I was educated in a school with excellent teachers who inspired a love of learning. The school’s motto, ‘Vincit Veritas’, is grounded in the belief that the Truth will prevail. The seed was planted for a lifelong love of learning and a commitment to seeing and saying things clearly.

Good fortune has repeatedly placed me under the guidance of great leaders. Each has had the courage to affirm what was going well and to correct what was not. Yet each had weaknesses too, an important lesson that all leaders are just people, but people with the crucial task of forming the next generations.

An experience during my doctoral research is perhaps also telling. I was at a conference at Oxford, having breakfast with a person working at a very high level in education. The person looked left, then right and said to me quietly “Honestly, I’ve had a great promotion every couple of years, built my CV, but I can’t think of a single student I’ve helped”. Focussing on the needs of others rather than the self is a difficulty many of us face. But when the self is at the centre, or when mediocrity is not challenged to keep ourselves safe as a leader, those we are leading miss out. One of our key tasks at Gura Educators Global is to help leaders distil extremely complex matters down to things that people can understand and act upon.

You may also be wondering why the name ‘Gura’. Gura is a Sydney word for ‘wind’. On a hot summer’s day, a breeze off the ocean is a welcome relief. Use of the word is also an attempt, even if small, to re-affirm the inherent dignity and celebrate the unique contribution of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

Regards,

Edmond Maher