Since February 2020, our public education program – the Game Changers Podcast series – has hosted conversations with educators, entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders all over the world, dedicated to exploring what it takes to be a game changer – a bold pioneer who doesn’t ask for permission but, instead, charts a way forward and up in the new world environment.
What is an enterprise? What is your enterprise? How do you align it to your purpose and realise it through your practice? What does it take to be enterprising?
I began the series with the following thoughts about the character of enterprise.
So much of our human condition, the values and value that we bring to it, and the questions that we ask are enduring: who am I? Where do I fit in? How can I best serve others? Whose am I?
Yet we know that there is something about taking the big step forward and up in our own time that is different. Our world is moving fast and there are mega-trends that are influencing how we relate, connect and achieve which make the game of life uniquely challenging.
Our conversations with over 250 guests, with over a million episode downloads in four and a half years, have tried to capture stories about the character, competency and wellness it takes to thrive and succeed in a world that’s moving fast, not by simply improving that which we already have, but by innovating, creating something new that allows us to become better versions of ourselves.
In doing so, we’ve learned much about enterprise – we know, in particular, that an enterprise doesn’t stand still. It’s constantly searching for an opportunity to be and become more.
In this way, an enterprise is more than just a particular type of entity. It’s about the quality and dynamism of initiative that is demonstrated by those within the entity. It’s about the character of the people who comprise the beating heart of a structure and convert potential into movement.
The character of those who drive an enterprise is most often observable as a combination of the willingness and capacity to take what we call “the big step forward and up”. It begins from a default position that both acknowledges and instinctively makes its way beyond the status quo. It shifts the focus from improvement to genuine innovation in purpose and practice.
The voice of the enterprising is always future facing. It is willing to speak to a prophetic vision for what must be and argues coherently about the changes that need to happen to make this real. It demonstrates the capacity to see what others don’t and find the right words to express a bold hope that together we might make our way forward to something better.
The agency of the enterprising is both inventive and resilient. It shows a willingness to seek out and adopt a practical wisdom that helps us to find the right pathway for now and for times to come. It reveals a capacity to bring people on board, form and unite a team, develop a plan, give it a go and make it happen.
The advocacy of the enterprising embraces those whose needs have not yet been met. There is a willingness to understand why new solutions are required that complements a capacity to create and deliver a benefit to others that defines the difference that must be made.
We teach who we are and we lead from the core of our being. If we are equipped with the willingness and capacity to be enterprising, then those around us will follow our lead. After all, the impact of the best and most effective leadership can be witnessed in the energy transfer that flows throughout the enterprise.
It seems to me that so much of what makes the enterprise of a remarkable organisation work is the energy transfer that occurs within it. The minds of the enterprising are restless and their energy is palpable. This energy defines their leadership more than anything else and powers the entity in all dimensions. In this way, the character of the enterprise leader infuses the character of the enterprise.
My favourite question when I’ve finished something significant is to ask: “What have we learned?” Sometimes, it’s the only big question I need to ask for the conversation to flow and the observations, findings and recommendations to emerge.
In Series 17 of the Game Changers Podcast, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with some remarkable people:
Ben Cooper also bounced back in for a special Christmas episode!
I had a bank of questions ready to ask them over our three part yesterday, today and tomorrow episode format.:
You’ll recognise these questions, listeners, from Series 17. And you’ll also know that sometimes (in fact often) our guests just told their stories in such a way that I didn’t need to ask many of these questions explicitly.
So what have I learned from asking a whole bunch of questions to our Game Changers over the past 37 episodes?
I’ve learned that great leaders of enterprises are brokers of hope who envisage something different and inspire and energise other people to make that difference; it’s as simple as as complex as that
As we draw to a close Series 17 of the Game Changers Podcast, I’d like to reflect on what I’ve learned about the character of enterprise from our Game Changers. I’d like to do so by considering the values and value proposition of brokers of hope. First, there is the capacity to see what might be different about the world which creates a yearning to tell the story of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Secondly the values proposition of inspiration – the curiosity, compassion, courage and conviction that help us to see the possibility of taking a the big step forward and up. And third is the value proposition of energy transfer – the gift of the adaptive expertise and self-efficacy required to thrive in our world.
