“Pressure doesn’t create our values, it reveals them.”
Leadership under pressure is a shared reality for today’s school leaders. Whether navigating community expectations, leading complex change, responding to competing demands, or making decisions where there is no obvious “right” answer, pressure is an inevitable part of the role.
This masterclass brought together school-based and cross-sector leadership perspectives to explore what authentic leadership looks like when the stakes are high. Through honest reflections and practical insights, our panel shared how leaders can stay grounded in their values, communicate with clarity, build trust, and continue to lead meaningful change in challenging circumstances.
Key themes and takeaways
1. Pressure reveals who we already are
One of the strongest messages from the discussion was that pressure does not turn us into someone different. Instead, it amplifies the patterns, habits, and behaviours that already exist.
“Pressure doesn’t turn us into somebody else. It just exaggerates the patterns that are already there.” Angus Jenkins
The challenge for leaders is to create enough space between the pressure and their response to retain a sense of choice.
“The leadership work is creating enough space between that pressure and your response to still have choice.” Angus Jenkins
Under pressure, leaders can be drawn towards control, isolation, or busyness. Recognising these tendencies early allows us to respond deliberately rather than react automatically.
Leadership practice: Notice what pressure tends to bring out in you. Awareness is the first step towards choice.
2. Connection is the anchor
For Bronwyn Te Koeti-James, connection to people, place, and purpose provides stability when leadership becomes challenging.
She shared how returning to the pūrākau and histories of the community she serves helps ground her leadership and maintain perspective during difficult times.
“Knowing that you’re in there for the long term. You’re not reacting at every corner to a bad conversation.” Bronwyn Te Koeti-James
Bronwyn spoke about prioritising relationships, even when deadlines and external pressures create urgency. Trust is built through genuine conversations and a commitment to staying connected, particularly when situations are difficult.
The discussion reinforced that effective leadership is not carried alone. Relationships provide the support, challenge, and perspective leaders need to navigate complexity and uncertainty.
Leadership practice: Know what anchors you when the role shakes. Return to it deliberately before pressure makes the decision for you.
3. Authentic leadership matters most when it costs something
Authenticity is easy when circumstances are favourable. The true test comes when remaining aligned with your values becomes uncomfortable.
“Authenticity is tested when there’s a cost attached to it.” Angus Jenkins
“When that decision becomes uncomfortable, that is your test of authenticity.” Angus Jenkins
Steve reflected on the importance of being genuine with staff and students, who quickly recognise when leaders are not being authentic. Bronwyn added an equally important reminder that humility matters too. Leaders will get things wrong at times, and trust is strengthened when they acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, and adjust course.
The panel agreed that authenticity is not about perfection. It is about consistency, honesty, and a willingness to lead in alignment with your values.
Leadership practice: When you get it wrong, own it early. Meet the mistake where it is rather than where you are emotionally with it.
4. Leadership means choosing your hard
Many leadership challenges do not have perfect solutions.
Steve McCracken shared Whangaparāoa College’s journey of restructuring a growing school of more than 2,000 students into junior, middle, and senior schools. The work took years of planning and brought significant implications for students, staff, timetabling, resources, and culture. The driving principle remained clear: making a big school feel small.
The discussion highlighted that leadership is often less about finding the perfect answer and more about understanding the consequences of different options and making a deliberate choice.
“Sometimes the pearl of leadership is simply choosing which cost you’re prepared to own.”
Angus Jenkins
Strong leaders stop searching for cost-free solutions and instead make decisions anchored in purpose, values, and the outcomes they want to create.
Leadership practice: When no comfortable option exists, stop looking for one. Name the costs on both sides and choose the one you are prepared to own.
5. Strategy provides the railway tracks
Pressure creates noise. Clear values and a living strategy help leaders maintain direction when demands compete for attention.
Steve described strategy as the “railway tracks” that keep decision-making aligned over time. Rather than trying to respond to every opportunity or challenge, leaders can assess decisions against their long-term vision and priorities.
“The pressure comes when you’re veering off the railway tracks a little bit. You’ve got to bring them back together and hold fast to the path you’re on.” Steve McCracken
For Steve, reconnecting with learners is a powerful reminder of purpose and impact.
The panel also discussed the importance of clarity. While leaders cannot always provide certainty, they can communicate honestly about what is known, what remains undecided, and what people can expect next. Communities navigate uncertainty more effectively when they understand the “why” behind decisions.
A strategic plan should be more than a document on a shelf. It should be a practical tool for decision-making and prioritisation when pressure mounts.
Leadership practice: Make your strategy something you genuinely use. Under pressure, it helps determine what belongs now, what belongs later, and what belongs somewhere else entirely.
Five questions to take away
As the session closed, participants were left with five questions to reflect on in their own leadership practice:
- When the pressure increases, what helps you remain the leader you aspire to be?
- What does pressure tend to make you do: control, isolate, react, or something else?
- Which difficult decision are you still searching for a cost-free answer to?
- What are the railway tracks that guide your decisions when things get noisy?
- Who fills your cup, and when did you last call them?
Leadership under pressure is not about having all the answers. As Bronwyn, Steve, and Angus reminded us, it is about staying connected to your values, your people, and your purpose. It is about making deliberate choices, leading with authenticity, and continuing to pursue meaningful change even when the path ahead is uncertain. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to keep pursuing what matters most.