In the Beginning, There Is a Will
Different people become leaders through different walks of life. However, successful leaders seem to share a mindset: they have a vision of making a difference.
They are the teacher who felt they can provide their students with better education by changing a course’s structure and delivery. Or the software developer, who prototyped an AI app that can detect skin cancer. They are someone ambitious for positive change.
Do, Then Become
No matter who they are, leaders share the determination of getting people to make change happen. This is how it begun for me. I found myself in a group of educators, united by the shared goals of teaching students and fascination of animals, who struggled to make the impact they wanted to. When opportunities arose, I stepped up in supporting them, sometimes realising and planning for it and other times by acting, when there was a need to.
When the formal post came up, I naturally fell into it and never looked back. Perhaps this is why I found Herminia Ibarra’s Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader so influential.
Understand Your Golden Circle
In Simon Sinek’s words, “Always start with why”. Begin with setting out a clear reason for your goals and think beyond what you are trying to deliver.
For me, leading a school is less about the subjects themselves and more about the impact on people. It is about challenging traditional views of education and transforming the lives of people, through vocational learning (Why). I and my team achieve that by supplying the platform that allows for educational mobility and opportunities, regardless of our students’ past academic achievement (How). We deliver this by designing excellent courses that fit the industry’s, society’s, and student’s needs (What).
A visualisation of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle
Bottom Line
Your journey into leadership is yours alone. Think through why, how, and what you aspire to achieve and act on it, aiming for people’s hearts and minds.
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