Who We are is How We Lead: Walk into School Tomorrow with Clarity

Inspriational leadership begins with clarity - clarity of role, purpose and identity.  Authentic leaders align their behaviour with who they are. In my research for my PhD and book, I met many amazing school leaders.

One such leader was Troy Barath. It was evident that he had a strong sense of who he was and how he wanted to turn up. His interpersonals, interactions and decisions were all anchored into his concept of leadership. Troy is known in his community for his tradition of gifting a tie to each student in his school as they graduate, as a symbol of what they have learnt on their school journey. He wears a different tie to school each day and then keeps them for graduation day. His gesture is about giving a little of himself to his students as they leave his care. When I asked Troy to tell me about what this meant for him, this is a summary of what he said.

'I am a firm believer in constant and gentle, for a positive impact leading to long-term change, like water on rock. Having the opportunity to be a reliable, calm certainty that provides support while setting expectations in students’ lives is a privilege that I take very seriously. I make the conscious decision to prioritise people over paperwork because that is where my impact is the greatest. Giving the ties is a way that I can give a little piece of me, not to remember me but, I hope, to remember those expectations and those ways of working that I think are the keys to being a strong, good human being. My graduation speech to the full school community is a key part of that process:

Good evening, parents, staff and students.
Tonight, as you walk onto the stage to receive your graduation certificate, I want you to make sure you smile for your photo, hold on to the moment and capture it in your memory. It is a moment in time that I would like you to remember, so I am going to give you a gift that will help.
It’s not a surprise. Most of you know what it is. But first there are some rules that go with the gift I am giving you.
1.    Don’t waste it by throwing it away.
2.    Don’t hurt anyone with it.
3.    Once you take the gift, it is yours. You can choose to do something creative with it, you can help people with it, you can give it to someone, but it is yours to choose to do what you will with it.

I have given you each one of the ties I have worn to school this year. There are parallels between the gift I am giving you and the amazing gift of life that you have already been given. You don’t get to choose your tie. And in life, you don’t get to choose if you are naturally good at sport or maths. You don’t get to choose if your family is rich or poor. You don’t get to choose if you are tall or short or if you go bald or have lots of hair. But you do get to choose a whole lot of things: you get to choose your attitude every day, you get to choose to study or not, you get to choose whether you make a situation better or worse, you get to choose how you affect others by being a friend or not. Those decisions are yours to make each and every day from now on as you head into high school and the start of your young adult lives.

So, I want to go back to those three rules that relate to your new tie and the rest of your life:
1.    Don’t throw it away - do something great with it.
2.    Don’t hurt anyone with it - and if you do, own it and apologise.
3.    This is your gift - be creative, be adventurous, be safe and just like my ties - be awesome!'

I have no doubt that every child who receives a tie is not only going to remember that moment but will reflect on the message as a metaphor for how to live their life. This is: work with what you have, learn and improve, don’t waste opportunities, be kind to others and choose your own direction to do something worthy with who you are. A strong sense of self is essential for being able to give a little of yourself for others to carry.

Influence: How Educational Leaders Transform Thinking to Inspire, Unite and Deliver is available from Amba Press.