Actualise Potential – be the instrument to change.

In the ancient story of Exodus, the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites, not because they were weak but because they were strong. They feared that, if left free, they might grow, multiply, and become powerful that one day, they may rule over the Egyptians. Their solution: suppress their potential through control and forced labour. This meant reducing and inhibiting the potential of mothers, fathers and children all down to a lack of trust, fear and/or an ego of ultimate power.
I find this message very inspiring as I reflect on systems and my own experiences where I have witnessed potential being limited whether that has been intentional or not. Nonetheless, it’s an important message that encourages us to question ourselves as teachers and leaders how guided are we by our moral compass (see my other blog Moral Purpose) where we uphold transparency, honesty and integrity.

The Pharaoh Complex: Leadership Rooted in Fear

At its core, the Egyptian leadership was driven by fear: fear of being challenged, of losing power, of what others might become. This “Pharaoh complex” is still alive, hopefully less so by decisions ruled by fear of power, but a fear of losing face, pride or adequate recognition when people withhold resources, information or intenstionally misguide. This could be within a classroom, across departments and even across schools, MATs and Local Authorities.

Some examples might be:

• A teacher labels a struggling child as a problem, rather than asking what barriers are blocking their growth.
• A system denies equal and equitable opportunities.
• A leader resists change and innovation, not because the ideas lack merit, but because they didn’t originate from them, or “things have always been done this way” (see my blog Dogma – a call for change)

In all these cases, the common thread shouldn’t be interpreted that there isn’t potential, but that it has not been properly/ truly actualised.

Actualisation: The True Role of Teachers and Leaders

True leadership isn’t about containment – it’s about cultivation. Teachers and leaders hold the profound responsibility of helping others move from potential to actualisation; the realisation of what they are capable of becoming.

In psychological terms, this is often linked to the idea of self-actualisation, the highest point in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s where creativity, purpose, and meaning flourish, but only when basic needs, safety, and belonging have been met.

Leaders and educators must ask: are we creating environments that free people, or environments that quietly shackle them?

Disadvantaged: Socio-economic deprivation; SEND; predetermined aspirations; all who may be sucespitble to potential discourse

Nowhere is this challenge more urgent than in classrooms. ChIldren without love and championing light run the risk of feeling like their potential has been predetermined, and this is dangerous. Not only dangerous to the fulfillment of the individual but dangerous for our future in a higher order sense: an absence of one’s potential could be what hinders our overall trajectory as a civilisation.

Some examples of this could be the following:

• Children who come to school hungry or tired.
• Children who have been told by the world that they are not enough.
• Children who have learned to survive, not to dream.

These children often exhibit behaviors such as defiance, lack of motivation, truancy, but more often, these are symptoms of unmet needs, unspoken trauma, or unrecognised brilliance. The tragedy is not in their struggle – it is in the failure to see beyond it.

What they need isn’t just curriculum – they need connection, they need to know you care what they say.

Not just discipline but dignity.

Not just management but mentorship.

Purpose vs. Performance: What Really Unlocks Potential?

At the heart of realising potential lies a deeper question: what is driving the effort to actualise it? Is it rooted in moral purpose – a genuine desire to see others flourish? Or is it driven by performance systems – data, rankings, performance reviews, and outputs mistaken for outcomes?

This distinction is crucial.

When we teach or lead with moral purpose (when we genuinely want children, or team, to become their bestween) we use data as a mirror to the individual, not a measure of worth. Data can become a way to listen more deeply, to understand who needs what and why. In these spaces:

• Assessment supports learning rather than dictates it.
• Progress is personalised, not standardised.
• Growth is measured by transformation, not just attainment.

But when data becomes the driver, when metrics replace mission, we risk negating the other aspects of a person’s development; we may begin to track growth so obsessively that we forget to nurture it.

This shift turns potential from a sacred trust into a target to be met. And ironically, it can inhibit the very growth it claims to foster.

This too is a modern form of Pharaoh’s oppression – not through chains and whips, but through dashboards and quotas. The result is the same: a narrowing of what people could become.

To Liberate

A liberating teacher doesn’t ask, “How do I control this child?” but rather, “What does this child need to become their best self?”

A liberating leader doesn’t ask, “How do I maintain authority?” but instead, “How do I create space for others to thrive?”, offering structure and descripive feedback without suffocation, and certainly letting go of ego to make room for growth.

The Moral Choice in Leadership

We are all, at some point, in positions of power over others – whether as teachers, mentors, parents, or managers. In each of those moments, we face a choice:

• Will we fear others’ potential, or will we help it flourish?
• Will we lead from data, or from purpose? And when should one drive the other?

The Egyptians led with fear. They built monuments to control. But the greatest leaders build people, not pyramids. They recognise that power is not in domination, but in liberation and empowerment. Do we truly care what they say so that they know that we care, and do we champion and strive to actualise everyone’s potential, no matter their starting points.