1. A deep yearning for change: telling the story of yesterday, today and tomorrow
Game changers who lead successful enterprises have the capacity to see what might be different about the world. They’re also restless about the status quo, revealing that first part of the character of enterprise which a deep yearning for change that requires shedding the need to tell the same old story again and again and replacing it with a new story of yesterday, today and tomorrow. They both apprehend the possibility of something new and have the appetite to bring about this difference, often because they can see a way to solve problems that is more efficient and elegant or that appeals to an innate sense of justice or indeed both.
Don’t fear loss.
In Episode 189 (Part 1): Without Fear, Ben Cooper, Executive Chef at Chin Chin spoke movingly of the willingness to shed the natural aversion to loss:
“I think as humans, we generally fear loss. It's something that even before it's happened, we are in a state of fear of the possibility of it happening. But the reality that I've learned is that loss actually gives us, it's one of life's greatest gifts.”
Push things to the edge.
George Hedon, Founder of the Pause Fest and Awards revealed the need to cultivate a concurrent instinct to push things to the edge in Episode 191 (Part 1): Leap As Far As You Can:
“I'm a weird guy, in a sense that I was never really happy with the status quo. I never really was, and I'm not either now. So I'm not just happy with saying this is the basic solution to a problem. I like to push things to the edge and sometimes over the edge to see how far can we go. And in this situation, I did push myself way above that edge to, because one thing is like, oh, I have an idea and this is my kind of hobby. And I have a safe job and I'm just doing this on the side. And, you know, it's all fine. And it is all fine until you quit everything and the hustle becomes real. And that sort of love of yours is your everything. And it needs to live, needs to make money, and you need to do something so about it. And that's a very different perspective. A lot of people, I don't think, understand that it's easy when you have a softy cushiony job and it's very hard when you don't have it.”
Watch what’s around you and make sure you don’t fit in a box.
In Episode 195 (Part 1): Mixed Veggies, the wonderful Homa Sabet Tavangar, Co-Founder of The Big Questions Institute talked of her approach to managing risk while pursuing difference within an enterprise:
“I have tried to stay kind of attuned to what's happening around me. It's almost like what window is opening, what door is opening. Do I want to go through that door? Am I paying attention, being able to do this connecting-the-dot, sense-making, anticipatory work, which is what I think is very much the work of educators and leaders in education today … I think for me, how I've made this transition, it is, again, I haven't fit in a box and nothing has been a straight line. Some of the story, I think, very much has to do with being a woman and being a mother, and taking some time on and off and less intensely in the workplace, and really reflecting on who am I and what should I be doing.”
Wear different hats.
In Episode 190 (Part 1): Transforming Globally, Amy Baker, CEO and Co-Founder of The Pie commented on her own multi-faceted approach to enterprise leadership:
“I would say one thing we all have in common is also we're all very sociable. And actually, when you're building a professional B2B community, we all have a big network because so much of whatever you do when you first launch is enabled by people who know you, trust you, rate you and say, yeah, I'll come along and speak at your event. I mean, once you've done an event, we're sold out for our award show, which is happening very soon. That's great. That's because so many people have been and they love it. But when you're launching anything new in a B2B world, you need the sort of affidavit of other professionals who say, yeah, I like what you do and I think you'll do a good job and I'll come along. You can't, well, maybe some people do it completely cold. They go into a new industry and don't know anyone, but we've done really well of leaning into the sector, all three of us, and I think that's also helped build the brand.”
Adapt.
Rebecca Hall, Assistant Director General of the Department of Education Queensland spoke in Episode 196 (Part 1): A Hope and a Sense about the need to adapt yourself willingly and habitually:
“But I think part of building resilience, about things outside of your control, is being able to adapt when things go wrong. But also being able to reflect enough to change the future and develop other techniques or tactics by learning from those places where things haven't worked or worked as well, by recognising how my thinking is contributing to this situation, and also by having good people around me.”
Repurpose and reinvent continually.
Anthony Micallef Headmaster of Brisbane Grammar School in Episode 197 (Part 1): Happenstance in Depth talked about the need to repurpose and reinvent as a continuing feature of what he called the “human spirit”. He spoke of his childhood experiences on a farm:
“I think in a rural setting … people have got to continue to invent. They don't always have the resources at their disposal. They don't always have the income to be able to purchase the latest piece of equipment. So using what you have at your disposal and using it creatively and reusing it over and over again in different contexts becomes the norm. So what you see then is this capacity to use things differently, to repurpose. I think education, whether it be a practical tool for people or a theoretical tool, continues to be repurposed.”
