“I’ve learned that real leadership often involves managing unpredictability and uncertainty with composure and clarity. My role is to remain steady, facilitate dialogue, and help the community navigate these challenges confidently”
HCA Candidate A
Introduction
The KnowledgeWorks publication, Portrait of a Leader: The Knowledge, Skills, and Mindsets Educators Need to Lead Systems Change through Personalized, Competency-Based Learning, presents a framework for developing transformative educational leadership, based on extensive consultation. The Portrait of a Leader outlines the essential attributes (or knowledge, skills, and mindsets) educators need to sustain innovation and lead systemic change. These are paradoxically subtle yet impactful shifts in how leaders see their role and play their part to shape an emerging paradigm.
Key Leadership Attributes
- Human-Centred
- Transformational
- Authentic
- Collaborative
- Advocate
Application
Educators are encouraged to engage deeply with the outlined attributes, employing reflective questions and actionable examples to inform their leadership practices. For example:
- A Human-Centred leader: Prioritises relationships, empathy, well-being, and inclusivity.
- Actions: empathetic listening, student/staff relationship programs, inclusive councils.
- A Transformational leader: Drives forward-looking change through vision, innovation, and adaptability.
- Actions: strategic planning, piloting practices.
- An Authentic leader: Leads with credibility and vulnerability; models learning and transparency.
- Actions: co-teaching, clear communications, continuous self-reflection.
- A Collaborative leader: Cultivates shared goals and distributed leadership.
- Actions: student advisory groups, educator leadership teams, co-created visions.
- An Advocate: Champions equity by disrupting inequitable systems and shifting power.
- Actions: policy advocacy, mentoring underrepresented leaders, inclusive design.
By adopting a framework such as this, schools and educational systems can shift from traditional, standardised models to more equitable, flexible, and learner-driven systems.
Conclusion
There is a critical intersection between leadership development and the evolving school landscape. This framework offers one practical, aspirational pathway for educators to lead meaningful change. It centres on humanity, empowerment, and future readiness.
Postscript
“I had to rebuild trust from the ground up: parents had lost confidence, staff were divided, and students felt disempowered. I knew it wasn’t just about strategy; it was about restoring belief and community.”
HCA Candidate B
Intentional, reflective practice accommodates necessary shifts in leadership attributes necessitated by accelerating technologies and societal challenges. Given our capacity to draw insights across thousands of conversations with expert leaders, Hutton Consulting Australia’s clients are uniquely positioned to leverage such leadership competencies.
Citation:
KnowledgeWorks. (2025). Portrait of a Leader: The Knowledge, Skills and Mindsets Educators Need to Lead Systems Change Through Personalized, Competency-Based Learning. KnowledgeWorks Foundation. https://knowledgeworks.org
