Career Progression

At its core, a leaders job is to develop others to step confidently into leadership, harness their unique talents, and empower them to influence positive change. This belief has always been my guiding principle, and it’s the foundation of the work I’m privileged to share this month.

In leadership, one truth I often encounter is our reluctance to celebrate success. I admit, I’m no different—it can feel uncomfortable to shine a spotlight on my own achievements. But celebration is important. It counterbalances the ever-present shadows of criticism and self-doubt, reminding us of the value of honoring progress and impact.

This month, I want to shine that spotlight on an extraordinary group of educators at the Australian International School of Hong Kong (AISHK), and the work we’ve done together over the past two years. Through a Leadership Mentoring Program open to all staff and Career Progression Coaching for Heads of Year and Faculty, I’ve had the opportunity to support a motivated team in creating meaningful change.

What makes this work so impactful? And how might my experiences help you in your own leadership journey?

To answer these questions, I want to first give a Shoutout evidencing how they leaned into and supported the development of their colleagues, and then share the Lesson that will inform your work as a leader.

Shoutout 1

The Mentoring Program was launched at the end of the pandemic. It was small in scope, limited to Secondary, and championed by the Principal, Peter Phillips. Peter wanted to develop leaders, and not just the ones that already had titles. He wanted to build relationships across departments, create opportunities to lead and give staff greater voice in identifying opportunities for improvement in the division.

Lesson 1

Change requires a Champion. It is not enough to just want what Peter wanted for his division, he also fully participated, mentoring a staff member. His participation demonstrated the school’s commitment to developing staff, as well as lend credibility and authority to the change projects that participants initiated.

Click here to continue reading my shoutouts to the Changemakers in this program and the lessons we all learned.

Michael Iannini is an education management consultant that is recognized by the Council of International Schools as an expert in Strategic Planning, Governance, Human Resource Management, and Leadership Development. He is the author of Hidden in Plain Sight: Realizing the Full Potential of Middle Leaders.?You can learn more about Michael and his work by visiting www.pdacademia.com and https://middleleader.com/articles.