Be curious and excited to learn more.
In Episode 198 (Part 2): Be Bold and Brave, Liz Jackson, Associate Director, Program Operations Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade NSW, talked of her innate thirst to know more and its relationship to her own education:
“As I mentioned, I studied in a condensed format online because I was adamant that that would teach me everything I needed to know about the world of technology and how to be the best version of a teacher and educator that I could be at the time. I think sometimes that can be to my detriment in terms of throwing myself in and wanting to learn as much as I can over a period of time because you don't get that opportunity to pause like you do now and reflect on what it is that you really do need. So I quite often do way more than what is necessary to kind of get you through and I see it in everything that I do. But that's because I'm just excited about wanting to learn as much as I can in lots of different areas, because they're so unknown. I have a deep sense of genuine curiosity about the world, and sometimes that can be a problem.”
Exercise your imagination like a muscle.
In Episode 195 (Part 2): Working Out, Homa Sabet Tavangar took this further to advocate for opening up your imagination through regular workouts:
“I’m a curious person, so I'm always curious and I'm pretty motivated, I guess, to be learning. And that's maybe it's a little bit of a muscle? I think empathy is like a muscle. Imagination is like a muscle where the more you exercise it, the more you recognise the presence, the stronger it gets. So learning is a little bit like the more you experience empathy and care, the more you want to; the more you've opened up your imagination and your creativity, it's hard to put it back.”
Ask bold questions and think about place as a driver for change.
Dr Joanne Ladds, Educational Consultant at Noble + Eaton suggests that we need to ask bold questions and think about place as a driver for change. In Episode 192 (Part 1): Charting a Course she notes that:
“To do that, it means we can rethink the lens on what education actually looks like. We can take small steps and create marginal gains with the education system that we've got, or we can sit back and we can go, actually, do you know what? There's different ways and different things that we can do. I like to ask those bold questions. To say, you can go slowly along the journey, or in actual fact, are we at a point where we need to actually go right? We've got so much data and information out there, there's other ways in which we can do it.”
Look for a next level solution based on your values.
In Episode 194 (Part 1): Purpose and Planet, Cordwainer and Co-Founder Jess Wootten explained that:
“It's not just about mere function, it's about what does this mean to me and the community that I'm in and the interactions that I'm having with people and my values and whatever. So it's that next level of solution, if that makes sense.”
Make a difference that transforms lives.
Ultimately, as Martin Westwell, Chief Executive of the Department for Education, South Australia said in Episode 199 (Part 1): Being a thinker, that we need to be ambitious in the questions we ask and the solutions we create so that we really do make a difference:
“What would have to be true about the kids in order that they can learn and thrive, that they can be curious in the classroom? We have to think about it as almost like a change process rather than a delivery process. Our job isn't to deliver the curriculum to kids. Our job is to change kids. Transform lives.”
2. The Values Proposition of Inspiration: the Curiosity, Compassion, Courage and Conviction to Take A Big Step Forward and Up
So that’s the yearning for change that tells the story of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Let’s move on to the second aspect of the character of enterprise: the values proposition of inspiration that permissions the curiosity, compassion, courage and conviction to take what we at Game Changers and a School for tomorrow. call “the big step forward and up”. What did our Series 17 Game Changers say about this values proposition of inspiration and the knowledge, skills, dispositions and habits that characterise it?
Trust people.
Let’s begin with the biggest determinant of being the inspiration for others: trust. Too many enterprises fail because of a deep and ingrained cynicism about the enterprise and its leaders. In Episode 199 (Part 3): Doing things differently, Martin Westwell stated that:
“For me, there is only one way of breaking the cycle of distrust, and that is to trust. So what I mean is just bloody do it. As of the system, start with our policies, our procedures, the way that we work, start with let's assume we can trust teachers, and then what flows from that.”
Design for difference.
While we working on trust more generally, we need to signal clearly that what we are doing is not business as usual but something deliberately different and intentionally better. Joanne Ladds argued in Episode 192 (Part 3): A Different Chair that this should flow from an honest self-appraisal:
“I know how to learn stuff, how to encourage and motivate people to learn stuff. So how am I going to apply this so that more people can do it and reach their potential? And so how can I apply design to something that I don't feel anybody has ever thought about it through this lens before? And again, I could be completely wrong. Loads of people could be sat there thinking exactly the same and I'm starting to connect with those people who feel like the square peg in the round hole and have these ideas, but people have them and create tools with it. What I'm suggesting is we are creating environments and spaces and people have never thought about it like that before.”
