International Women's Day 2026

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) is Give to Gain.

Upon hearing this, as I tend to do, I turned it over in my head endlessly. As a senior leader in an innovative, progressive school, I don’t see giving as a transaction. There is no scoreboard in education, no tally of effort for outcome. However, as I thought it through further, what came to me was that – of course – there is everything to gain when we give young people our time, our presence, our steadiness and care. 
 

As I considered the IWD theme, I was reminded of the words of author and businessman, Max De Pree, who wrote that leadership is, ‘The opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who permit us to lead.’ The word 'permit' humbles me because it reminds me that leadership is not authority and control; it is a service. And service is, by its very nature, to give. 

Over the years, I’ve come to understand what this looks like in my own practice: For me, it means leading with a strong sense of calm. Early in my career, a mentor told me that when facing challenges or decisions, especially those affecting young people, to always ‘give time’. These words have long shaped my approach. A steady, calm hand communicates safety and confidence. It is a reminder that strength is not volume. This has become a baseline for how I show up as a leader.

In a progressive coeducational school such as Woodleigh, our responsibility stretches well beyond the four walls of the classroom. I am acutely aware that my presence, my tone and my decisions contribute to how young people perceive women in leadership. I work to affect a culture where ambition coexists with wellbeing, boundaries with care and strength with empathy. This balance is not theoretical; it's modelled and absorbed by the young women and young men in our community. 

When young people see adults lead with calm and consistency, the connected culture we champion gives them an understanding of themselves and each other, of equity and emotional intelligence. Not because we tell them how, but because they see the way we collaborate, how we celebrate our community, how we respond when they need us and how we respond when they test us. Time, steadiness, boundaries, compassion, opportunity and safety.

Recently, I sat with a student who was overwhelmed by a friendship breakdown. On the surface, she was angry. Instead of rushing to fix her situation with quick solutions, I gave time for the complexity of her emotions to settle. I gave time to sit with her in her discomfort and I was calm in her dysregulation. In time, her anger softened to vulnerability and self-reflection. Her anger was a fear of exclusion. Only after recognising this could she begin to move forward.

So, why must we give to gain? Because leadership in schools is fundamentally about giving. It can be very uncomfortable at times, and it certainly isn't a popularity contest. Our decisions are made in service of those we lead, not what makes it easier for us. As we go, we gain communities built on dignity, young women who know themselves and young men who know and experience equality and a growing culture of resilience, trust and strength.

No scoreboard can capture what happens when we, as educators, are permitted to lead. When those around us learn and thrive in their own lives, well, that is a gain I have never taken for granted.  

 Happy International Women’s Day.