My new Principalship simile

Sitting in a Secondary Community of learning session today, listening to others tell their inspiring stories, this simile popped in to my head.

Principalship is like being a gardener.

We have to till the soil, plant the seeds, fertilise and water, and provide the trellis up which plants can climb. During the process we are continually weeding and pruning.

There is of course the decision about what sort of garden we are trying to create, and who decides.

Is it this?

Or this?

That's a decision to be taken by the community.

The qualities of leadership

Reading this week's 'Your Weekend' supplement in the Christchurch Press, a number of comments in the article 'Women who rule the roost' really struck a chord. The article records interviews with a number of women who hold leadership positions in business and the community, and their wisdom on the question of leadership resonates.

Raelene Castle, CEO of Sydney's Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs (NRL) team is quoted as saying:

"You need respect to succeed in leadership, It does not come with  title, it comes with your actions and how you do the things you said you would."

And:

She believes resilience if fundamental to good leadership. "What doesn't kill your career, makes you stronger". 

Naomi Fergusson, who heads the NZ Inland Revenue Department observes:

 "I learned to value my strengths and have the confidence to trust my own abilities to get things done."

And:

"None of us are perfect. We have our strengths but we also need to understand how to build a team. ...... I give clarity to the organisation and allow the people who work here to fulfill their potential. ... I just create the space for them to do it."

Knowing these things is the first step. Doing them is the challenge. As much as we might try, none of us is perfect. We all make mistakes along the way. Maybe it's our integrity that determines whether or not our colleagues are forgiving when we do?