An interesting thought was posed by my supervisor, Professor Trevor Davidson, does being an active participant equal leadership potential? This is a challenging thought as I reflect upon my own experience in selection for leadership positions. As a teacher I was tapped on the shoulder to run projects, because I was keen to get involved. My CV was full of little projects, but did this really make me suitable for leadership of a school? Is active participation influencing myself and principal peers in creating an unintended bias for talent identification? In Australia, AITSL have developed the Professional Standards for Principals and Leadership Profiles. This evidenced based set of standards clearly articulates what is required to be a leader in schools in Australia, but do principals refer to this when recommending aspirants for leadership opportunities, or is it more intuition (Waidelich, 2012) that is used in identifying school leaders of the future?
Ready to Lead? 