A lesson for
our teachers
By Ingrid Green
Three inspiring women addressed some of the future’s education leaders, in what will hopefully become a step in their successful careers.
Dr Leoni Degenhardt, emeritus dean of the Association of Independent Schools’ Leadership Centre, together with principal of St Aidan’s School in Brisbane Karen Spiller, run a two-day women in leadership program for woman educators.
The masterclass included a discussion and question and answer session with Dr Briony Scott, principal of Sydney’s Wenona School, Symes Group’s CEO and founder Jessica Symes and Dr Judith MacCormick of BoardFocus.
Focusing on leadership for our times, the panel talked about their experiences, providing valuable insights into the challenges and disincentives women commonly face as they progress.
Dr MacCormick stressed the importance of embracing learning – and embracing everything as learning.
She believes the way the world has changed has given women the opportunity to embrace gender differences.
Rather than striving to achieve equal footing with men, women need to promote their strengths – the interconnectedness and soft skills that are increasingly critical. Women are well placed, she thinks, to create the environments they need to succeed.
Ms Symes addressed some of the most pressing issues for women rising through the ranks: confidence, work/life balance and stereotyping. Taking responsibility for getting in the driver’s seat, establishing priorites and integrating work and home responsibilites are some of the strategies she’s employed, and her own inspirational journey provides evidence that they have worked well.
Dr Scott didn’t mince words. Heading a school is tough, she says, and getting tougher. The aggression with which leading women are criticised has increased – so be prepared. And it’s not all about you. Effective leaders must strive to put the accolades aside, bring their team members up and make them feel they are part of the whole and its successes. If the boss wins, she says, they’ve lost.
She believes schools should be bastions of respect, kindness and goodwill; rather than trying to emulate the world outside their gates, they should strive to create a better one.
Achieving work/life balance, she says, depends on energy management. Principals must push back against the increasing demands on their time, put up fences – and then pull them closer. A complying mindset, accepting a culture where weekly workloads exceed 80-90 hours, won’t get you to the next level.
We all know those individuals who exist in a chronic state of urgency and stress. Avoid them, she urges. It’s contagious.
Courage is a quality that’s commonly associated with leadership, but one that’s elusive for many women.
According to Ms Symes, it lies in the ability to carry on, to face up the next day after you’ve cried yourself to sleep thinking: "What a mess I’ve made".
Dr Scott says taking stock is vital. In a threatening situation she asks: Does this person know the middle names of my kids? Because if they don’t, they can’t hurt me.
Learning to move through injustice or unjust treatment without becoming bitter and twisted is crucial. Sometimes “life just sucks”.
When asked what advice she would give her younger self, Ms Symes had some encouraging words: Don’t worry about being emotional, because there is value in emotionality.
"Be kind to your own feelings; they have merit.
Schools should be bastions of respect, kindness and goodwill. Rather than trying to emulate the world outside their gates, they should strive to create a better one.
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