{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Brad Gaynor","home_page_url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au","description":"Brad Gaynor","author":{"name":"Brad Gaynor"},"items":[{"id":"the-right-person-the-wrong-politics","html_content":"

A post by Vipin Gautam stopped me mid-scroll recently. His argument was clear. Rejection is feedback, not a verdict. Use it.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-right-person-the-wrong-politics","title":"The Right Person. The Wrong Politics.","date_modified":"2026-04-25T23:27:40Z"},{"id":"youre-alone-in-a-full-room","html_content":"

Nobody tells you about this part.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/youre-alone-in-a-full-room","title":"You're Alone in a Full Room","date_modified":"2026-04-20T07:30:00Z"},{"id":"read-the-room-or-risk-losing-it","html_content":"

Watch a leader who has lost a room. Really watch them. The slides keep moving. The energy stays consistent, sometimes even intensifies. The words keep coming. And the people in front of them have quietly gone somewhere e...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/read-the-room-or-risk-losing-it","title":"Read the Room (Or Risk Losing It)","date_modified":"2026-04-13T07:30:00Z"},{"id":"the-problem-with-solving-everyones-problems","html_content":"

Someone knocks on your door. They have a situation. They explain it, hand you the weight of it, and leave your office looking lighter than when they arrived. You sit with it. You think about it on the drive home. You fol...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-problem-with-solving-everyones-problems","title":"The Problem With Solving Everyone's Problems","date_modified":"2026-03-30T06:30:00Z"},{"id":"the-leader-i-became-wasn%E2%80%99t-me","html_content":"

I read something yesterday about a personality type called the otrovert. It didn’t quite fit me. But it got me thinking - and what it got me thinking about did.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-leader-i-became-wasn%E2%80%99t-me","title":"The Leader I Became Wasn’t Me","date_modified":"2026-03-28T02:47:06Z"},{"id":"not-one-more-teacher-lost---june-2027","html_content":"

Why This Book Had to Be Written

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/not-one-more-teacher-lost---june-2027","title":"Not One More Teacher Lost - June 2026","date_modified":"2026-03-23T06:30:00Z"},{"id":"what-we-celebrate-when-we-celebrate-long-service","html_content":"

A few weeks ago, I received a 35 Year Recognition of Service certificate and a room full of colleagues applauded. 35 years with the same organisation. The applause was warm, the moment was genuine, and I smiled and said ...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/what-we-celebrate-when-we-celebrate-long-service","title":"What We Celebrate When We Celebrate Long Service","date_modified":"2026-03-20T01:09:22Z"},{"id":"presence-is-not-the-same-as-proximity","html_content":"

Grateful to Tara and the Voices of Change community at Aspire2 for publishing this article.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/presence-is-not-the-same-as-proximity","title":"Presence Is Not The Same As Proximity","date_modified":"2026-03-10T23:44:43Z"},{"id":"the-leaders-who-formed-me-were-all-woman","html_content":"

International Women’s Day passed last week and it got me thinking about something I hadn’t really stopped to notice before.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-leaders-who-formed-me-were-all-woman","title":"The Leaders Who Formed Me Were All Woman","date_modified":"2026-03-09T10:00:00Z"},{"id":"the-resilience-trap","html_content":"

Someone told me recently they felt guilty for being tired. Not burned out. Not struggling. Just tired. And the guilt came from believing that a stronger person, a more resilient person, wouldn’t feel it.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-resilience-trap","title":"The Resilience Trap","date_modified":"2026-03-02T06:00:00Z"},{"id":"we-keep-saying-resilience-im-not-sure-we-mean-it","html_content":"

Since writing about resilience last week, a few people have asked whether I think the word has lost its value. I don't. I think it's lost its precision.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/we-keep-saying-resilience-im-not-sure-we-mean-it","title":"We Keep Saying \"Resilience.\" I'm Not Sure We Mean It.","date_modified":"2026-02-23T06:00:00Z"},{"id":"i%E2%80%99m-not-against-resilience-i%E2%80%99m-just-tired-of-how-we-use-it","html_content":"

A leader said to me recently, almost apologetically, “I know I just need to be more resilient.”

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/i%E2%80%99m-not-against-resilience-i%E2%80%99m-just-tired-of-how-we-use-it","title":"I’m Not Against Resilience. I’m Just Tired of How We Use It.","date_modified":"2026-02-18T20:38:16Z"},{"id":"what-doesn%E2%80%99t-bend-breaks","html_content":"

I was half watching a fairly non-descript movie on Netflix recently. I couldn’t tell you the plot, the characters, or even why I’d put it on. But one line stopped me and got me thinking.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/what-doesn%E2%80%99t-bend-breaks","title":"What Doesn’t Bend, Breaks","date_modified":"2026-02-08T09:54:20Z"},{"id":"does-teaching-have-the-potential-to-create-trauma-responses","html_content":"

Does teaching have the potential to create trauma responses for teachers and leaders?

