Anchoring Your Leadership in Purpose

Leadership in early childhood has never been just about what we do.

It’s about how we show up, the values we lead from, and the way our decisions shape relationships, culture, and practice. Yet in the reality of daily operations, compliance demands, staffing pressures, and constant change, purpose is often the first thing to slip into the background, not because it isn’t important, but because it can feel less urgent than everything else competing for attention.

And yet, purpose is not abstract.

Purpose is leadership in action.

From years of working alongside early childhood leaders, one pattern is clear: when leaders are anchored in their purpose, they lead with greater steadiness, clarity, and confidence. When that connection weakens, leadership can quickly become reactive and exhausting, even for highly capable and committed leaders.

Purpose begins with the leader

A common misunderstanding in early childhood leadership is the belief that purpose is something to define collectively first, as a team or service. Shared purpose matters deeply, but it is difficult to sustain unless leaders have first clarified their own.

Purpose is personal before it is collective.

It reflects what we stand for, what matters most to us, and what guides our decisions when things feel complex or pressured. When leaders are unclear about their own purpose, teams often experience leadership as inconsistent or unclear, not intentionally, but relationally.

People don’t follow titles. They follow clarity and congruence.

Leaders who are grounded in purpose tend to lead in ways that feel more predictable, trustworthy, and human. This alignment supports the relational foundations that sit at the heart of quality practice in early childhood.

From philosophy to lived practice

In early childhood, service philosophy is intended to guide everyday practice, not simply exist as a document. Purpose is what brings that philosophy to life.

When leaders are clear about their purpose, it shows up in how they support educators, how they navigate difficult conversations, how they balance wellbeing with accountability, and how they keep children at the centre of decision-making. This is where leadership moves beyond compliance and into intention.

This kind of leadership aligns strongly with expectations within the National Quality Standard, where reflective practice, leadership, relationships, and continuous improvement are understood as lived, ongoing processes rather than tasks to complete.

Purpose becomes an internal compass, supporting leaders to make sense of competing priorities and to respond thoughtfully rather than reactively.

When leaders lose connection to purpose

Many leaders describe feeling capable on the outside while running on empty internally. Holding responsibility, managing complexity, and keeping things moving, while quietly questioning their sustainability in the role.

This disconnection usually happens gradually. As operational demands increase, leaders stop checking in with themselves. Without purpose as an anchor, leadership becomes about getting through the day rather than leading with intention.

This matters. Clarity of professional identity and purpose is closely linked to wellbeing, retention, and the quality of relationships within early childhood settings, all central to quality outcomes under the NQS.

What purpose looks like in action

When leaders are clear about their purpose, it shows up in very practical, observable ways. Purpose moves out of the abstract and into daily leadership decisions and interactions. Below are examples that make the purpose itself explicit, alongside what that looks like in action.

Example 1: Purpose as a decision-making anchor

A leader’s stated purpose:

“My purpose as a leader is to create conditions where educators feel supported, capable, and steady so children experience consistent, responsive care.”

What this looks like in practice:

When multiple priorities collide, a new initiative, reporting deadlines, staff shortages, this leader uses their purpose as a filter. Rather than pushing everything forward at once, they deliberately slow the rollout of a new project, communicate transparently with their team, and prioritise time for mentoring and check-ins. The decision is not driven by convenience, but by alignment with their purpose and responsibility to children and educators.

Example 2: Purpose shaping leadership conversations

A leader’s stated purpose:

“My purpose is to lead in a way that builds trust, grows professional confidence, and keeps children’s wellbeing at the centre of practice.”

What this looks like in practice:

When addressing inconsistent practice, this leader begins the conversation by reconnecting to shared intent, why the practice matters for children’s learning, belonging, and safety. Expectations are made clear, but they are framed through purpose rather than correction. Educators leave the conversation with greater understanding, not defensiveness, and with a clearer sense of how their role contributes to the bigger picture.

Example 3: Purpose supporting steadiness under pressure

A leader’s stated purpose:

“My purpose is to lead with calm and clarity, especially when things feel uncertain or stretched.”

What this looks like in practice:

During a tense team discussion, this leader notices rising emotion, including their own. Instead of escalating or shutting the conversation down, they pause the discussion, acknowledge the pressure people are feeling, and re-centre the group on what they are working towards together. Their purpose acts as an internal anchor, allowing them to regulate themselves and lead relationally in the moment.

These examples highlight an important point: purpose is not a slogan or a statement on paper. It is something leaders actively draw on, often quietly to guide how they think, decide, and relate.

Purpose as a sustaining practice

When leaders reconnect with their purpose, shifts occur. Decisions feel clearer. Boundaries become steadier. Conversations are more intentional. While external pressures may remain, leaders often experience greater internal steadiness, and teams respond to that presence.

Purpose doesn’t remove challenges, but it changes how leaders meet them. It allows space to pause, reflect, and choose responses aligned with values rather than urgency.

Returning to purpose

Purpose is not something leaders define once and set aside. It is something to return to especially as roles evolve, teams change, and new priorities emerge.

Beginning, and regularly returning, to purpose supports sustainable leadership. It helps leaders notice when they have drifted off course and realign with care.

When leaders lead from purpose, they don’t just manage systems. They shape culture, influence how people feel at work, and create conditions where educators and children can thrive.

Leadership in early childhood is demanding, relational, and deeply human. Purpose is what allows leaders to meet that reality with clarity, integrity, and steadiness.

As we start a fresh year, why not take a pause and reconnect with your purpose today!

Join me for my upcoming free webinar Purpose in Action by registering here, or if you've missed the live event you can watch the recording in my vlog.

I'd love to hear how you use purpose in your own leadership practice or how I can help you implement a plan to put your purpose into action. Book in a free discovery call to see how we can work together.

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