This article is part of No-Nonsense Advice from Leaders Around the World - a special series featuring written interviews with education leaders, capturing honest reflections and practical insights from diverse global perspectives.

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In your experience, what piece of leadership advice is overrated or ineffective? Why do you believe it does not work?

I was once told that I should never let people know if I don't know the answer to something. This is terrible advice. Contemporary leadership is about being transparent, asking the right questions, being curious, and enabling others to contribute their ideas. It's not about being the smartest person in the room - it's about creating an environment where the best ideas can emerge.

There is humility and vulnerability in positioning yourself as a lifelong learner and ensuring your team as a collective, contributes to making decisions in order to get the best possible outcome. 

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As a school leader, what is one thing that keeps you awake at night?

The safety of every member of our community, particularly our children.

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What was the most impactful book, documentary, or podcast you engaged with in the past year? How did it shape your leadership perspective?

I read extensively and average one physical book and one audiobook a week. The book that constantly sits in my mind, however, is Viktor Frankle's Man's Search for Meaning.

The book explores how people can endure unimaginable suffering if they find meaning in their lives. One of the book's biggest takeaways for me is this:

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose."

It's a powerful reminder that, even in the most difficult conditions, we retain the freedom to choose our attitude and how we respond to situations.

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Which three tools or software do you use regularly to enhance your leadership effectiveness, and why?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a critical tool that enhances both my effectiveness and my efficiency. Digital transformation has been on our agenda since the commencement of my principalship, and we quickly and boldly embraced AI technology while other schools were debating banning it. In addition to implementing a range of AI teaching and learning tools, I personally adopted Avatar technology as a means of scaling and personalising my communications, we now have three Avatars (we call them knowledge concierges) in three different roles across the school. 

My digital twin lives on Westbourne's website and can answer any question from anyone in the community, in up to 150 languages. In addition, we can personalise video messaging from me to prospective families and create and scale training and explainer videos and international marketing collateral, again in just about any language.

Linkedin is a great social platform for me to grow and build my professional network. There are many benefits from sharing the great work happening at our school and also learning from cross-sector colleagues.

The third example is simple by comparison but extremely important in building the executive leadership function across the school. With wide consultation in late 2024, we developed a set of Leadership Principles, twelve very specific and actionable statements that define what is expected of everyone in a leadership role. These Leadership Principles aren't just aspirational; they are a commitment we make to each other and a framework for how we interact, how we make decisions, and our way of being.

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As you reflect on your leadership journey, what is one thing you plan to start, one you intend to stop, and one you will continue doing this year? Please elaborate on your choices.

I engaged in a period of deep self-reflection in 2024 around these very questions and landed on this statement: 

"My identity is one of becoming. I am incomplete. I cannot be all things to all people all the time. I need to slow down and tame my internal monologue. What do I need to leave behind so that I can be the leader I want and need to be? Despite my successes I recognize personal and professional practices, habits, behaviors, and ways of being that will not serve me moving forward. These include being too involved in the minutiae of operations and enabling the escalation of matters that can and should be delegated and dealt with at a lower level in the organization. Whilst I will strive to continue to be a highly visible and relational leader, and will double down on my authentic self, I will move out of my inbox, and leave behind reactionary immediacy, realigning expectations, necessitating an examination of roles and responsibilities and the structure of the organizational hierarchy."

This is still a work in progress! What will I continue doing? I will continue to enable people and continue to interrogate thought, question, challenge ideas, and spark imagination to enhance individual and organizational capability.

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What is one professional or personal experience that every school leader should attempt this year? What makes it so valuable?

Stepping away from your comfort zone. Last year, I did a full day of acting training as part of an advanced leadership and management program. It was the most uncomfortable thing I had done in a long time. When you are uncomfortable, there is growth, and I think it also provides a reminder to have empathy for others - particularly your staff and your students, who are often asked to do things that make them uncomfortable.

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What opportunities do you see with artificial intelligence (AI) in education this year? How do you envision AI transforming the future of schooling and education?

From personalized and adaptive learning tools to enabling young people to engage with greater complexity with their thinking, AI will transform many aspects of schooling. It also acts as an intelligent assistant for leaders and teachers, and those who use it well, will be more efficient, productive, and effective than those who don't.

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What is the most underappreciated professional development avenue for upskilling or reskilling in the field of education? Why should more leaders consider it?

Immersive, cross-sector learning experiences, and the opportunity for educators to step outside the traditional boundaries of schooling and engage with industries like technology, business, or healthcare. There is so much to learn from others. 

However, for principals, it could be as simple as identifying a leader who is the best at what they do and asking to shadow them for a number of days - it can be really eye-opening.

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If you were to choose a dish or a drink that symbolizes Global Citizenship Education (GCED), what would it be and why?

As a lover of Japanese food, I'd choose a Kintsugi-inspired soup with a twist – a miso base infused with spices from India, herbs from the Mediterranean, and vegetables from South America. I would serve it in a cracked bowl repaired with gold, using the Japanese art of Kintsugi. The soup represents the interconnectedness of cultures, with ingredients from across the globe coming together to create something nourishing and wholesome. The Kintsugi bowl symbolises the beauty of imperfection and the resilience of humanity. Even in a fractured world, we can come together, repair, and create something stronger and more beautiful than before. 

The drink would be a solar-infused chai - brewed not with boiling water, but slowly and intentionally under the sun, using spices and ingredients sourced from across the globe. Cardamom from India, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, ginger from Nigeria, and honey from New Zealand. The process of solar infusion reflects the patience and intentionality required for harmony in the world. The chai will be warm, complex, and deeply connected to the natural world.

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Which thinker has profoundly influenced your approach to educational leadership? What key insights have you drawn from them?

There are too many to name; however my continued focus is on leading from the future as it emerges. This requires deep listening, presence, and an understanding that culture is shaped over time.

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Please share a quote/message that reflects your philosophy on education and educational leadership

“Leadership is both a position we hold and a set of dispositions we embody.”

Leadership is about more than strategy and decision-making; it's about people and storytelling. The stories we tell as leaders have the power to inspire, and to drive change. Whether it's sharing a vision for the future, celebrating the successes of our students and staff, or reflecting on the lessons we have learned, storytelling is how we bring people together and unite a community.

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Recommend an inspiring educational leader committed to education for global citizenship and sustainable development.

If you know an inspiring education leader whose no-nonsense insights should be part of this series, we would love to hear at publications@globalcitizenshipfoundation.org