The Road Isn't Always Easy. But at Little Olive Tree, No Leader Walks Alone.

When the Way Forward Is Not Easy Leadership is often seen through decisions, plans, targets and outcomes. Yet behind every decision is a person carrying responsibility, hope, fatigue, uncertainty and sometimes discouragement.

At a recent Leadership Moments Session, our principals and senior leaders gathered not to discuss operations or performance indicators, but to listen to one another. Each person brought an object that represented her current season of leadership.

"The objects were simple, but the stories behind them were not."

A pebble became a picture of David facing Goliath—small, but not powerless. A lighthouse with a weak battery represented a leader who had remained dependable through years of change, but was now running low. A life buoy reflected someone who felt as though she had been swimming against strong waves and had reached a point where she could only float and trust God to hold her.

A Garfield pillow expressed the need to rest without losing hope. Preserved moss represented endurance and integrity under pressure. Mahjong tiles became a picture of a life and identity constantly being rearranged. Shoes represented a leader who wanted to walk alongside her staff and never ask them to go where she would not go herself. An extension cord reminded us that leaders cannot generate strength on their own; they need to remain connected to God and to the support of others.

There was also a deflated soft toy, a heavy bag and salt. Each object gave language to experiences that are often difficult to express: depletion, postponed responsibilities, hidden burdens, healing and the quiet influence of leadership on culture.

What began as an object-sharing activity became a space of unusual honesty.

Leadership Begins with Honesty

The principals spoke openly about staffing challenges, changing expectations, curriculum demands, documentation pressures and the looming weight of SPARK 2.0. Some felt stretched beyond capacity. Others described sleeplessness, anxiety or a loss of confidence.

Leaders are often expected to remain composed. They are looked to for answers, steadiness and direction. Yet honest leadership does not mean pretending that everything is fine. It means recognising when the burden has become too heavy and allowing others to see what is really happening.

"Vulnerability is not the opposite of strength. Sometimes it is the beginning of support."

When one leader speaks truthfully about fatigue, another realises she is not alone. When one person admits uncertainty, others are given permission to stop performing confidence. The way forward may still be difficult, but it becomes less lonely.

Redefining Success

One of the strongest reflections from the session was the need to redefine success.

We often measure leadership through visible outcomes: an accreditation passed, a target achieved, a project completed or a centre improved. These things matter, but they are not the whole measure of a leader.

"Success must also be understood as faithfulness."

Faithfulness is showing up each day. It is caring for children, supporting staff, listening to parents, making difficult decisions with integrity and doing one’s best before God. It is persevering when the work is unseen. It is laying a foundation that someone else may eventually build upon.

Not every leader will finish every task she begins. Not every season ends with a dramatic achievement. Sometimes a leader’s contribution is preparing the ground for the next person. That does not make the season a failure.

The group also reflected on the language of “stepping down.” The phrase can sound like defeat, as though a person has fallen from a higher place. Perhaps, at times, it is better to speak of “stepping aside.”

A leader may have completed a season. She may be better suited to another role. She may need rest, renewal or a different way to contribute. Moving from one position to another does not diminish a person’s worth or invalidate what she has already given.

Sometimes faithfulness means pressing on. Sometimes it means pausing. Sometimes it means releasing a role with dignity.

Rest Is Part of Leadership

Several principals spoke about the need to recover a sense of self beyond their titles and responsibilities.

Some had become the dependable “octopus”—reaching into every area, solving every problem and holding everything together. Others realised they had forgotten what they enjoyed outside work. Some needed a sabbatical, a silent retreat, a run, time to cook, or simply the courage to pause.

"Rest is not failure. It is part of self-leadership."

A leader who never stops may continue functioning for a while, but over time the cost appears. Joy diminishes. Relationships become strained. The work that once felt meaningful becomes heavy.

Different people rest differently. Some recover through stillness. Others through movement, creativity, prayer or conversation. The form may differ, but the principle remains: leaders must recognise their limits and take responsibility for renewal.

We Do Not Need to Carry the Whole Field

After hearing the joys and struggles shared, the group was pointed to the lilies of the field.

The lilies remind us that we do not need to carry the whole field. Each flower simply grows where it is planted.

Yet a field of flowers does not appear all at once. It may begin with only a few blooms. Bees and butterflies carry pollen from one flower to another. Seeds are scattered. New plants take root. What begins small slowly becomes an entire landscape.

Leadership can work in the same way.

One thoughtful conversation may appear insignificant. One clearer routine may seem too small to matter. One courageous adjustment may not change the whole organisation. But when such actions are shared, repeated and carried forward by others, their impact multiplies.

No single principal needs to transform the entire organisation. But each principal can contribute one purposeful change within her sphere of influence.

The Beaver Project

This reflection became the foundation of the Beaver Project—an invitation for principals to propose small, purposeful changes they would like to test.

Beavers do not reshape a river through one dramatic act. They work branch by branch. They build, observe the effect, reinforce, adjust and sometimes begin another structure. Their changes are iterative.

From this, three lessons emerged.

First, embrace iterative change. In an uncertain environment, we cannot predict every outcome. We take one thoghtful step, observe what happens, learn from it and then decide the next step.

Second, small shifts invite co-creation. A micro-change should not remain the private idea of one leader. When staff and colleagues are invited to contribute, the change becomes something they help shape and own.

Third, small shifts shape culture. What begins as a small adjustment can eventually redefine what becomes normal. A better handover, a healthier boundary, a clearer communication practice or a more thoughtful routine can gradually influence the whole centre.

Coordination still matters. Not every idea can be implemented immediately. Organisational alignment, resources and available bandwidth must be considered. But constraints do not mean that nothing can be done. There is usually something small that is ours to begin.

The session ended with a simple thought:

Small to Medium to ALL: SMALL 

 

A change may begin with one person or one centre. Others may see its value, adapt it and carry it further. What started as a local experiment may eventually become a shared organisational practice.

We may not know the full way forward. We may not be able to change everything at once. But we can take one thoughtful step, invite others into it, learn together and keep moving.

Small actions, when aligned and sustained, can go a very long way.

"What small change is ours to begin?"