A Recipe for Success: Prioritise Progress Over Perfection

I place great importance on the work I do. I enjoy my time with the students, staff, as well as spending time with other educators, principals and researchers. I take pride in the meaningful work I do here at Grammar, and appreciate working within a community that values collaboration, problem solving, creativity and excellence. I am always amazed when I read ‘research’ about the modern workforce – absenteeism, toxicity, the perceived slackness of younger generations, entitlement, and so on. I have neither experienced nor witnessed these issues among our students, and certainly not in our staff.

It brings me great joy to see our students and staff channelling their passions to achieve excellence. Last week, Year 12 students Harrison Chapman, Marley Reeves, and Taha Salman - under the extraordinary coaching of Mr Justin Pembroke and the management of Mrs Brenda Gahan - proudly represented Sunshine Coast Grammar School at the FIRST Tech Challenge Asia Pacific Open Championships. Competing against experienced teams from countries including China, India, South Korea, and the United States, they demonstrated exceptional skill and determination. Their robot remained undefeated throughout all qualification matches and maintained its strong performance through to the finals, ultimately securing first place in the overall robotics competition.

In addition to this outstanding achievement, the team was honoured with the prestigious FIRST Inspire Award. This award is the highest recognition within the competition, celebrating a team that exemplifies the values of FIRST. It acknowledges excellence not only in robot design and performance but also in teamwork, innovation, and the ability to clearly articulate the scientific, mathematical, and technical processes behind their engineering solutions.

This team of five representatives from Sunshine Coast Grammar epitomised the very essence of success. More importantly, their achievement was neither an overnight success nor an easy win. Their success resulted from careful planning, a strong mindset and dedicated mastery.

If I were to summarise and generalise the guidance in most books on striving for success, the following elements are essential: intentional professional and personal development, coachability, embracing vulnerability, valuing others and living through teamwork, mastering the basics, maintaining a proactive mindset, and cultivating consistent habits - all within the context of an incremental improvement system that drives outcomes toward a goal in service of a virtuous greater good.

Lastly, from start to finish, be brave before you are confident - prioritise progress over perfection. These young adults, along with Mr Pembroke and Mrs Gahan, devised a plan three years ago and this successful strategy has now come to exquisite fruition.

Good people doing the work they love – when passion meets purpose.

A very hearty and warm congratulations to Mr Justin Pembroke, Mrs Brenda Gahan, and, of course, to the students, Harrison, Marley, Taha and their proud families and friends.

Anna Owen
Principal