my address below:

As many of our students would know, I love my sport, and watching the grand finals of both the NRL and AFL during the holidays got me thinking about an important lesson. It is not always just about winning. Often, what matters more is how we respond when things don’t go our way. 

In the AFL Grand Final, Brisbane found themselves 17 points behind Fremantle with just minutes remaining. The game appeared lost. Yet Brisbane’s players lifted one another, found belief and fought their way back to win. What was equally striking, however, was the reaction of Fremantle’s players and coach in defeat. The disappointment was obvious, yet there remained pride in what they had achieved and respect for their opponents. Their response reflected a simple message: we go again, better and stronger next year. 

The NRL Grand Final provided another example. Even in defeat, the losing Newcastle players had to front the cameras, acknowledge their disappointment and reflect on what the experience meant to them and their teammates. Those moments take courage. Leadership is not about pretending that disappointment or losing does not hurt. It is about how we respond when it does.

Two sporting codes and two very different outcomes, but one important lesson:

Leadership is revealed in our response. 

It is easy to demonstrate confidence and positivity when things are going our way. The real test of our character comes when we make a mistake, experience disappointment or encounter a challenge.

• Do we blame others, or accept responsibility?

• Do we turn on each other, or lift each other up?

• Do we give up, or find the courage to keep going?

• That is where leadership matters most. 

For our Year Ambassadors and Summer Captains, this will inevitably be part of their leadership journey. There will be times when they are tested, times when people listen to them and times when they do not. Their responsibility is to lead consistently through all of these moments. 

Importantly, however, leadership is not reserved for those students receiving formal recognition, nor is it defined by a badge or title. Every student at our College has the opportunity to lead. Leadership can be demonstrated by including someone who has been left out, standing up when someone is treated unfairly, encouraging a teammate who has made a mistake, or showing respect when a decision does not go your way. 

These moments can sometimes seem small, but collectively they shape the culture of our College. They reveal something about who we are, the values we hold and the community we want to create together.

Your leadership will not be measured by the badge you wear, what you win, how strongly you perform or the recognition you receive. It will be measured by the way you treat others and the choices you make when things become difficult. You don’t need an achievement to demonstrate leadership, and you don’t need a title to make a difference. 

As a College, we are incredibly proud of those students formally recognised and congratulate them once again. They should wear their positions with pride, but most importantly, lead with purpose. 

So, in summary, our challenge, therefore, is not simply to ask our young men what they have achieved or what position they hold, but to encourage them to consider the question with which I concluded our assembly:

When things don’t go my way, what will my response reveal about my character? 

Alexandros Sinadinos

Acting Deputy Principal