All very different personalities but you could make a strong case that each of them was or is a great leader.

A quick search on Amazon on the topic of ‘leadership’ currently yields 255,607 results. New book titles are constantly being added and there seem to be a wealth of training courses on offer for both individuals and businesses. Many of us will find ourselves in a situation where we need to step into a leadership role. So, what makes a good leader?

Leaders need to create an inspiring vision for the future. Through actions or words or both they must motivate people to engage with that vision. They must manage or oversee the delivery of that vision and coach and build a team, so that it is more effective at realising the vision.

A difficult job! So what qualities of character does a great leader need to possess?

Curiosity, creativity, courage, perseverance, responsibility, humility, empathy, vision, authenticity, accountability, agility, integrity, passion, charisma, commitment, and optimism.

Just a small selection of the qualities an effective leader may possess. Every leader will possess some of these qualities, and they will each have those quality to differing degrees, few if any will possess them all. Most will need to draw on those qualities they have and work to develop those that they don’t. Consequently, leaders come in many different guises. Mandela, Churchill, Ardern different individuals with very different personalities and different leadership styles.

History and an amazon search tell us that there is no one way to lead. In fact, we can’t even agree on how many different leadership styles there are. The first four results from a Google search of leadership styles are:

• The six most common styles of leadership?
• What are the four most common styles of leadership?
• What are the seven styles of leadership?
• Leadership Styles: The 11 most common and how to find them.

This quote from Nelson Mandela is one of my favourite quotes about leadership.

‘A leader…is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the nimblest go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realising that all along they are being directed from behind.’

I like this quote because it presents a very different perspective on leadership to that commonly at the forefront of our minds. When we think of great leaders, typically we think of great orators like Churchill and Martin Luther King Jnr, those with the power to inspire with their words. Alternatively, we may picture those like Elon Musk who are front and centre and lead through their expertise and the force of their personality. Or perhaps our mind turns to figures like Ernest Shackleton who lead through the example of their personal physical courage. Those who are the centre of attention lead from the front, when in fact quiet thoughtful humble leaders can be equally effective.

At Warwick School we aim to prepare young people to play a positive role in the world, to be the leaders of the future. We do this by exposing them to opportunities that develop the character traits required for leadership but also by giving them chances to lead. I urge all our pupils to seek out these occasions, particularly those which they may find challenging.

Perhaps the highest profile of these chances to lead is becoming a school prefect. Prefects are expected to establish and maintain the highest standards of behaviour, attitude and appearance and provide a role model for other pupils. They are expected to commit fully to school life as well as to undertake additional duties and take responsibility for leading the pupil body in a particular area.

They are selected on the basis of a written application, interview and a vote of their peers and teachers. They are chosen in recognition of their achievements and their potential to have a positive impact on the school community.

On Wednesday morning it was my pleasure to announce the new cohort of prefects who will take up their posts at the start of the summer term.

Just like every year this year’s prefects embody many different personality types and styles of leadership but each of them personifies the school values of curiosity, creativity, courage, perseverance, responsibility, and humility.

Prefects 2023-24
Senior Prefects	Head of School	Thomas Macro
	Head of Wellbeing	James Knight
	Head of Pupil Voice	Noah Saxton
	Head of Duties	Oliver McGinnity
Wellbeing	LGBTQ+	Owen Robinson
	Anti-Bullying	Ben Bryan
	Mental Health	Arjan Paneser
	Anti-Racism	Tanjim Islam
	Gender	Charlie McKenzie
Pupil Voice	Catering	Jack Murphy
	Green Team	Oliver Orton
	Teaching & Learning	Ekham Hothi
	Charities	Osian Mulligan
	Sixth Form	Harry Goodrem
House Captains	Oken	Kane Cuming
	Guy	Barnaby Pidler
	Tudor	Will Dodsworth
	Leicester	Karam Dosanjh
	Brooke	Locky Brown
	Greville	Fred Wallis
Duties	Duty 1	Daniel Jenks-Berryman
	Duty 2	Thuwaaragan Vivekananthan
	Duty 3	Monty Adlington
	Duty 4	Samuel Martin
	Duty 5	Aidan Everett
Other Positions of Responsibility	Senior Cadet	William Murden
	Chapel	Nirojan Jeyaseelan
Wellbeing Ambassadors	Wellbeing Ambassador	Alex Wintle
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Ali Khalil
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Charles Whorrod
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Dominic Burt
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Fraser Mackinlay
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Hari Goodman
	Wellbeing Ambassador	James Coplestone-Crow
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Joel Morris
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Kaan Cinar
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Oliver Crabtree
	Wellbeing Ambassador	Samuel Laycock
Boarding	Head of House	Edlin Leung
	Dept Head of House	Jamie Cheng