Former US President Barack Obama said this to American students via a live broadcast in September 2009: “Every single one of you has something to offer; every single one of you has a responsibility to discover what that is.” This was a powerful call to action for young people, which challenged them to think about their strengths and how they could use them for the betterment of society.
We talked about leadership through the lens of Barack Obama at our assembly this week. In other speeches during his two-term presidency, Obama talked about the leaders we revere being devoted to a bigger purpose than themselves, focused on building relationships and inspiring people to be their best, and drawing in and listening to diverse opinions. These comments resonate for us at John McGlashan College, where we want our students to use their education and influence for the good of others.
A key part of my job is to create the conditions for staff and students to learn about leadership and to develop as leaders. They thrive and the school benefits, as does the wider community.
I have been privileged to work alongside several inspiring education leaders. My first job out of teachers’ college was at Whanganui Collegiate, where Jonathan Hensman had recently started as Headmaster. He appointed me to the position of Head of History in my second year. This showed me the courage and trust to give people a chance based on their potential, allowing them to find their way and be okay with mistakes made along the way as they grow.
A few years later, after almost a decade in the UK, I found myself at St Patrick’s College Silverstream in Upper Hutt, where I eventually moved into senior leadership as an Assistant Principal. Gerard Tully was the Rector, a Stream alumnus, and was focused on rebuilding a positive culture at the school. From GT, I learned about the centrality of culture, leading with authenticity, and being ‘gently relentless’ in your pursuit of vision.
My PhD supervisor at Birkbeck College, University of London, was Professor Vanessa Harding, a hero of mine. I admire the way her leadership instils a sense of belief in others, even when the mahi seems incredibly difficult. She sets you in a direction, lets you know she is there to support you, but ultimately releases you on a discovery journey, providing moments of interrogative dialogue and redirection along the way.
Then there is Glen Denham, my Headmaster and friend at Wellington College. There is no one like Glen. He is visionary, values-led, and student-focused in all that he does. He also brings a lens of social justice that resonates with me. Most of all, I admire his courage. The courage to do what is right and in the best interests of the students.
These leaders loom large in my leadership story, and one thing they share is integrity as a character attribute. Character is key to leadership, and this sits at the core of John McGlashan’s vision, underpinned by honesty, simplicity, respect, and concern for others. On our website, we talk about growing young people of integrity and conviction, and having the courage to stand for what they believe is right. As we farewelled our Year 13s back in Week 4, we reflected on how they had grown into leaders during their time at the college. They led us with energy, selflessness, authenticity, and a focus on the greater good of our community.
At their final assembly, we talked about legacy, and focused this on a comment by Ivan Cleary, coach of the incredibly successful Penrith Panthers. Cleary said that legacy is ‘more than rings or premierships. It is an individual and a team thing. It’s who you play for and what you stand for.’ The Panthers applied the theme of legacy to their successful 2024 campaign, which resulted in their fourth premiership in as many years. With several of their stars and senior leaders moving on, like our Year 13s, they focused on what they were leaving for those to follow.
I enjoy looking back over old college magazines and finding connections to what we do today. In the 1934 magazine, the editorial talks about the journey of a student through the school to their final year, as a prefect and well-rounded student.
‘This is the same “human being” that once stood beside his trunk and gazed round with fear and loneliness in his heart…he is no longer lonely, or afraid, or bewildered…He has learnt, from others, and from himself, to understand something of the working of that wonderfully complicated machine we call the human mind.’
I like the expressed sentiment of the student having learned about themselves and the positive influence of others in that. It relates to the importance of leaders modelling behaviours and cultural norms. The departing Year 13s had that in spades and have set an impressive marker for the current 12s to follow. That said, they do not need to fill the shoes of this departing cohort of 13s. They design and wear their own shoes, and lead us forward. As Owen Eastwood states, ‘whakapapa demands that each generation has an obligation as cultural guardians not to preserve the status quo but to strengthen it.’ The current Year 12s are poised to become kaitiaki or stewards as they look forward to their final year at the college.
All this being said about Year 13s leading us forward, it is important for all of the students to know that they are leaders, whether they be Year 7s approaching the end of their first year at the kura, or Year 10s moving into the senior school and the NCEA years. We have a responsibility to create the conditions for our young people to experience and learn about leadership. We consider this as we review our school values and seek to articulate clearly who we are and what we stand for. For our students to live the values, they need to be role modelled by leaders at all levels.
To that end, we decided to invite Year 9s and 10s to put themselves forward for a leadership group that will run through to the end of the term. This invitation was extended during our school assembly last week. There was to be no criteria or selection process rendered. Any student who was willing to put themselves forward would be part of the leadership group. It takes courage to put your hand up for leadership.
Interested students were asked to email and speak about two things. The first is about their motivation to join the group, and the second, what they will bring to the group. It was incredibly warming to receive emails from over thirty students, evenly split between Year 9 and 10. We presented the group to the school at Wednesday’s assembly, where they were congratulated for their courage. Our approach to leadership is one of servant leadership, the commitment to something bigger than ourselves. This guides the leadership group.
I look forward to seeing what these middle school student leaders will bring and how they will inspire other students to be their best. Ivan Cleary (Penrith Panthers) refers to this quote about leadership in his excellent work, Not Everything Counts, but Everything Matters: ‘If you look over your shoulder and there are people following you, you’re leading them. It means they believe in you. It’s not what you say that matters most; it’s what you do. People always notice that.’ From the training fields at the foot of the Blue Mountains in NSW, where the Panthers are based, to our great college, this rings true. This is leadership, as envisioned by John McGlashan, and carried down to us today by all those who came before, as kaitiaki, stewards.
Dr. Aaron Columbus
Principal | Tumuaki
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