Experiment to create impact deliberately over time.
This willingness to do something different can be augmented by a desire to experiment deliberately over time to achieve a greater social impact. George Hedon put it like this in Episode 191 (Part 2): Event Architecture:
“It’s really interesting to see because when we talk about social impact, and that's something that was really big on my mind because I did this whole thing was an experiment for me, but intentional an experiment with specific purpose and impact that I really wanted to, that I was recording in every year. And it's really interesting to know that it takes some time from when you get inspired to actually put certain things in place so that you can action it, follow it up, and end up in a place that you want to be. And it takes around five years.”
Be strong, work hard and get through it all.
In Episode 194 (Part 3): Process, Practice and Product, Jess Wootten talks of the strength of character required to work hard and get through all of what the enterprise entails:
“I’m conscious of not misrepresenting what life could be if you're a creative maker person. You know, like running a small business and operating in a country where no one makes shoes anymore, on the other side of the world, where the machinery comes from and so forth, like there's a lot of hurdles and it's really bloody hard work. And you need a lot of stoicism and fortitude and all of these things to get through. It's not sunshine and roses and laughs and joy.”
Look for small and simple joys along the way.
While you’re immersed in this long-term work, it can become a little dispiriting to yourself and others in the enterprise when immediate significant progress isn’t realised. In Episode 194 (Part 1): Purpose and Planet, Krys Wootten commented on the facility of a specific quite disciplined mindset that can help manage expectations, especially when she and Jess (and all of their family and business resources) are fully engaged in their artisan enterprise:
“I don't need much to be happy. We don't go on fancy holidays because we can't. But even just a day spent gardening, just rewards of when you're a gardener, I suppose you've got a slightly different outlook because you've got to stay pretty positive … I just need small bits of joy. Even half an hour to try and read a magazine would be really luxurious for me … I've got to answer the phones, I've got to make stuff, I've got a three-year-old who needs something. I don't have any time to listen to podcasts. So for me, that wind down in the garden or that wind down walking the dog, or just even having half an hour to play with my kids is actually really lovely. That's for me, happiness. I'm quite simple.”
Embrace what’s present.
There’s also a distinct value that can be gained from a a degree of present-mindedness. In Episode 189 (Part 3): Never Stop Learning, Benjamin Cooper explains how this works for him:
“I’m a very energetic, gregarious person. By nature, I mean, as I spoke to you earlier about for anything to exist, the opposite exists in congruency. And so the serenity does not exist without the chaos and vice versa. And they're always both there at the same time. I think one of the experiences of life for many, and I can't talk for everyone because I don't, but I feel like one of the experiences of life for many is that it's somewhat of a roller coaster and less of a linear path, right? You have your peaks and your troughs, you have your ups and your downs, you have your highs and your lows. And I feel like you can mitigate some of the intensity of that by allowing all things to be present at all times.”
Let experience interest and shape you.
In Episode 190 (Part 1): Transforming Globally, Clare Gossage builds on this idea of present-mindedness by arguing that it needs to be accompanied by a willingness to allow the experience of the enterprise to influence your own formation as a person and as a leader:
“I genuinely think the experience shapes you. It's also believing what is possible and having that faith because you've experienced it yourself … I don't know whether you do need to be interested in it? So you need to be given the opportunity and to see that it's a thing. And so I think maybe it's a little bit of both of having either that impetus coming from yourself or people around you to give you the suggestion. Otherwise, how do you know that you could go and do it?”
Study the times and watch for the inflection point.
Homa Sabet Tavangar talks about the need to bring a sense of perspective to this by studying the times that define the context for your present and using this perspective to watch for the inflection point. In Episode 195 (Part 3): The Liminal Moment she said:
“I do think that we live in a very incredible maybe inflection point time. And many historians have talked about this, that historians, anthropologists, public intellectuals, lots and lots of people talk about. We are living in this liminal moment. We are living in this time between worlds where the old stories that we've grown up with, whether it's has to do with capital punishment or corporal punishment to what school should be, to those old stories are breaking or are broken. And yet we are in this in-between stage. The new stories are yet to be realised. And maybe we get to live in this time where we are writing the new stories or we're experimenting or we're in a painful place that is awkward in between. I love the idea of a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, but the reality is that middle part, it's messy, it's painful, it's not the pretty part. And that's an important part of that story that often has been overlooked.”
