
In Australia’s fast-evolving educational landscape, sustainable school leadership has become a non-negotiable pillar for fostering resilient, equitable, and future-ready learning communities.
With principals slogged with staff shortages, mental health crises, and rapid technological shifts, the need for adaptive, well-supported leaders has never been greater.
Enter Dr Paul Teys, a trailblazer with over 40 years shaping Australian education. A former principal of two leading K-12 independent schools and author of ‘So You Want to Be a Principal’ and ‘Now You’re a Principal’, Dr Teys has dedicated his career to mentoring leaders through systemic challenges.
Recently, Dr Teys sat down with The Educator to unpack the complexities of 2025’s leadership demands and shares actionable strategies for thriving – not just surviving – in the role.
TE: You’ve noted the growing complexity of the principal's role in your books ‘So You Want to Be a Principal’ and ‘Now You Are a Principal’. What do you think is the biggest complexity school leaders will face in 2025?
The biggest complexity facing school leaders in 2025 will be balancing educational excellence with mounting operational and social pressures. Leaders must navigate staff shortages through creative workforce strategies, address mental health crises by supporting staff and student wellbeing, manage financial constraints while meeting growing demands, and respond to heightened community expectations with transparency. Tackling inequity in education, integrating rapidly evolving technologies like AI-driven tools, and embedding sustainable practices will add to the challenges. Success will require adaptive thinking to respond flexibly to shifting priorities and systems leadership to bring together stakeholders, ensuring schools remain stable while fostering innovation and inclusion.
TE: You’ve identified resilience and adaptability as essential qualities for principals. What specific practices can aspiring school leaders adopt to build these traits?
To build resilience and adaptability, aspiring leaders should prioritise bespoke learning tailored to their specific needs over generic, shelf programs offered by large-scale providers, which often miss the mark. A personalised approach, such as working with a mentor, enhances self-reflection by helping leaders identify triggers, assess decisions, and develop emotional regulation. Networking with peers and mentors creates a vital support system, offering diverse perspectives and shared solutions. Continuous professional growth through customised opportunities ensures leaders stay responsive to change. Complementing these practices with well-being routines like exercise, mindfulness, and intentional breaks sustains mental and physical resilience over time.
TE: As we await the ACU’s next Australian Principal Occupational, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey, studies continue to show school leadership is under immense stress. If it were up to you, what would a ‘National Sustainable School Leadership Framework’ look like heading into 2025?
A National Sustainable School Leadership Framework must prioritise prevention, support, and bespoke development for school leaders. It should embed preventative measures like manageable workloads, appropriate resource allocation, and context-specific performance metrics that reflect educational priorities, not corporate KPIs. Adequate budgets must be allocated to fund tailored professional development programs designed collaboratively with principals, accounting for visible and invisible costs such as travel and accommodation. One-size-fits-all programs imposed by central systems often miss the mark. The framework must include robust support structures, such as confidential mental health services, peer networks, and leadership sabbaticals, ensuring leaders are equipped to thrive, not just survive.