Leadership in times of uncertainty is not about having all the answers. It is about creating space to consider different possibilities.
On Wednesday at the ACEL National Conference, I invited education leaders to travel forward 15 years and explore the four plausible futures for Australian education, developed as part of AITSL’s exciting Future Teacher Future Leader work.
Participants talked about teaching as a deeply human endeavour, the role of teachers, the purpose of education, and keeping learners at the heart of decisions.
The discussion continued in a panel with Lisa Rodgers, Chris Massey and Liz Foster.
Drawing on their perspectives across schools, systems, sectors and research, we explored what good leadership requires when the future is inherently uncertain: building and maintaining trust; having learners at the centre; and taking time to work out how to lead when (inevitable) uncertainty arises.
For me, one point stood out: inviting perspectives that may challenge our own and making deliberate choices without pretending that the path ahead is certain are the capabilities that will set leaders up for success.
I’m looking forward to exploring these themes further as this work evolves.
