Name: Gez Mulvahil

Title: Executive Officer

Organisation: Australian Catholic Primary Principals' Association

Gez has over 30 years of experience in Catholic education, including 12 years in leadership positions, with 8 of these as a school principal. She is now the Executive Officer of the Australian Catholic Primary Principals' Association, continuing to advocate for leaders in Catholic schools.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Educational Leadership!

I hope Gez's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as an Educational Leader?

Working as a leader in a school environment, there are many different elements in play at once. Managing the human connections along with administrative and compliance tasks, as well as being a leader of learning, means that there has to be an ongoing awareness of juggling the different facets of leadership. This is hard to manage and it is important that you surround yourself with a strong and supportive team.

2. How did you become an Educational Leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was a teacher for 20 years and had some opportunities for small leadership roles through different school and system programs and initiatives. My first leadership appointment was as the Assistant Principal (Religious Education), which was alongside a teaching role. I was fortunate to have a Principal who was a great mentor and very supportive in my leadership.

When that principal left the school, I was asked to step into the acting principal role while the position was advertised. I then decided to apply for the role and was successful. Through my principal role, I was able to have some further leadership opportunities in additional roles with national principal associations.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

My days look different depending on whether I am at home or travelling for work. When I am away, the day is taken up with meetings, and even meals usually involve some sort of meeting or work conversation. I love to make the most of any opportunity to further the work of our association. There's always a bit of catch-up on emails and phone calls in between meetings, where possible.

When I am not travelling, my work day is a bit more structured. I wake early and walk our dogs (two gorgeous golden labradors) with my husband, then go to the gym. After breakfast and getting ready, I head to the study and start work for the day.

I find I am more productive in the morning, so I use this time to check emails, then plan what needs responding to immediately and what can be added to my to-do list. I do not have my inbox open all day. I choose times to check my emails as I find that having them open all the time can divert my work flow if I respond as emails come in. I do have email access on my phone, but I do not have any notifications for when emails are received. This helps with disconnecting from the workflow when away from the desk.

My afternoons are when I usually make and return phone calls. This is a different style of work and allows the opportunity for connection and engagement with people. As I work alone, it is important that I maintain connections with people.

The late afternoon is connected with family. With our youngest child still at school and living at home, chatting with him about the day is a welcome release from the work day, which extends to my husband when he gets home from work, too. We are involved in a few community groups as volunteers so depending on the day of the week, there are some commitments there. We have always been actively involved in sporting groups our children have been in and we continue this even now that our children have moved away.

A family meal together and a spot of TV or a swim in the pool wind the day down. I am of the 'early to bed, early to rise' mindset!

4. What's a recent lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of as an Educational Leader?

Through my leadership, I have become more aware of deep listening. Listening is different from hearing. Now working in a national role, it is even more important to listen to those from different jurisdictions, and not focus on the needs of one area. There is a risk of reverting to one's own situation, or the areas that have the larger voice or greater numbers. Every child across Australia deserves equal rights and opportunities for education, so supporting all leaders by listening is crucial in my role.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your journey as an Educational Leader so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted you?

My go-to book is 'The Pope and the CEO: John Paul II's Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard' by Andreas Widmer. This book is based on leadership lessons that a Swiss Guard for Pope John Paul II learnt during his time as a guard, then applied to his next role as a CEO. The lessons combine scripture, reflections and life lessons and I have read this book a few times with different messages coming to me each time.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young educator who aspires to be an Educational Leader, what would you say to them?

To go gently. This means with others, with your workload, and with yourself. I don't think there was ever a day that I thought 'I have done everything on my list today,' so going gently is about accepting this and learning to manage your own expectations. A leader gets things wrong, and this is okay - this is how we learn. Go gently to not stressing these setbacks.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as an Educational Leader, so far?

There are many, but I recall a time when I had inadvertently upset another staff member in a conversation. They had other things impacting their world, and I was probably the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. I felt awful, and in speaking with another colleague about the situation, he said, "Well, I am sure you didn't upset them on purpose". This was so true, and has stuck with me when working with people. I believe in the good in everyone, and that people work to the best of what they can do that day.

This varies on a sometimes daily basis. I have to believe that everyone is trying their best every day, and when things go wrong, this is rarely because of intentional sabotage, but more so that things didn't go as planned. If we approach the day thinking that others are deliberately derailing plans and actions, then that is what we will see. If we approach the day with the belief that everyone is doing their best, then this is what we see.