In education, we know we value learning. We live learning. We create the conditions for learning to flourish for our students. We include it in our values statements and our strategy documents and of course it is our core work. But what does it actually mean to model learning as a leader?

It’s a question I’ve think deeply about when observing authentic learning cultures – ones grounded in the idea of anti-fragile cultures. Cultures that grow stronger through stress and complexity. They continue to learn, iterate, experiment. Cultures that don’t just bounce back – they bounce forward.

And at the heart of that kind of culture? Leaders who walk the learning talk.

Recently I spoke with Joanne Willesee Principal of Hammond Park Secondary College in Perth. Jo is a leader who embodies this kind of modelling. She is an exemplar Ferocious Warmth leader – balancing head and heart. Her school is purposefully and explicitly designed as a learning community – not just for students, but for everyone. She spoke of one of my favourite approaches to culture – the power of “culture by design, not default,” and how she intentionally creates conditions where staff see themselves as contributors to a learning culture, not passive recipients.

 That’s leadership in action: not owning culture, but facilitating it.

A question she often asks people to reflect on, is “how have you influenced culture today?’ And does so herself. So much so that is now a symbol of her leadership and the school. Evidence of this is in the photo, a plaque created by one of the teachers and gifted to Jo. I love these symbols of human connection and purpose.

Joanne Willesee and the gifted plaque: ‘How Have You Influenced Culture Today!’
( a photo of us smiling is down below!)

Her comments resonated deeply with something I believe fiercely: real leadership is visible learning. It’s not just what we say in PD days or write in newsletters. It’s how we show up as learners in everyday interactions. Jo and her leadership team will never organise professional development for their teams and not show up to it as fully committed learners and contributors to the room. They articulate what a learning culture is and know how much language matters. They learn alongside their teams. They ensure that what they DO matches what they SAY.

As I shared in that conversation, schools that foster risk-taking, curiosity and courage aren’t just lucky. They are led by people like Jo who choose to challenge the status quo. Who model growth not as a performance, but as a lived practice.

These leaders ask:

📌 “How might we do that differently?”

📌 “What beliefs are we holding on to that no longer serve our students?”

📌 “Where are we with that approach? What could be the outcome?”

And they ask these questions publicly. They admit when they don’t know. They invite collaboration, and they step into dialogue, not debate.

This is the very essence of Ferocious Warmth: a willingness to hold both the rigor and the compassion. The clarity and the curiosity. The structure and the stretch.

A school can’t climb the learning culture ladder unless its leaders are modelling the vulnerability and openness that learning demands. When we model learning, we make it safe for others to do the same.

And it’s not easy. Fear of failure and stepping out of our comfort zone can drive organisations into stagnation. Fear of raising issues, fear of getting it wrong. But when leaders lean into learning, even when it’s messy, they build trust. And trust is the glue.

Modelling learning isn’t about being the expert in the room. In fact, it often means being the learner in the room. Asking the awkward question. Sharing the uncertainty. Being willing to unlearn. That’s what creates the conditions for growth. Jo explicitly talks about what she is learning. What has opened her eyes, where has she had assumptions changed, what reading has challenged her thinking. She shares the professional learning she has undertaken and how it changes her approach as her skills and beliefs grow.

It’s time we stop treating “modelling learning” as a checkbox and simply rhetoric. It’s a stance. A practice. A principle that underpins everything else.

So, here are a few questions to reflect on:

• What have your team seen you learn publicly this year?
• When did they last hear you say “I don’t know”?
• How do you make space for inquiry, not just answers?
• What message does your behaviour send about what it means to be a learner?

 As Jo said, “I can’t own the culture, but I can create the conditions.” One of the most powerful condition we can create is to show what it looks like to be learning, out loud, in real time, in community.

Let’s stop telling people to be lifelong learners and collaborators and start showing them what that looks like.

Let’s model the messy.

Let’s model the meaningful.

Let’s model the learning.