At last week’s Leadership Symposium, Principal Shauna Colnan led an inspiring day of professional learning for the School’s senior leadership team, sharing transformative insights from her sabbatical at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. With a focus on decision-making and strategic leadership, the symposium aimed to strengthen collective performance, equipping IGS leaders with cutting-edge thinking and practical evidence-based frameworks to navigate complexity with clarity, effectiveness and purpose.
Drawing from behavioural economists and decision scientists, she challenged the team to refine their leadership approach and embrace continuous growth. Among her key takeaways:
- Leadership is Learned – while personality plays a role, leadership is largely shaped by experience and environment. Growth is possible for all.
- Adaptability is Key – the best leaders flex their styles to meet the demands of change, a lesson reinforced by the pandemic.
- Engage and Appreciate – recognising and valuing contributions fosters stronger teams and better outcomes.
- Understand Your Organisation – history, culture, and values shape decisions and direction.
- Change is Hard, But Possible – with 75% of organisational transformations failing, structured frameworks – like Professor John Kotter’s 8 Steps – guide success. This is shaping the implementation of IGS’s 2025 deeper learning timetable.
- Challenge Biases – awareness of cognitive biases or human tendencies like overconfidence and loss aversion leads to better decision-making.
- Deep Listening Matters – true leadership begins with empathy and active listening.
- Connection is Essential – strong relationships at work and school enhance wellbeing and performance.
- Psychological Safety is Non-Negotiable – thriving communities are built on trust, inclusion and the freedom to take risks and learn from mistakes.
With the IGS leadership team actively engaging with these insights, the day reinforced the School’s commitment to bold, thoughtful leadership. These shared learnings will help to shape how we grow, lead, and learn together.
In a continued effort to nurture leadership excellence, Principal Shauna Colnan will roll out this decision-making training to aspiring and middle leaders throughout the year, ensuring that these transformative insights are embraced at every level.