Develop a vision for the future and build the character to do great things in realising this.
In Episode 197 (Part 3): Nil Sin Labore, Anthony Micallef identifies the importance of growing in your own capacity to use this combination of experience, present-mindedness and perspective to develop a vision for the future and to build the character in yourself and those around you to do great things in realising this:
“But I think as you mature in the role, you quickly learn that you are forming character. It doesn't matter what the subject is. You can help people become good citizens, good people. When they leave your school, they go and do great things, either with their family, with their communities, in their professions. Now, I know that's idealistic and it doesn't always work, but you got to have a lofty vision.”
Think globally.
It’s rare that such a vision will emerge from cautious introspection. Rebecca Hall in Episode 196 (Part 3): Globally Curious speaks of the power of thinking globally:
“I want to show three mindsets that we actually embed in a lot of the work that we do. There is an alignment between entrepreneurship, education and global education. And so that growth mindset is one of the things that will come up in many of our global competence programs or our engagement. A global mindset in and of itself, is about being able to engage in or understand and appreciate different world perspectives. I think also about staying curious and being uncomfortable in the unknown. These are the three elements of the mindsets that we want to create in our students. But also, can I say importantly, in our staff as well. We have a big focus on making sure that our staff across the system are able to engage themselves as global learners and able to connect and learn from best practice around the world.”
Set off on a journey to find opportunities.
I’ve long believed that life is an adventure. What makes it an adventure is a combination of a sense of purpose and the willingness to take the big step forward and up to become a better version of ourselves. My understanding of this and the role of the formation of character in it has been shaped by my own experience of people and place and planet, something that has been shaped by a distinctively Australian view of excellence and equity. You will have your own context that has shaped you too, as well as a pathway to excellence that is prompted by those four normal and natural questions that I referred to earlier that prompt the adventure of a lifetime everywhere: who am I? Where do I fit in? How can I best serve others? Whose am I?
When we set off on a journey to find our pathway to excellence excited and enthused for what lies ahead in making the vision become reality, we need to watch for the opportunities that might appear. This is the final piece of character of the values proposition of inspiration in the character of enterprise that is aptly put by Liz Jackson in Episode 198 (Part 1): Find Your Tribe, when she says:
“My engagement with the whole world of enterprise is really about understanding what are the opportunities available in enterprise education, and how can we best support young people and the communities in which they live and work to allow them to go on that particular journey. So to me, what is enterprise? To me, it's the whole collection and opportunity to support young people on the journey into enterprising education, whether it be to start their own venture or to be innovative in a venture that already exists.”
3. The Value Proposition of Energy Transfer: the Adaptive Expertise and Self-Efficacy Required To Thrive
So we have looked at the yearning for change that leads us to tell the story of yesterday, today and tomorrow. We’ve explored the values proposition of inspiration that permissions curiosity, compassion, courage and conviction. There’s a third part to the character of enterprise that our Game Changers guests have revealed: the value proposition of energy transfer that gives us the tangible benefit of the adaptive expertise and self-efficacy required to thrive.
I think that so much of leadership, so much of the agency in an enterprise is about energy transfer. The minds of the enterprising are restless and their energy is palpable. This energy defines their leadership more than anything else and powers the entity in all dimensions with an adaptive expertise and self-efficacy that give the enterprise the resilience and robustness to thrive. It’s in this way that the character of the enterprise leader infuses the character of the enterprise.
We teach who we are and we lead from the core of our being. If we are equipped with the willingness and capacity to be enterprising, then those around us will follow our lead. After all, the impact of the best and most effective leadership can be witnessed in the energy transfer that flows throughout the enterprise.
What do our Series 17 Game Changers say about this? What makes this energy transfer substantive?
Turn up every day.
