Watching this young, impassioned leader on the television and media made me think: how do you prepare for leadership, especially the kind of leadership needed more and more all over the world as instances of violence and terrorism plague us? Part of the test for a leader in any organization relates to their ability to handle crisis. And as our world becomes increasingly complex, institutions often call for more pastoral leadership that aims to bring people together; the community of an organization becomes so very important?

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Sadly, on January 17, the world lost Oliver, but obviously not her words. Published in 25 or so books, Oliver will be available to us all forever. As a lover of Oliver’s poetry, I scoured the Internet for articles and tributes to her and her work. I rather liked the one on forbes.com by Alyssa Wright, titled “Three Lessons Change Agents Can Learn From Mary Oliver's Life And Poetry.” Wright outlines how Oliver’s prose and poetry “capture the challenges we face in these trying times.” Oliver’s writing and Wright’s interpretation and analysis illustrate life lessons that apply to all aspects of our work, whatever it is.

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Our session ended with a panel led by three New York school heads (from Hewitt, Trinity, and Friends Seminary) discussing seismic change from the head’s perspective. They put a great deal of emphasis on our need to seek and stay connected to purpose—even beyond individual mission and values where possible—helping families and students see the greater good and greater purpose beyond the daily pressures of grades, assignments, and next steps in their educational journey.

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