Presence, conviction, and courage in community leadership
The cover image for this post shows one of our school-based trainees at Loaves & Fishes Tasmania. It’s more than just a photo—it’s a picture of leadership in action.
This young man isn’t leading from a stage or a title. He’s leading by showing up, learning, contributing, and becoming part of something bigger than himself. His journey speaks to the kind of leadership we need today—not performative, but present. Not top-down, but walk-alongside. Not distant, but deeply invested in people.
To me, this image represents a quiet but powerful truth: real leadership begins with presence. The kind that sees people. That shares the weight. That helps others grow, even when no one’s watching.
Do I always get it right? Not even close. But here’s what I’ve found: leadership has a way of sharpening your focus and pulling you back—again and again—to what truly matters.
I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I am committed to doing my best. To showing up. To leading with presence and purpose, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.
What’s Your Leadership Philosophy?
Lately, people have been asking me, “What’s your leadership philosophy?”
And with all the turmoil around leadership in the world right now, it’s a fair question.
We need strong leadership—but not the kind we’re often seeing. Not the top-down, ego-driven, power-protecting kind.
If you’re a leader in any organisation—faith-based, community-focused, or otherwise—you already know this: change is hard.
And radical change?
The kind that challenges systems, calls out complacency, or shifts long-standing models?
That’s even harder.
It stirs resistance. It surfaces egos. It rattles the comfort zones of good people.
But here’s what I’ve come to believe in my years leading Devonport Chaplaincy and its community-driven work across Tasmania:
The cost of not changing is always higher than the cost of discomfort.
What Happens If We Don’t Change?
We see the consequences every day:
- Students struggling without safe adults in their corner.
- Families choosing between food and bills.
- Communities slowly losing connection and meaning.
If something must change, we cannot afford to always wait for consensus.
We must lead. And we must lead well.
It’s Not About You (Or Me)
One of the first and hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in leadership over the years is this: it’s not about me.
Not my title. Not my ideas. Not even our organisational brand.
It’s about people. Full stop.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” — Philippians 2:4
At Devonport Chaplaincy, we run food programs through Loaves and Fishes Tasmania.
We support youth and families through mentoring and chaplaincy in schools and workplaces.
But every single initiative is anchored in one conviction:
People matter more than programs.
So I’ve learned to ask myself—and our team—regularly:
Are we doing this for the sake of the mission, or for the sake of the people the mission is supposed to serve?
That one question can change everything.
When Leadership Ignores the Leak
I recently saw a cartoon that captured something deeply true about poor leadership:
Two people are frantically bailing water from one end of a sinking boat, while two others on the opposite end, dry and smiling, say, “Sure glad the hole isn’t at our end.”
That’s what it looks like when leaders detach from the pain, urgency, or crisis others are facing—when they protect comfort or image instead of stepping into shared responsibility.
But here’s the truth:
If one part of the organisation is hurting, disconnected, or struggling, we all are.
Eventually, the whole mission begins to sink.
Good leadership refuses to ignore the leak—even when it’s not at your end.
Because leadership isn’t about preserving a position.
It’s about carrying the burden with others.
What Must Change?
If you’re leading in a context like mine—where social need and spiritual hunger often live side by side—you’ve got to focus on what must change for the good of others.
Not what would be nice to change.
Not what keeps the board comfortable, the donors satisfied, or the systems running smoothly.
But what must change—because people are slipping through the cracks.
And we can’t afford to look the other way.
This isn’t about preference or vision. It’s about responding with courage to what’s broken—and working toward what’s possible.
In Tasmania, these are the things I lose sleep over:
- Food insecurity in a state that produces an abundance of food
- Young people isolated, anxious, and unseen
- Capable individuals locked out of employment because no one is walking with them
- Community fatigue that erodes hope
As an organisation, we do our best to hold both the practical and the personal in tension.
But if I had to name our highest value in it all—it’s presence.
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.” — Isaiah 1:17
Presence isn’t complicated.
It means being in schools when the bell rings.
Showing up with meals and a listening ear.
Sitting with someone in their mess without rushing to fix it.
That’s what chaplaincy looks like.
That’s what community transformation requires.
So here’s the question I keep asking:
Are we prioritising presence—or just productivity?
RARE Leadership: Why How We Lead Matters
There’s an approach I’ve come to value deeply—one I’ve made central to my leadership—called RARE Leadership, developed by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder1. It’s simple—but powerful. It challenges us to lead with character and connection, not control.
R – Remain Relational
At Devonport Chaplaincy, we lead from connection. Whether it’s students, donors, volunteers, or staff— if we lose relationship, we lose influence.
People first. Always.
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” — 1 Peter 4:8
A – Act Like Yourself
Leadership isn’t about image.
It’s about integrity.
I’ve had to learn to stop performing and just be the person God’s called me to be—warts and all.
R – Return to Joy
We do hard things—but we look for joy in the midst of them.
Not hype. Not toxic positivity.
Real joy—the kind that comes from seeing someone take a brave step forward.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:10
E – Endure Hardship Well
There are days I want to quit.
Days when funding falls through.
Days when people misunderstand or oppose what we’re doing.
But those are the moments where your leadership either fractures—or deepens.
Keep going.
“Let us not become weary in doing good…” — Galatians 6:9
A Final Challenge for Fellow Leaders
So here’s my challenge—not as an expert,
but as a fellow traveller still learning along the way:
- Lead with courage.
- Lead with love.
- Lead with resolve for what must be restored.
Let go of the need to control the outcomes.
Stop chasing applause.
Ask the hard questions that lead to real transformation.
Because when change is led with presence, integrity, and a deep trust in something bigger than ourselves, it doesn’t just shift systems.
It changes lives.
And that, friends, is always worth it.
1 RARE Leadership is a framework developed by Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder, based on their book RARE Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits For Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead (Moody Publishers, 2016). Learn more at rareleadership.net.