In Episode 200 (Part 1): Having substance, Andrew Donnelly argues that it all begins with your willingness to turn up every day:
“Substance is about what you do on a day-to-day basis. How do you turn up every day? What kind of attitude do you have? How are you with other people around you? Do you celebrate other people's successes more than your own? All this sort of stuff actually makes you an incredible employee, which if you actually take it back and strip it back, qualifications don't really assess or don't really demonstrate. They can show you what you did on a particular day in a particular knowledge base, but employers aren’t as bothered about the knowledge in the subject because you know that over time, you're going to learn that job or that role in quite a lot of detail. The substance behind it is what your character is, and it's there the things that almost an employer won't be able to teach, what are the most key components to why they're going to give you an opportunity. And for me, that's what character is all about, like how much substance have you got. And that's what we've been trying to develop more over the past couple of years specifically.”
Fully engage in bringing the enterprise to life.
What does turning up every day look like? We saw how Liz Jackson drew on the metaphor of a journey earlier. In Episode 198 (Part 3): Create Connection, Awe and Wonder, she says that
“I openly like to admit that it is a journey and a goal that I will set and it will be done at some particular point in time when I want to have the capacity to fully engage and invest in bringing that to life. And I'm sure that when I do go on that journey, I'll also come to that point where I'm like, what's next? And I don't know beyond that, but I feel like that is probably the path that I need to go on in the short term.”
Be visible, be exuberant and think things through.
Anthony Micallef talks of his own experience as a younger school leader in Episode 197 (Part 2): Present and Invested and especially about how to showcase his natural enthusiasm while acquiring the wisdom of good judgment:
“I learned pretty quickly. I've been trying to manage impulsivity all of my life. I learned very quickly that I needed to think things through. I regard myself as a fixer. I like everything to be fixed and in order. I learned very quickly in middle management roles that I had to take my time. I had to come up with a resolution that in some instances would suit both parties, in other instances may not suit both parties, but I had to think it through. And perhaps when I was a younger teacher, a younger person, I would react. My response would be too quick and without a great deal of thought. Yet I'm visible, I'm present, I'm always exuberant or energetic. I don't turn up to a school event, you know, and drag my heels. I don't make an appearance and leave early. You know, I'm invested.”
Think quickly and fix things when they go wrong.
It can be challenging to maintain this level of energy when things go wrong and yet that’s when it’s often needed the most. In Episode 189 (Part 1): Without Fear, Benjamin Cooper comments on the environment of his kitchen and the challenge to think quickly and fix things when they go wrong:
“It's a state of flux and flow. And you have to learn to think very, very, very quickly. And you have to be good at problem resolution. You have to understand how to pivot and move and change every moment. Because essentially it's a case study in everything that can go wrong will go wrong at some point. And you've got to know how to fix it.”
Be fluid and encourage people to bring their own ideas.
Mastery of a prevailing situation of fluidity and a willingness to encourage people to bring their own ideas about solutions to this energy are also raised by Amy Baker in Episode 190 (Part 3): A Blueprint for Experimentation:
“And then I think a lot of it is quite fluid. You know, our structures around sort of writing things down and reporting on them is possibly not what people might expect. I'd say we talk about more things than we write down, but that's just the way that we've evolved, and it seems to work for us. I think scaling, as we get bigger, that would need to shift slightly possibly. But we're very open about goals and our aims, and I guess therefore, you know, with our strategy. And we involve our team a lot in what we're doing and why we're doing it and how we're going to achieve it. And I think that has been another pillar of our success, of it's not top down by any means, and we've never wanted it to be like that. And coming back to your question, I think from one of the points you discussed possibly in the second episode around skills and hiring people that are effective, we always look to hire people who are excited by bringing their own ideas. And we enable people to do that from the very beginning of their roles.”
No idea is ever fully formed.
George Hedon makes the observation in Episode 191 (Part 2): Event Architecture that it’s not just the fluidity of the environment or the leader that needs to be acknowledged:
“I would look at other places and other people and look at other events and I would sort of, yeah, I get my dose of, and just having a time to relax and not be on a pump and not be stressed. So, just kind of having a downtime to kind of really think about opportunities and then kind of come back and strategize and kind of go, oh, what is this we're going to do? But since then, it's been a very interesting road of what is it that's possible to be done in this type of environment and what do really people want at the moment. Because market has changed, people have changed, business have changed, and they're changing, it seems like every quarter, every half a year depending on the markets.”
Reflect on purpose habitually.