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/does-teaching-have-the-potential-to-create-trauma-responses","title":"Does teaching have the potential to create trauma responses? ","date_modified":"2026-02-01T06:44:04Z"},{"id":"behave-your-way-into-the-role","html_content":"

A couple of years ago, I heard a phrase that’s stuck with me.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/behave-your-way-into-the-role","title":"Behave your way into the role.","date_modified":"2026-01-30T01:44:34Z"},{"id":"before-the-year-takes-hold-of-you","html_content":"

There’s a particular moment many leaders experience in late January.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/before-the-year-takes-hold-of-you","title":"Before the Year Takes Hold of You","date_modified":"2026-01-14T21:25:19Z"},{"id":"naplan-tells-us-something-important---but","html_content":"

NAPLAN tells us something important - but not the thing most people think

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/naplan-tells-us-something-important---but","title":"NAPLAN tells us something important - but......","date_modified":"2025-12-04T22:56:51Z"},{"id":"a-knowledge-rich-curriculum-isn%E2%80%99t-nostalgic-or-ideological","html_content":"

Over the weekend I read Greg Ashman’s piece in Nomanis - Why Almost Everyone Is Wrong About the Curriculum. A few days earlier I’d listened to Natalie Wexler at ResearchEd Sydney make a passing comment that hit much hard...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/a-knowledge-rich-curriculum-isn%E2%80%99t-nostalgic-or-ideological","title":"A knowledge-rich curriculum isn’t nostalgic or ideological!","date_modified":"2025-11-22T03:14:51Z"},{"id":"intellectual-preparation-%E2%80%93-the-missing-link","html_content":"

I heard the phrase “intellectual preparation” recently, and it’s been echoing in my head ever since. One of those lightbulb moments where your thinking is given a language. It describes something simple but crucial - the...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/intellectual-preparation-%E2%80%93-the-missing-link","title":"Intellectual Preparation – The Missing Link","date_modified":"2025-11-10T10:08:42Z"},{"id":"are-the-10-commandments-still-relevant-in-education","html_content":"

Whether you’re religious or not, the Ten Commandments have stood the test of time. Etched in stone thousands of years ago, they remain one of humanity’s earliest frameworks for living well together.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/are-the-10-commandments-still-relevant-in-education","title":"Are the 10 Commandments Still Relevant in Education?","date_modified":"2025-10-26T21:17:14Z"},{"id":"when-does-another-conference-stop-making-a-difference","html_content":"

A colleague said to me the other day, “I feel like there’s a summit, forum or conference every other week at the moment.” She wasn’t exaggerating. If you’re a school leader in Australia right now, your inbox is full of i...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/when-does-another-conference-stop-making-a-difference","title":"When Does Another Conference Stop Making a Difference?","date_modified":"2025-10-13T05:35:00Z"},{"id":"has-wellbeing-been-hijacked","html_content":"

Wellbeing is everywhere. It’s on posters, in strategy documents, and the subject of whole conferences. But the more we talk about it, the more it risks losing its meaning. Too often, wellbeing gets reduced to gestures: a...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/has-wellbeing-been-hijacked","title":"Has Wellbeing Been Hijacked?","date_modified":"2025-10-07T23:53:06Z"},{"id":"are-we-feeding-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-in-education","html_content":"

Scroll the news or sit in on almost any staffroom conversation and you’ll hear the same themes: staff shortages, student behaviour, teacher burnout, retention crises. They’re real, and they need attention. But here’s the...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/are-we-feeding-a-self-fulfilling-prophecy-in-education","title":"Are We Feeding a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Education?","date_modified":"2025-09-14T07:41:31Z"},{"id":"are-we-seeing-the-demise-of-school-camps-and-excursions","html_content":"

The conversation started, as many do, with a group of Principals around a table. What began as a casual chat about the upcoming year quickly turned into a sigh about camps and excursions. The rising cost. The risks. The ...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/are-we-seeing-the-demise-of-school-camps-and-excursions","title":"Are We Seeing the Demise of School Camps and Excursions?","date_modified":"2025-09-07T08:03:58Z"},{"id":"why-i-support-the-science-of-learning-the-science-of-reading","html_content":"

There’s been plenty of debate lately about the Science of Learning (SoL) and the Science of Reading (SoR). Some call them dogma, others claim they stifle creativity or reduce autonomy. But from where I sit, in schools ev...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/why-i-support-the-science-of-learning-the-science-of-reading","title":"Why I Support the Science of Learning & the Science of Reading","date_modified":"2025-09-01T04:07:30Z"},{"id":"behaving-yourself-into-the-role","html_content":"

A leader I coach recently shared their frustration. They felt stuck - constantly waiting for permission, for approval, for the green light that never seemed to come. Every initiative was slowed by bureaucratic red tape, ...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/behaving-yourself-into-the-role","title":"Behaving Yourself Into the Role","date_modified":"2025-08-29T00:56:11Z"},{"id":"is-education-a-competition","html_content":"

This week on Leading Education with Cheryl Lacey on 88.9 WYNFM, we threw a simple but tricky question on the table: Is education a competition?

