Continual technological advances permeate everything we do, in work and in play. By continuing to accept a “head in the sand mentality” (Sheninger, 2014, p. 1) toward implementing new or renewed approaches in digital learning environments (DLEs), leaders deny their teams the ability to the develop the capacity needed to succeed when technological advances shift their environment. For teams to be successful in today’s ever-changing environments, they need leaders who collaborate to create a shared vision of success, who model open communication and who embrace a continuous improvement mindset.
My Leadership Approach:
Early in my leadership journey I was introduced to Simon Sinek’s (2011) “Golden Circle” concept, which guides leaders to inspire action by helping teams to articulate not just what they do every day, or how they complete tasks in their role, but why their work is important within their organization’s context. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I can now see that Sinek’s work introduced me to one of my core leadership approaches, wherein I start work with a new team by encouraging collaboration. By teasing out and exploring individual perspectives, I support the team to shape a compelling shared vision of the future, resulting in team members who are united by a common purpose (O’Toole, 2008).
Much of my leadership experience has been gained through project-based work, wherein I parachute into an existing team to lead the implementation of a new or renewed approach to service delivery. By consistently modeling open communication, individual team members are motivated to contribute, as they trust that their perspectives will be valued (Castelli, 2017). This helps to set the foundation of a safe environment.
Throughout my leadership experiences, I have consistently found that some of the best ideas arise through ongoing environmental scans that include the divergent perspectives of all team members, (Huggins, Klar, Hammonds & Buskey, 2017) and that valuable lessons can be uncovered from feedback during or after project implementation. Co-owning triumphs and challenges supports a shared approach that promotes trust, values open communication, connects work to the organization’s mission, and builds self-esteem and confidence in the workforce (Castelli, 2016). I believe that debriefing what was learned throughout the life-cycle of a project further supports the continual development of a shared vision and demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement.
Since organizational priorities shift, core to my leadership approach is supporting my team members to develop confidence in their individual leadership capacity. This takes an enthusiastic commitment to mindfully create “leadership opportunities” (Huggins et al., 2017, p. 8) for all team members. Doing so follows a distributed leadership approach and requires sustained energy and a tolerance for risk. Although it is true that a team member may make mistakes, which could negatively reflect on my leadership, my experience in distributing leadership across all desks has led to innovative ideas for program or service delivery.
Leading in Digital Environments:
I agree with Sheninger (2014) when he states that “leaders need to be the catalysts for change” (p. 4), especially when leading in digital learning environments. Leaders must also realize that each team member is different, with resistance to embracing technology running along a continuum from those who refuse to participate to early adopters. Like Sheninger (2014) describes, leading through technology changes requires that leaders understand that learners may have a fear around using technology to complete tasks. By encouraging collaboration, team members share their collective knowledge and are better able to adapt in changing environments (Khan, 2017).
Technology changes rapidly, so leading in a digital learning environment requires leaders to prioritize the development of agile teams. Leaders who work with their teams to set a shared vision help to support ever-changing DLEs by developing ongoing team capacity, as evidenced in Castelli (2016), where “the legacy of the leader’s influence is perpetuated through the followers’ incorporation of legacy principles into their lives as they become leaders” (p. 220).
Building leadership capacity at all levels helps to increase organizational capacity and tolerance to change. Sustainable change in DLEs requires that leaders empower teams and embrace technology through a strategic mindset that improves desired outcomes by leveraging available resources (Sheninger, 2014). By working to engage all stakeholders of an organization through open communication, collaboration and a commitment to continuous improvement, leaders in digital environments lay the groundwork for teams to share leading practices and to work with a common purpose. Doing so helps individuals to confidently make decisions in their work, as all decisions are framed within a shared compelling vision, regardless of shifts in technology or organizational priorities.
Conclusion:
Successful leaders adopt the approaches that their teams need to succeed. Using a values-based leadership framework supports the development of a team’s leadership capacity. When leaders support decisions that are important to members of the group, team members are motivated, as the leader helps “them to realize the things they hold most dear, that which they value” (O’Toole, 2008, p. 2). Values based leadership creates a common language of behaviour that cements the team’s purpose, setting the vision of how work is completed and how services are delivered.
By consistently acting on behalf of the team, a leader provides the conditions and resources that the team needs to succeed, but that they couldn’t provide on their own (O’Toole). Distributing leadership throughout a team also helps to develop the team’s leadership capacity, building each person’s confidence to share leading practices and to support one another. As Huggins et al (2017) describe, leadership development is a process that requires leadership capacity builders to direct, monitor and provide feedback. Leaders that consistently practice reflection ask what was learned throughout and after project completion.
As I continue my leadership development journey, I will be mindful to continue focusing on encouraging collaboration, practicing open communication and embracing a continuous improvement mindset. These core principles, coupled with mindful implementation of values-based, distributed and reflective leadership practices will work in concert to provide the foundation that our teams need to successfully sustain technological and organizational shifts.
References
Castelli, P. (2016). Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217-236.
Huggins, K., Klar, H. W., Hammonds, H. L., & Buskey, F. C. (2017). Developing Leadership Capacity in Others: An Examination of High School Principals’ Personal Capacities for Fostering Leadership. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 12(1).
Khan, N. (2017). Adaptive or Transactional Leadership in Current Higher Education: A Brief Comparison. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(3).
O’Toole, James (2008). Notes Toward a Definition of Values-Based Leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 1(1).
Sheninger, E. (2014). Pillars of digital leadership. International Centre for Leadership in Education.
Sinek, S. (2011). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Penguin.