Meet the Class of 2020 - the AIS National Flagship Program graduates who have endured a year like never before.
When 25 independent school leaders signed up for AIS Leadership Centre’s National Flagship Program, little did they realise it would become the grounding force in a year that has been described by The Washington Post as one of 'extraordinary change'.
At the graduation ceremony in late November this year, AIS Leadership Centre Dean, Dr Jennifer Davies, told the graduating class of 2020: “You’ve come through this challenge with dignity and grace … it has been the best year, not the worst, to participate in Flagship. You’ve had each other, your Professional Companion, your school principal, in-school mentor and the AIS Leadership Centre team to support you during your incredible leadership learning journey."
Dr Jennifer Davies, Dean, AIS Leadership Centre.
The successful AIS National Flagship Program has been supporting independent school senior executives to develop leadership skills and attributes for the past eight years. While the end of each year marks a time of celebration, this year has been one of brow-wiping, deep reflection and ultimately, calm reinvention.
“Given the pandemic and the amount of shifting and reshaping they’ve had to endure with leading and managing in their school - and the dive into their personal strengths and challenges that they bring to leadership - the two have collided to produce a very deep understanding of themselves as leaders,” Dr Davies says.
"To be a great leader is to be human – to show up with empathy, compassion and vulnerability, to not have all the answers but to seek out the wisdom of the group," -- Dr Jennifer Davies.
Graduate Sam White, Director of Students for Stage 6 at Knox Grammar School, has been a leader for much of his life. He says having the opportunity to face the challenges of 2020 with colleagues from other schools, hearing their approaches and strategies to deal with the relentless flux has been one of the highlights of the year.
“It was incredibly rich the conversations that could be had with Flagship colleagues during this year. We could see organisationally how they were responding to different challenges and compare and contrast that to our own; that’s been of benefit for all the people involved,” he says.
“Flagship forces you to re-establish your leadership purpose and your educational philosophies. COVID accelerated that in many ways. I found it incredibly beneficial to be engaging with the Flagship readings, discussions and assessments through this period. While I was trying to respond in the best way possible to what was being presented to me at Knox, I was able to draw on the knowledge and the conversations that I was having at Flagship.”
Sam White: Knox Grammar School, Director of Students for Stage 6.
For graduate Cathleen Jin, Flagship was a grounding experience that brought clarity from complexity. As Cranbrook School’s Director of Professional Learning and Year 7 mentor, Cathleen has also been studying for her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration, lecturing preservice teachers of languages at UNSW, and parenting two children. She says what began as nervous anticipation to take on Flagship has redirected her attention to what really matters - people.
“Initially, I saw Flagship as an add-on, something that came on top of what was already a demanding schedule. During COVID, Flagship stabilised me in the storm of uncertainty. It was the only permanent fixture that I looked forward to. When my school and university campus closed, and all planned events were falling down like domino pieces, Flagship and my fellow Flagshippers were the standing post lifting me up.”
Cathleen says the paradox of watching components of her life unravel during the height of the pandemic while being supported to take on a personal journey of leadership has changed her as a person.
“My students at UNSW faced their challenges, and for some, away from their home and family. Many lost their part-time jobs and struggled financially, some international students went back to their home country feeling defeated, and some students struggled with health issues. Putting on my brave face trying to remain positive for all of us when we met online every week required real strength.” Cathleen says.
“As Cranbrook School's Year 7 mentor, I saw some of my young students’ mental wellbeing spiral. Empathy gave me strength day-to-day in my phone conversations with their parents because they were at a loss just as much as I was with my own children.
“Empathy, kindness and patience allowed me to grow and thrive during the volatile period when I just wanted to recoil and throw the towel in.”
Cathleen Jin, Cranbrook School, Director of Professional Learning.
The most profound experiences for the graduates came from learning to understand who they are themselves as leaders.
"To be a great leader is to be human – to show up with empathy, compassion and vulnerability, to not have all the answers but to seek out the wisdom of the group," says Dr Davies.
" The complexities of 2020 called the Flagshippers to draw on these attributes to courageously navigating the way forward, and they gained great support and comfort from doing this together."
“It was incredibly rich the conversations that could be had with Flagship colleagues during this year. We could see organisationally how they were responding to different challenges and compare and contrast that to our own; that’s been of benefit for all the people involved." -- Sam White
Sam says it has repositioned his understanding of who he is as a leader.
“What Flagship has been able to give me is a moment to really dig down deep and ask, ‘What is at the core of me as a leader, the values, the formative experiences that have contributed to me arriving at this point in time?’.
“That means looking at the whole experience – ‘where is there room for growth’ – what are some of the aspects that I could continue to develop and work on and what are my real strengths and how can I continue to utilise them professionally and personally as well.
“In terms of really framing that, I feel I’ve walked out of this Flagship/COVID experience with a much clearer picture of who I am as a leader,” he says.
Class of 2020: The National Flagship Program Graduates at AISNSW.
“Flagship taught me to pause, look inward and reset to project outward. It changed my perspective on leadership - that people matter and that I see them; It is no longer a title or a position but a practice," -- Cathleen Jin.
Cathleen says her journey has taken her to the heart of leadership practice.
“Flagship taught me to pause, look inward and reset to project outward. It changed my perspective on leadership - that people matter and that I see them; It is no longer a title or a position but a practice.
"I also learned about the leadership presence which is the ability to connect with thoughts and feelings of others to motivate and inspire them towards a desired outcome. Every interaction should be based on kindness, acknowledgment, and patience because the other person deserves it as much as I do.”
The evidence of change became apparent when Cathleen stopped, unable to express her plans for 2021.
“Before Flagship, I was always projecting myself five years in time, and 10 years in time. My headspace was in the future by constantly planning forward. However, my 12-month Flagship journey forced me to be in the moment. So, 2021? I am not there yet because there is so much to celebrate in this present moment, the Flagship journey certainly being one of them.”
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