Headmaster's

Message

The Leadership Story

The focus of our recent Senior School Leaders Induction Ceremony was, rightly, the fabulous young people who have now stepped into key student leadership roles for the coming year. The highlight of the Ceremony was the moment when our two 2022 School Captains, Ruby Pierce and Max Lucas, articulated the big principles that will underpin their leadership and that they hope will be instilled in those they lead. As I listened to their well structured and passionately delivered addresses, I was reminded how much personal conviction is involved in effective leadership and how important is each leader’s story.

 

The most ancient wisdom available to us has been passed down through stories. Australia’s First Nations peoples are a storytelling culture. The Hebrew scriptures predominantly consist of stories. These, and other traditions have taught us the power of personal stories, communal stories and cultural stories. Stories impact our humanity, access our emotions and touch our spirit and therefore have the power to form us and transform us. For this reason, it is crucial that we take care in framing the stories that pervade our School and our homes as they too are powerful influences in the young lives we nurture; lives where the foundations of values and beliefs are still being embedded in their personal stories.

 

Each one of us has a personal narrative – a story we tell ourselves every day. This story helps us understand the past, make decisions in the present and project our lives into the future. Whether conscious or unconscious, our stories are where our real worldview lives, the place from which behaviour derives and are real in ways that conscious knowledge, mental models, theories and hypotheses are not. Our stories are integral to who we are. 

 

Communities too, have a story. Large and complex communities often have more than one. These stories often compete in their attempts to explain the past, influence decisions in the present and cast a vision for the future. For a story to be effective, whether in bringing life to a community or in having some detrimental effect, it need not be founded in fact or true in any objective sense, it need only be compelling. The measure of a story, however, should not be in how many people believe it, but whether it, in the end, leads the community to a brighter future. 

 

Each story has a story-teller, whether they be a student, alumnus, parent, governor or member of staff. The most effective storytellers are those whose stories resonate with others, influence behaviour and therefore frame the future. These people are our leaders, regardless of whether they have a badge or an office. We ought not however listen to every story, no matter how compelling, nor every would-be leader, because the measure of a leader too, should be in whether they lead the community to a brighter future. So, we must take care with the stories we allow into our minds and hearts and permit to transform us. We must also take care with the stories we allow into the minds and hearts of our young people. Finally, we must take care with the stories we allow into our community. 

 

At the Senior School Leaders Induction Ceremony, I was so glad that the story our Captains began to tell was one that honoured the past, included meaningful actions students could perform today and one that described a better future. More importantly, however, it is fabulous that their story aligns so significantly with the School’s articulated vision, because history has very clearly shown that the most effective communities are those who are unified in their commitment to a shared story.

 

Per Ardua Ad Altiora

 

Mr Ian Maynard

Headmaster