ACEL QLD: Pivotal People 2026 - Gold Coast (JULY) -
Leading at Level: leadership Domains that Build Influence
Session: Leading at Level: Influence When No One Reports to You
Speaker: Micheal Ha Deputy Principal at Toogoolawa School
Schools across every sector are creating a new kind of middle leadership role. Heads of Professional Practice, Leaders of Pedagogy, Heads of Learning and Innovation, Directors of Professional Learning. These positions carry a whole-school remit, yet the people they serve all sit inside someone else's structure. There is no team underneath, no positional authority to draw on, and no map for how the role is meant to work.
Leaders in these positions know the territory well. An offer of support to a peer can be heard as a judgement. Waiting to be invited in keeps relationships safe but makes the role invisible. Every initiative must travel through colleagues who hold their own priorities, pressures, and politics.
This session reframes leading at level as a distinct and learnable capability rather than leadership with something missing. Drawing on his experience as a Deputy Principal and his work helping schools build shared language and culture, Michael Ha will explore how leaders without a team create legitimacy, momentum, and genuine influence among their peers, and will leave participants with practical strategies they can apply the following week.
Whether you hold one of these roles, lead alongside someone who does, or are designing one for your school, this conversation is for you. Join middle leaders from government, Catholic, and independent schools for an evening of honest conversation.
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday 29th July 2026
Time: 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm (Nibbles included)
Cost (incl. GST): $10 for non-ACEL members; Free for ACEL members
Venue: St Hilda’s School - 52 High St, Southport QLD 4215
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