The unheard Sirimavo story that matters to business leaders

What a moment at Sirimavo Bandaranaike College quietly teaches CEOs and boards

- By Abdul Careem

LEADERSHIP lessons rarely come from boardrooms. Sometimes, they arrive on a school stage.

At a recent Colours Night event at Sirimavo Bandaranaike College, a student's unexpected speech altered the emotional temperature of the room within seconds. Attention sharpened. Emotions rose. Within hours, the moment travelled far beyond the school gates, drawing admiration, debate, and national attention.

Yet the real lesson was not in the speech itself.

It was in the leadership moment it created, one where words, timing, emotional regulation, and even a simple human gesture could have quietly neu-tralised the situation.

For business leaders, this moment offers far more than commentary. It offers a masterclass in human leadership.

Leadership is decided in seconds, not titles

In emotionally charged moments, leadership is not defined by position or seniority. It is defined by who regulates the room.

Behavioural neuroscience shows that when surprise and emotion enter a space, the brain does not search for hierarchy. It searches for stability. The calmest nervous system present becomes the reference point for everyone else.

At Sirimavo, three nervous systems were activated simultaneously. The student's emotional brain, driven by perceived fairness and identity. The audience's mirror neurons, amplifying emotion across the room. And the authority's pressure response, shaped by responsibility and public scrutiny.

What happened next depended entirely on whether calm appeared or not.

The power of accepting the moment

Now imagine the principal stepping forward calmly and saying, “I understand we are running behind time, but I will give you two minutes to express your opinion.”

This is not surrender. It is neurological leadership.