In Episode 195 (Part 2): Working Out, Homa Sabet Tavangar recommends that part of this fluidity of leadership and individual agency within an enterprise involves actively reflecting on purpose as a habit:
“I have had a real privilege to vary my work. So I'm not doing the same thing I did 10 years ago or 20 years ago. So and you know, a really important part of this process that I think in sort of materialistic, sort of competitive, me-centred achievement culture we miss is like the power of reflection. And so I think that when I reflect on what I did that day or I don't do like a New Year's resolution so much, but I do take time. I try to have quiet time, especially when it's really busy. I try to have time that's quiet in the morning and just think about what's my purpose and why am I here all the time? I'm not just waiting for the existential crisis.”
Be confident in both your expertise and that of your team.
Joanne Ladds believes that confidence in your own expertise, even when you’re not entirely sure about all of the possible answers is critical. She notes in Episode 192 (Part 2): A Bit of a See Saw that the expertise of team members can fill the gaps:
“You don't always have the answers and that you're looking to others for that. And then when you ask them those questions, it's then for you to sit back and reflect and listen and go “Ah! From my experience, that makes sense. I can have a conversation with you, join up those dots, have those conversations, and then right, now we have a plan.”
Use your time and energy in roles that matter.
Rebecca Hall emphasises that enterprise leadership that keeps the energy flowing requires you to exercise choice about the work that you do yourself. In Episode 196 (Part 2): Potential for More, she explains about the need to
“Use my time and my energy as best I could, but also choosing roles where it really mattered. I wasn't just going to a job, I was actually going to do something that was meaningful to me and hopefully meaningful to my kids and to future generations in terms of the work that we were doing.”
Be brilliant at who you are and what you do then position yourself well.
Within the enterprise itself, Martin Westwell in Episode 199 (Part 2): Not playing the game speaks to the efficacy of building a career by focusing on your own expertise and how you position it relative to the energy of the enterprise itself:
“The advice I always give to people when they ask for it, and sometimes when they don't ask for it, position yourself well. There's lots of serendipity in scientific discoveries, but it's not luck. It's positioning yourself well, then something happens in the world and you're able to make the most of that opportunity. You notice things that other people don't notice, not because you're lucky, but because you actually did all the hard yards to get to that point that you would notice something that others wouldn't, right? It's the positioning and it's not playing the game, right? It's not working to get this job or working to get that promotion or whatever. That playing the game I think leads to, you'll get some work, but it leads to mediocrity. If you focus on being brilliant and just being the best you can be, with integrity, which sometimes gets eroded when you're playing the game of trying to get the next job. If you just focus on being brilliant and know that then you will be positioned really well for something, who knows what that something is. That's how you go and have an amazing life and an amazing career.”
Seek balance in your life not work/life balance.
Finally, a holistic view of what it is you do and are is critical. In many ways, you are the enterprise and the enterprise is you. In Episode 194 (Part 2): People and Place, Jess Wootten observes that
“People use this term work-life balance, which I really hate because it says that work is not your life. It's something you do to enable you to live a life. I'd much rather the notion of balance within your life. For me, I can't see a difference between what I'm doing when I'm working, what I'm doing when I'm not working. It's just me. That's exactly the point. That statement especially illustrates exactly what's wrong with the world, with the way we approach work. It's like a chore. It's like something you begrudge having to do. It means that you get some time and some money outside of those times that you're at work, that you can do something that you enjoy. It's like, well, how about we put a lot in the bin and we actually find a reason to turn up to something that we do constantly. Work and life do not need to be, they shouldn't be separate things. Of course, your work is part of your life. If you hate it, maybe do something else.”
In a similar fashion, I believe that we need to see our own leadership as bringing the value proposition of energy transfer, a tangible manifestation of hope and love, tempered by a sense of humour and a joined-up songline that gives heart to the tired and weary, and a strong sense of direction and purpose to those who can’t see the way forward.
So where might we go from here? What have we learned?
