Reimagining School Leadership for a Complex World 

In February 2026, researchers and practitioners contributed to an important global conversation about the future of education leadership. 

At the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) in Qatar — one of the world’s leading conferences on education systems improvement — Dr Kerry Elliott, Menzies Senior Research Fellow at the ANU Leadership & Complexity Lab, and Willie Thompson, Founder of Rising Team, presented insights from the Menzies School Leadership Incubator and the Rising Team for Schools platform. 

Their symposium explored a pressing question facing education systems worldwide: 

How do we prepare school leaders to navigate increasing complexity while strengthening the conditions for student success? 

The leadership challenge facing education systems

Across the world, school leaders are operating in environments shaped by rapid technological change, social disruption, and growing expectations of education systems. 

These pressures are forcing a rethink of leadership itself. 

Traditional leadership models — often centred on individual authority and hierarchical decision-making — are increasingly misaligned with the interconnected and adaptive nature of modern education systems. 

Research presented at ICSEI highlighted the growing importance of distributed, collaborative and context-responsive leadership — approaches that strengthen the collective capacity of school communities to learn, adapt and improve together.  

Rather than relying on a single leader, this perspective positions leadership as something that emerges through teams, relationships and systems. 

Building leadership capability in teams

A key focus of the presentation was the Rising Team for Schools platform, a technology-enabled leadership development tool co-developed through the Menzies School Leadership Incubator. 

The platform supports school leadership teams to build stronger collaboration, trust and shared responsibility — key conditions for what research describes as collective efficacy, the shared belief that teams can work together to improve outcomes for students. 

Early research findings from implementation across more than 20 schools indicate the platform is helping to strengthen: 

  • Structured and purposeful collaboration within leadership teams 
  • Psychological safety and trust among team members 
  • Shared responsibility for decision-making and improvement 

These shifts are significant. Evidence suggests that when leadership teams build strong collective efficacy, schools are better able to respond to complex challenges and sustain meaningful improvements in learning outcomes.  

Importantly, digital platforms such as Rising Team for Schools may also enable leadership development at scale, addressing longstanding barriers including geographic isolation, time constraints and the high cost of traditional leadership programs. 

Leadership in a complex world

Dr Kerry Elliott also presented emerging research from the ANU Leadership & Complexity Lab, which is advancing a new research agenda focused on complexity-informed leadership. 

This work recognises that the systems leaders now operate within — including education systems — are increasingly interconnected, dynamic and unpredictable. 

From this perspective, leadership is not simply about directing others, but about enabling people and organisations to navigate complexity together. 

Preliminary research from the Lab has identified several core leadership capability themes that appear essential for navigating complex environments. These include: 

  • Sense-making and forecasting 
  • Psychological safety and trust 
  • Judgement and ethical decision-making 
  • Communication and shared meaning-making 
  • Innovation and adaptive learning 
  • Distributed agency and empowerment 
  • Wellbeing and resilience 
  • Continuous learning and adaptation  

These capabilities operate simultaneously across individual, collective and system levels, reinforcing the idea that leadership must be understood as a broader social and organisational capability rather than a purely individual trait. 

Building the leadership pipeline

The ICSEI symposium also explored the broader state of leadership development within the Australian education system. 

Despite the critical role of leadership in shaping school performance and student outcomes, research suggests that leadership development pathways for school leaders remain fragmented and uneven. 

The discussion highlighted the need to rethink how leadership capability is developed across the education system — from aspiring principals through to system leaders. 

Something is shifting in how we understand leadership. Across schools and systems, educators are discovering that the most powerful leadership isn’t about commanding change—it’s about enabling it together.

This is not incremental improvement. This is transformation.

If you sense this shift in your own work, you’re not alone. Join a growing movement of leaders reimagining what’s possible in education.

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Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

Natasha is driven by a profound passion for both creativity and analytics, a synergy that fosters authentic storytelling in the digital realm with both innovation and integrity. 

Throughout her career, she has consistently integrated the overarching marketing and communications narrative with the emotional connections of audiences. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in Society and the Individual from Flinders University, furthering her exploration of human behaviour and the critical importance of connectedness between organisations, individuals, and communities.

LinkedIn | natasha.eskinja@menziesfoundation.org.au

Sarah Jenkins

Strategic Communications Manager

Sarah has more than 18 years’ experience in communications and marketing leadership across a range of sectors.

