Abstract
In this chapter we examine the roles of Australian, New Zealand and Fijian school leaders in building community resilience for a century of crises. We argue that in the past school leaders were planning for the risk of singular crisis events - ones which were typically conceptualised as linear with a clear beginning, middle and end point. Then our COVID-19 experiences blurred the lines of a linear crisis journey and taught us that the factor of time is important to consider as the pandemic intertwined health, economic and educational crises across a prolonged period during the 2020 and 2021 school years. We argue this changed the nature of educational leadership and contend that in the future school leaders need to be better supported by their systems and networks to effectively navigate through continuing uncertainties. The Crises Leadership Framework, by authors Striepe and Cunningham, considers contextual influences to best provide care during crises and prioritise emotional and physical wellbeing, adaptive leadership responsibilities, stakeholder collaboration, open multidimensional communication and how to make quick, decisive actions in complex situations. It is a tool compassionate leaders can use to prepare for future crises with leadership practices that are equitable, compassionate, flexible and future-ready.