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/is-education-a-competition","title":"Is Education a Competition?","date_modified":"2025-08-19T22:38:54Z"},{"id":"instructional-playbooks-clarity-or-compliance","html_content":"

“It embeds the key features of effective instruction and turns them into everyday practices for consistency and clarity.”\n Nathanial Swain

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/instructional-playbooks-clarity-or-compliance","title":"Instructional Playbooks? Clarity or Compliance. ","date_modified":"2025-08-15T23:36:13Z"},{"id":"when-psychological-safety-is-missing-everyone-feels-it","html_content":"

When Psychological Safety Is Missing, Everyone Feels It - But No One Says It

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/when-psychological-safety-is-missing-everyone-feels-it","title":"When Psychological Safety Is Missing, Everyone Feels It! ","date_modified":"2025-08-02T04:29:50Z"},{"id":"why-do-we-even-need-a-campaign-asking-for-respect-in-education","html_content":"

This week, the WA teachers’ union launched a new campaign urging parents to show more respect to teachers.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/why-do-we-even-need-a-campaign-asking-for-respect-in-education","title":"Why do we even need a campaign asking for Respect in Education?","date_modified":"2025-07-19T12:40:30Z"},{"id":"more-quiet-lessons-singapore-taught-me-about-leadership","html_content":"

I’m back home now, but my mind keeps drifting back to Singapore.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/more-quiet-lessons-singapore-taught-me-about-leadership","title":"More Quiet Lessons Singapore Taught Me About Leadership","date_modified":"2025-07-18T01:00:00Z"},{"id":"what-singapore-is-teaching-me-about-leadership","html_content":"

I’m in Singapore right now, and it’s teaching me more about leadership than most business books ever could.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/what-singapore-is-teaching-me-about-leadership","title":"What Singapore Is Teaching Me About Leadership! ","date_modified":"2025-07-12T10:16:04Z"},{"id":"presence-isn%E2%80%99t-perpetual-access-%E2%80%94-and-that%E2%80%99s-okay","html_content":"

A few weeks ago, I challenged the notion of the open door policy because I’ve learned that constant accessibility doesn’t equal effective leadership.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/presence-isn%E2%80%99t-perpetual-access-%E2%80%94-and-that%E2%80%99s-okay","title":"Presence Isn’t Perpetual Access - And That’s Okay","date_modified":"2025-07-01T04:31:40Z"},{"id":"the-culture-leaders-shape-without-realising-it","html_content":"

We often think of culture as something abstract – a feeling, a vibe, something you notice but can’t quite define.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-culture-leaders-shape-without-realising-it","title":"The Culture Leaders Shape Without Realising It","date_modified":"2025-06-23T01:48:08Z"},{"id":"the-leadership-rhythm-why-you-need-a-thinking-day","html_content":"

Last week, I challenged one of leadership’s most accepted ideas: the open door policy.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-leadership-rhythm-why-you-need-a-thinking-day","title":"The Leadership Rhythm: Why You Need a Thinking Day","date_modified":"2025-06-10T22:38:16Z"},{"id":"why-i-don%E2%80%99t-believe-in-the-open-door-policy","html_content":"

For years, we’ve held up the open door policy as a kind of leadership gold standard. Be accessible. Be available. Let your people come to you anytime. It sounds good. It even sounds noble. But after years of leading, coa...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/why-i-don%E2%80%99t-believe-in-the-open-door-policy","title":"Why I Don’t Believe in the Open Door Policy","date_modified":"2025-06-02T23:50:26Z"},{"id":"the-leadership-pause-why-strong-leaders-know-when-to-stop","html_content":"

We often talk about leadership in terms of action - driving strategy, managing teams, making decisions, solving problems. It’s a role defined by forward motion. By doing.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-leadership-pause-why-strong-leaders-know-when-to-stop","title":"The Leadership Pause: Why Strong Leaders Know When to Stop","date_modified":"2025-05-25T11:48:39Z"},{"id":"but-what-about-school-leaders","html_content":"

In recent weeks, I’ve been overwhelmed by the response to my recent articles exploring the realities of teaching today. But amidst the praise, have come messages from school leaders from around the country: “What about s...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/but-what-about-school-leaders","title":"But What About School Leaders?","date_modified":"2025-05-07T03:54:53Z"},{"id":"education-we-know-what%E2%80%99s-wrong-so-let%E2%80%99s-fix-it","html_content":"