Communications strategy and organisational growth is a continuing theme in Sarah’s career. Most recently, she leads the development of a Leadership Movement, evaluated by Menzies Viral Co-efficient Model; a contribution to the NFP. 

Sarah’s early career centred around best practice in marketing and communications which later culminated into the establishment of her very own agency. This work extensively spanned across PR, traditional media, event management, strategy, digital marketing, graphic design and business development consultancy. 

In 2019, Sarah joined the lean and robust team at the Menzies Foundation. She has since crafted the Foundation’s narrative and communication strategy. The development of this strategic communications platform is essential for ‘movement building’ and requires a strong strategic, management and communication skills set. Sarah has brought so much to this important work, which sits at the forefront of communication practice. 

Sarah continues to contribute to the NFP sector through her commitment to Purpose; as she reflects on her own leadership, builds her own leadership capability and contributes to the greater good. 

LinkedIn | sarah.jenkins@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0401 880 071

Rohan Martyres

Director, Strategy and Partnerships

Rohan has 15 years’ experience in facilitating cross-sector collaborations to address complex social and health challenges.  He has worked with the World Economic Forum in Australia, led an international conflict resolution field team in Nepal, and directed a 10-year £40m initiative to reduce health inequity in London.

Most recently, Rohan was Major Grants Development Manager at the Ian Potter Foundation.  He refined the foundation’s major grants strategy, and co-developed a series of large scale initiatives, including joint philanthropic-government funding for a new national organization to support place-based approaches across Australia.

Rohan has held several non-executive roles, including with an international NGO and with London Funders, the peak body of independent foundations in London.  He holds several qualifications including a graduate degree in innovation and strategy from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

When Rohan isn’t exploring Melbourne’s creeks with his partner and 6yo daughter, he’s working on his currently weak Australian accent (after 15 years in the UK).

LinkedIn | rohan.martyres@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0404 505 954

Trudy Morrison

Operations Manager

A marketing and communications specialist with over 20 years experience in government, corporate and consumer marketing, Trudy brings her adaptive and organisational project management skills to the Menzies Foundation team. 

With a BA degree in Public Relations, Trudy began her career with the City of Melbourne and in magazine publishing, before moving into marketing communications consulting. She has worked in strategic marketing leadership roles with retail brands and enjoys juggling many projects and tasks simultaneously. Her skills were further enhanced when managing her own communications business representing industries across private education, financial services, aviation, government and the health industry. 

Trudy is passionate about leadership and all people being encouraged to reach their full potential through research and educational initiatives and opportunities throughout Australia. A skilled and accomplished writer and editor Trudy is enthusiastic about bringing her variety of skills to the Menzies Foundation team. 

LinkedIn | trudy.morrison@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0402 361 878

Liz Gillies

Chief Executive Officer

Liz Gillies has had over 25 years experience in a range of fields focused on initiatives for social impact. She has held roles in multiple sectors and academia.

In 2018, Liz was appointed CEO of the Menzies Foundation which aspires to build a leadership movement that supports Australians to pivot to purpose, build their leadership capability and contribute to the ‘greater good’.

Liz joined the Melbourne Business School in 2009 and was instrumental in establishing the Asia Pacific Social Impact Centre (APSIC) and The Centre for Ethical Leadership. In November 2011 she was appointed as research fellow to lead a partnership focused on strategic philanthropy which culminated in the release of the reports: Philanthropy: Towards a Better Practice Model (2018) and the Philanthropy: The Continued Journey to Real Impact and better Practice (2021).

Liz has extensive governance experience, having served on the Board of the Publish Galleries Association of Victoria, Social Firms Australia, Uniting Care Community Options, United Way Australia and the Development Committee of the Towards a Just Society Foundation. She is currently on the Philanthropy Reference Group of Barmal Bijiril and a Director of Philanthropy Australia.

LinkedIn | liz.gillies@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0416 112 703

Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

Natasha is driven by a profound passion for both creativity and analytics, a synergy that fosters authentic storytelling in the digital realm with both innovation and integrity. 

Throughout her career, she has consistently integrated the overarching marketing and communications narrative with the emotional connections of audiences. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in Society and the Individual from Flinders University, furthering her exploration of human behaviour and the critical importance of connectedness between organisations, individuals, and communities.

natasha.eskinja@menziesfoundation.org.au