Leading effectively isn't about sitting back and hoping everything will fall into place. Nor is it about being a "born leader". These myths undermine our ability to grow as leaders. Leadership is complex, and it only becomes more complex as time passes. This isn't a new phenomenon, but it does take us to places where we may never have exercised leadership before.
Consider the challenges facing leaders in the early childhood sector. We're leading through rapid change, high staff turnover, growing competition and falling utilisation. Few of us were exposed to leadership and management training when we completed our qualifications, yet many of us are now expected to run million dollar businesses. The pressure, the expectation of executive style leadership and the complexity of leading with confidence can leave many of us feeling overwhelmed.
So what can we learn about leading during these times?
Leadership is learnt in the doing - We can read every leadership book on the shelf and still freeze when a difficult conversation lands at 4.45pm on a Friday afternoon. Leadership grows through practice. Each time we step into an uncomfortable moment, make a decision with incomplete information or have a conversation we'd rather avoid, we build capability. Waiting until we feel ready usually means waiting forever.
Reflection matters, but only when it follows action - Thinking isn't the enemy. Reflection becomes powerful when it's anchored in something we've actually done. Asking "What happened? What did I notice? What would I try differently next time?" turns everyday experiences into learning. Without the action, reflection can quickly become rumination.
Start small and experiment - Big leadership shifts rarely happen overnight. Try one new approach to your team meeting. Delegate one task you'd normally hold onto. Ask one educator for feedback on how you communicate. Small experiments lower the stakes and give us evidence about what works in our context.
Don't lead alone - Isolation is one of the quickest paths to overwhelm. Leaders need thinking partners, whether that's a mentor, a coach, a peer network or a trusted colleague in another service. Talking through challenges out loud helps us see options we can't see on our own and reminds us that our struggles are shared.
Share the leadership
Distributed leadership isn't about offloading work. It's about recognising the expertise already in our teams and creating opportunities for others to lead. When leadership is shared, services become more resilient during turnover and change, and leaders have more space to focus on what matters most.
Stay connected to purpose - When the demands pile up, it's easy to lose sight of why we do this work. Returning to our values and our commitment to children and families gives us a compass for decisions that might otherwise feel impossible.
Leadership confidence doesn't arrive first and then lead to action. It's the other way around. We grow into leaders by leading, by stumbling, by reflecting and by trying again. The good news is that every day in early childhood offers another chance to practise.