First we told the truth. Now we’re calling for action.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/education-we-know-what%E2%80%99s-wrong-so-let%E2%80%99s-fix-it","title":"Education: We Know What’s Wrong. So Let’s Fix It!","date_modified":"2025-04-28T22:24:26Z"},{"id":"beyond-band-aids-what-it-will-really-take-to-keep-teachers","html_content":"

Beyond Band-Aids: What It Will Really Take to Keep Teachers in the Profession

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/beyond-band-aids-what-it-will-really-take-to-keep-teachers","title":"Beyond Band-Aids: What It Will Really Take to Keep Teachers ","date_modified":"2025-04-13T11:24:59Z"},{"id":"i%E2%80%99m-done-talking-about-strong-leaders-always-having-the-answers","html_content":"

Somewhere along the way, we built a version of leadership that looked a lot like perfection. Leaders were expected to be decisive. Clear. Confident. In control. The strong ones were the ones with the answers. The ones wh...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/i%E2%80%99m-done-talking-about-strong-leaders-always-having-the-answers","title":"Why I’m Done Talking About Strong Leaders Always Having the Answ","date_modified":"2025-04-13T03:09:27Z"},{"id":"the-hidden-impact-of-ai-and-digital-overload-on-leadership","html_content":"

There’s a lot of talk right now about how AI, automation, and digital tools are going to make work more efficient. Faster communication. Smarter systems. Streamlined processes.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/the-hidden-impact-of-ai-and-digital-overload-on-leadership","title":"The Hidden Impact of AI and Digital Overload on Leadership","date_modified":"2025-04-06T01:46:26Z"},{"id":"why-i%E2%80%99m-done-talking-about-time-management","html_content":"

Why I’m Done Talking About Time Management - It’s Energy That Really Matters in Leadership

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/why-i%E2%80%99m-done-talking-about-time-management","title":"Why I’m Done Talking About Time Management","date_modified":"2025-04-02T05:22:56Z"},{"id":"leading-without-true-autonomy-the-frustration-of-leadership","html_content":"

Leading Without True Autonomy: The Frustration of Leadership in a Compliance Driven World

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/leading-without-true-autonomy-the-frustration-of-leadership","title":"Leading Without True Autonomy: The Frustration of Leadership","date_modified":"2025-03-25T01:09:29Z"},{"id":"why-i%E2%80%99m-done-talking-about-work-life-balance","html_content":"

Why I’m Done Talking About Work-Life Balance - It’s Time for Life-Work Integration

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/why-i%E2%80%99m-done-talking-about-work-life-balance","title":"Why I’m Done Talking About Work-Life Balance","date_modified":"2025-03-19T02:43:24Z"},{"id":"invisible-leadership-the-emotional-cost","html_content":"

Invisible Leadership: The Emotional Cost of Holding It Together Every Day

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/invisible-leadership-the-emotional-cost","title":"Invisible Leadership: The Emotional Cost.","date_modified":"2025-03-16T09:11:14Z"},{"id":"counter-cultural-leadership-in-faith-based-schools","html_content":"

Counter Cultural Leadership in Faith Based Schools: Navigating a Pluralistic and Secular World

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/counter-cultural-leadership-in-faith-based-schools","title":"Counter Cultural Leadership in Faith Based Schools","date_modified":"2025-03-10T06:06:57Z"},{"id":"invisible-leadership-decision-fatigue-the-leadership-challenge","html_content":"

Leadership is decision making. Every day, leaders make hundreds of choices that shape outcomes, influence people, and determine culture. But the more decisions you make, the worse they become.

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/invisible-leadership-decision-fatigue-the-leadership-challenge","title":"Invisible Leadership: Decision Fatigue, The Leadership Challenge ","date_modified":"2025-03-05T10:44:33Z"},{"id":"part-3-invisible-leadership-%E2%80%93-the-hidden-toll-of-leadership","html_content":"

Invisible Leadership – The Hidden Toll of Leadership: Why No One Asks, ‘Are You Okay?’

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/part-3-invisible-leadership-%E2%80%93-the-hidden-toll-of-leadership","title":"PART 3: Invisible Leadership – The Hidden Toll of Leadership","date_modified":"2025-02-20T22:36:45Z"},{"id":"part-2-invisible-leadershipthe-silent-burden","html_content":"

Leadership is often defined by action - by the decisions made, the goals set, and the strategies executed. Yet, beneath the surface of every high-performing leader lies an invisible workload that no KPI can measure. The ...

","url":"https://bradgaynor.com.au/f/part-2-invisible-leadershipthe-silent-burden","title":"PART 2: Invisible Leadership:The Silent Burden","date_modified":"2025-02-14T00:59:03Z"}]}