I know, not everyone’s family is equal to biological connections. The concept of family represents those that you hold dear as you have become familiar with them and their idiosyncrasies. Those in that mental circle can be friends, teammates, or your literal family. They are the people in your life that have your back, and you have theirs because a development of trust, and understanding, was built. I believe being a valuable leader is treating those in your environment like family.
Like being a good family member, a strong leader listens carefully to others empathetically and with non-judgement to build trust. A strong leader is vigilant of the environment seeking to adapt to benefit the team while being aware of individual challenges with the aim to build them up for success. Through diligence, a leader shows what hard work is by leading by example and reflecting on themselves to bring awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, driving a team forward is about taking calculated risks by allowing others to take the lead in the family as not only does it build up confidence and skills, but like any king (or queen) knows there is power in building up successors. Not withholding is the awareness that no one is excellent at all things, and therefore it may be wiser to distribute roles to those with mightier talents to benefit the whole.
You may be wondering – who is this guy and what makes his opinion matter? Well, it’s not just me who thinks this way. In fact, Castelli (2016) takes a similar stance by suggesting that reflective leadership is a central element to modern leadership. Reflective leadership has the simple equation of reflection plus mindfulness equates to wisdom (Castelli, 2016). Combing through the literature, Castelli found that the following elements are identified as important to reflective leadership – creating a safe environment that promotes trust, values open communication, connects work to organizational mission, build self-esteem and confidence, respects diverse cultures and customs, and challenges own’s own beliefs and assumptions (Castelli, 2016). Hmmm. Sounds familiar.
Okay. You might be thinking, “I am a principal of a high school does this apply to me?”. Well, yes. Yes, it does. Huggins (2017) demonstrated exactly that. It was discovered through interviewing exceptional principals the core factors of their success is working with their team with the principle’s principles as “committed to developing leadership capacity, understanding leadership development as a process, and have a tolerance for risk” (Huggins, 2017, p.2). In other words, one has to take risks in developing others, and it may take time. This is a true sign of a family.
Recently, Khan (2017) furthered this notion in educational leadership by understanding that change is not only part of our culture but part of our learning styles. Change means adapting. Adaptive leaders are, “flexible and responsive to change… [who] take a holistic view of leadership by focusing on both leader-follower relationships and any potential external issues… [and is] adept in knowing what the problems are, defining them carefully, and finding appropriate solutions” (Khan, 2017, p.179). Being part of a strong family means adapting while looking ahead for imaginable concerns.
Digital learning leadership continues the idea of family. It involves building up trust and as Sheninger states, “[d]igital leaders must give up control and trust students and teachers to use real-world tools to unleash creativity and a passion for learning” (Sheninger, 2014, p.2). It is about anticipating changes and utilizing resources to maximize a relationship with the students. A key word is relationship. An engagement. It’s about developing effective ways to reach an audience and to continually work with them. This is what family does. Working together to build each other up. Not only can the student learn, but the teacher can learn from the student (and technology).
At this stage, I may have your buy-in that the concept of family plays a vital role in leadership. Maybe not. That’s okay. I can be open to different perspectives (another important characteristic to leadership and being a strong member of the family). Perhaps it’s better, for now, to return to my views.
Digital technology has impacted the way I lead in how communication occurs. No longer is there a communication binder where employees sign off with their initials. Now there are ways to have open dialogue in a group setting through social media. Exploring the idea of team outings are made simpler and more effective with digital technology. Most importantly, digital technology has expedited the time communication occurs. This can be vital in an ever-changing business landscape that relies on adaptive responses to new demands. This can help advance a promotion or to detail an emergency in real time.
Honestly, it comes down to this – how can you make your family stronger? As explained, being a digital leader promotes this and as your family grows in strength, you strengthen your community as well. In the end, knowing how to be a productive digital leader makes the world a better place and into a connected global village.
References
Castelli, P. (2016) Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organisational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217-236.
Huggins, K. et al. (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.
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