Adaptive leadership insights all the way from Harvard

Chelsea Channing

By Chelsea Channing
Published March 9, 2018

Deputy Secretary School Operations and Performance at the NSW Department of Education, Murat Dizdar, is a busy man. Overseeing more than 2200 schools across the state, the former high school principal is keenly aware of the myriad challenges facing school leaders. Having recently completed a professional leadership program at the Harvard Kennedy School in the US, Dizdar sat down with LeadershipEd to talk ‘adaptive leadership’ and share some of the fresh insights he’s brought home.

Murat Dizdar, centre, has returned from Harvard Kennedy School in the US.

So Murat, I understand you are the inaugural recipient of a Teachers Mutual Bank Executive Leadership Scholarship, which sent you ...

This story appeared in the Term 1 2018 edition of LeadershipEd.

Director of Advancement: Knox Grammar School

Hutton Consulting Melbourne VIC

Knox Grammar School invites applications from strategic, relationship-driven leaders for the role of Director of Advancement. • Lead the establishment of a whole-s...

School Management / Feb 05, 2026

Principal of Primary School: Reddam House North Shore

Hutton Consulting Melbourne VIC

Reddam House North Shore seeks an inspirational and strategic Primary School leader to champion educational excellence and drive continued growth. • Lead a high-perfo...

School Management / Feb 05, 2026

Early Years Teaching Assistant

Veritas North London

Teaching - Early childhood / Feb 05, 2026

School news / Checklist supports autistic students transitioning into 2026 school year

As another school year begins, parents, carers and schools are being urged to put simple, proactive supports in place to help autistic students have a smoother start and settle into new environments more quickly.

School news / Global recognition for multifacted consent and respectful relationships program

Teaching about consent and respectful relationships is vital to building a future where every student feels safe, valued and respected, Independent Schools NSW chief executive Margery Evans said today.

School news / Catholic school teachers and support staff demand action on wages and workloads

As more than 164,000 Queensland Catholic school students begin Term 1 this week, teachers and school support staff in the sector are calling on their employers to take immediate action on wages, workloads and other critical issues..

School news / Hope returns: school materials finally entering Gaza after two year block

For the first time in two-and-a-half years, school kits with learning materials within have been successfully delivered to children in Gaza after they were previously blocked by Israeli authorities, children’s agency UNICEF says.

Leadership / ‘I own you’: female principals the target of chilling misogynistic, sexist violence

Female principals in public schools are regularly enduring misogynistic and sexist violence in their roles, only to be met with ‘suck it up princess’ attitudes from their employer, alarming new research has warned.

School news / New laws mean school staff face termination over hate speech

Teachers and principals who engage in hate speech could be fired under new laws strengthening rules for school staff.

School news / ‘Good news’: clear uptick in aspiring teacher numbers

Education Minister Jason Clare is pushing a ‘good news’ story, with new data showing applications and offers for undergraduate teaching courses have jumped for the third consecutive year.

School news / Aid cuts mean bleak future for many teen girls in Asia-Pacific

Adolescent girls in some of Australia’s closest neighbours risk falling into a lifetime of poverty and gender-based violence as advocates warn the Federal Government must step up its foreign aid investment.

School news / The concerning ‘covert’ misogyny shaping young men’s views on women

Consent educators and anti-violence advocates are busily attempting to tackle covert misogynistic attitudes online that encourage harmful attitudes among young men towards women.

School news / STEAM-ing into high school: the Brisbane college superbly bridging Years 6 and 7

What little global research there is available about high school transition indicates that while this point is universally considered critical, there remain numerous failings in it’s roll-out, and very little information to say what works well for...

Comments