Leading with Passion
Written by John Phillips | Director of Advancement, Brighton Grammar School | First Published in F2F Magazine, 2022
I love a good inspirational quote. I have certainly read plenty over the years but there is one, and only one, that takes pride of place on my desk. It is this:
“To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality.”
The quote, attributed to Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, resonated with me when I first came across it many years ago and continues to serve as a constant prompt.
The Britannica Dictionary defines passion as ‘a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something’. Reflecting on my time at Brighton Grammar School as Director of Advancement, being passionate has certainly meant I have maintained a sense of enthusiasm and excitement for my role.
I believe passion is one of the most important qualities of a good leader. Passionate leaders have a strong desire to achieve their goals and help others in their team. They are fully committed to what they do and have a positive energy that can encourage others.
Having spent many years in school development, I’d like to share three tips I believe can help shape passionate leadership:
1. Be Positive
As Anita Roddick eluded, your thinking creates your reality. If you believe in something with such a passion, it will happen. This is something I firmly believe. Of course, you cannot be positive all the time but it’s important to push back should negative thinking limit your achievements. Your positivity also impacts those who work with you so make positivity a priority!
2. Be a Passionate Team Builder
Building a team of school development professionals who share a passion for the mission at hand is essential. I think particularly of Brighton Grammar’s ground-breaking work in the online ‘giving day’ space, back in 2017. The success of our inaugural giving day, and those that have followed, simply would not have eventuated without a team of likeminded, passionate colleagues who shared a common goal to achieve.
3. Be a Risk Taker
Passionate people are more likely to implement new or different ways of doing things, particularly if they believe these will move their organisation forward. The team I currently have the immense pleasure of working with, in the Brighton Grammar School Development Office, are all committed to this belief; they share a passion for always pursuing better things. Encouraging such risk taking also increases passion.
So, make positivity a priority, build a passionate team around you and take a few risks. You might even find that being passionate in all that you do at work has consequences that can affect other areas of your life as well. As Jon Bon Jovi said, “Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.”
John Phillips
Director of Advancement, Brighton Grammar School
Dip. T., Grad. Dip. Ed. Tech., M.Ed., F.Edplus