Let’s bring together all of these ideas about the character of enterprise together. I think there are three journeys that we have traced in the accounts of our guests on Series 17 of the Game Changers Podcast that might enable us to build a model of this character.
| 1. A deep yearning for change: telling the story of yesterday, today and tomorrow | 2. The Values Proposition of Inspiration: the Curiosity, Compassion, Courage and Conviction to Take A Big Step Forward and Up | 3. The Value Proposition of Energy Transfer: the Adaptive Expertise and Self-Efficacy Required To Thrive |
| Don’t fear loss. | Trust people. | Turn up every day. |
| Push things to the edge. | Design for difference. | Fully engage in bringing the enterprise to life. |
| Watch what’s around you and make sure you don’t fit in a box. | Experiment to create impact deliberately over time. | Be visible, be exuberant and think things through. |
| Wear different hats. | Be strong, work hard and get through it all. | Think quickly and fix things when they go wrong. |
| Adapt. | Look for small and simple joys along the way. | Be fluid and encourage people to bring their own ideas. |
| Repurpose and reinvent continually. | Embrace what’s present. | No idea is ever fully formed. |
| Be curious and excited to learn more. | Let experience interest and shape you. | Reflect on purpose habitually. |
| Exercise your imagination like a muscle. | Study the times and watch for the inflection point. | Be confident in both your expertise and that of your team. |
| Ask bold questions and think about place as a driver for change. | Develop a vision for the future and build the character to do great things in realising this. | Use your time and energy in roles that matter. |
| Look for a next level solution based on your values. | Think globally. | Be brilliant at who you are and what you do then position yourself well. |
| Make a difference that transforms lives. | Set off on a journey to find opportunities. | Seek balance in your life not work/life balance. |
Seek balance in your life not work/life balance.
Learning, living, leading and working in a successful, thriving enterprise means we need to claim and hold fast to our purpose. We need a plan to move forward and a clear next step but we cannot cling too much to the details lest the volume, pace and urgency of today overwhelms us. We need to keep our balance and tread lightly and nimbly on the pathway ahead. We need to know what we will carry with us and what we will leave behind, not because it is not esteemed or honoured per se, but because its value lay in that which is no longer needed. The best power of today, therefore, is to propel us forward to tomorrow; the worst power it has is to bog us down, to immerse us in the immediacies of today. We need to know what our future might look like - at the same time, we need to recognise our present-mindedness and be open to the changes that are already occurring that will mean what we imagine today will inevitably be different tomorrow.
And what about schools? What can we apply from our learning in Series 17 of the public education program that is the Game Changers Podcast, as well as the global educational research program?
The enterprise of schools relies on the journey towards greater voice and agency. This in turn relies on the capacity of leaders to create systems, structures and a culture that yearns for change, that tells a story of yesterday, today and tomorrow which inspires and energises the agency of teachers. Teacher agency has a decisive impact on the agency of students within a school and of the school itself. At a School for tomorrow. we are seeing five patterns emerging in relation to this:
Let’s stop there! We’ve learned enough for now.
That’s it for Series 17 of the Game Changers Podcast. Thank you to all of our guests, to Kyle Porter and Evan Phillips who manage and produce the podcasts behind the scenes and to you our loyal listeners. I can’t wait to welcome a new lineup of guests in Series 18 to share with us their insights on how to live a life that’s both worthwhile and well-lived – a life of thriving. I’m hoping to bring to you some of the wonderful thinkers and leaders that I’ll be connecting with in my new role as the Hooke Family Professor of Practice in Educational Leadership at the University of Sydney. More on that soon, Game Changers.
For now, I’d like to leave you with a poem I wrote in 2022 that might help bring to a close many of the ideas that we have encountered in Series 17: The Character of Enterprise. I think this poem might help to remind us that what it is that gives our enterprises meaning and purpose is the capacity of others to bring the character of change, inspiration and energy to enhance the lives of those around us as brokers of hope.
It’s called Stepping Stones.
Close you eyes
Breathe deeply
Let me know
When you are
Ready and
We’ll begin
There’s no rush
We’ll get there
In due course
I want you
To think of
Someone who
You really love
Without whom
You couldn’t
Have made it
On your road
To today
What was it
That they did
For you and
Your journey
How did they
Unblock the
Chosen route
And help you
Make your way
Or was it
Who they were
That made the
Difference
Was it their
Being that
Showed you who
You might be
Tomorrow
Whether it’s
The doing
The being
Both of them
All at once
In person
In spirit
On country
Across time
Or maybe
Instead you
Met for just
A moment
When you shared
The same air
When you trod
The same ground
Under God
You became
Stepping stones
In between
The unknown
A blessing
For you both
The asking
The giving
The taking
Done in turn
All without
A thought of
A reason
Beyond that
Which feels right
And expands
That which is
Possible
When we love
The straight line
Explodes and
That point of
The fierce blast
Radiates
Envelops
You and yours
For ever
Let’s go, Game Changers!
Phil