As LRNT 525 winds down and each day’s breaking news is increasingly mind-boggling and chaotic, I find myself reflecting on effective leadership, especially in turbulent times. Looking back at my first thoughts about leadership and pondering the insights I have gained throughout this course led me to some final thoughts on leaders and the challenges of leadership.
First, leaders are responsive to changes occurring in the larger, outside world. Sheninger (2019) argued that school leadership must adapt to the increasing ubiquitousness of technology, and “harness the power of digital technologies in order to create school cultures that are transparent, relevant, meaningful, engaging, and inspiring” (para. 1). Workman and Cleveland-Innes (2012) emphasized the importance of visionary leaders; people who see a vision for the future and create new pathways to get there. Leading in a positive, meaningful, and visionary way has the power to prepare people and organizations to thrive in a changing world.
Second, leaders inspire personal growth in others, and “schools with strong positive culture have people who root for others’ success. They view themselves as a team not competitors. An individual success is the team’s success” (Johnson, 2022). Admired leaders influence others by promoting trust, building confidence, and respecting diversity (Castelli, 2016). Inspiring growth in others causes a ripple effect; confident and competent people influence others in the same way and thus the actions of a leader drive increased capacity of the entire organization.
Third, leaders are active participants in their organizations. They employ an empathetic mindset in order to “imagine the world from multiple perspectives” (Ben Mahmoud-Jouini et al., 2016, p. 149) and learn alongside the people they lead. These leaders value keeping their boots on the ground and recognize the importance of collaborating to co-create solutions:
I have worked with some brilliant school leaders during my career… and some not-so-brilliant ones. The members of the latter group had one thing in common: they all thought themselves above the need to undertake the same professional development as their teachers. (Such, 2022)
Leaders who know and learn with the people they lead also understand the challenges faced and can offer meaningful and relevant support in a timely fashion.
I am in the middle phase of my teaching career and I hope I have many years of learning, teaching, and leading to look forward to. As I continue this journey, further pursuing best practices in leadership and change and applying insights learned will support my future leadership endeavors.
References
Ben Mahmoud-Jouini, S., Midler, C., & Silberzahn, P. (2016). Contributions of design thinking to project management in an innovation context. Project Management Journal, 47(2), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21577
Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: A framework for improving organisational performance. The Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-08-2015-0112
Johnson, B. [@DrBradJohnson]. (2022, March 20). Schools with strong positive culture have people who root for others’ success. They view themselves as a team not competitors [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/DrBradJohnson/status/1505515870436700160
Sheninger, E. (2019, December 19). Pillars of Digital Leadership. International Center for Leadership in Education. http://leadered.com/pillars-of-digital-leadership/
Such, C. [@Suchmo83]. (2022, March 17). I have worked with some brilliant school leaders during my career… and some not-so-brilliant ones. The members of [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/Suchmo83/status/1504556913614282761
Workman, T., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2012). Leadership, personal transformation, and management. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(4), 313-323. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v13i4.1383
Hi Amber
Your observation about how leaders lack of engagement with learning and professional development indicates a deficiency in leadership rings true for me also.
I do think when people are put into leadership positions there can be a tendency to want to hide behind the legitimacy of the position instead of actually attending to the qualities that will give them real legitimacy, and probably the qualities that got them into a leadership position to begin with, like learning and developing their skills.
Gaining legitimacy as a leader for any organization requires believing in the core mission of the organization and in education that means learning is valued but in education that means you also need to be in a place where you don’t know something first. It’s the not knowing stage that then builds into learning. I can see how in some of our stereotypical view of leadership the not knowing stage of learning can be problem to avoid but how a reflective practice is the antidote to that.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your comments, and I agree. Reflective practice is absolutely necessary. Not only is it good practice for leaders to engage in, but it is excellent role-modelling for those they lead as well. Generally speaking, people respect leaders who are confident enough to admit when they do not know something and follow-up by seeking the answer or knowledge that is needed. There is so much power in leading by example!
Thanks again,
Amber
“Mind boggling and chaotic” are the most understated words I can think of for these times we’re in!
Do you think there’s a trap for positive leaders to fall into toxic positivity? I was listening to Brené Brown’s podcast on this and I worry that, as leaders who want to remain positive for all the great reasons you listed, we don’t hold space very well for the hard emotions that people face. It’s a fine line?
https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-dr-susan-david-on-the-dangers-of-toxic-positivity-part-1-of-2/
Hi Corie,
It is a fine line, isn’t it? That being said, in my mind the most important thing a leader can do in terms of creating a positive culture is act as a cheerleader for others’ success. The most wonderful leaders I have worked with are people who were forward thinking, encouraging, and also acknowledged when things were tough. The balancing act between being positive and being real and honest is the ultimate challenge; having the ability to look forward to good things happening while also understanding there will be obstacles along the way. Leaders may choose to ask the people in their organizations to be positive and tuck their feelings and worries away, which kills morale and destroys positive culture. Or, leaders can recognize when their people are struggling, listen empathetically and offer meaningful support (“what can I do to support you”), which is much more effective in creating a positive culture. I have been in situations when a leader has listened and said something along the lines of “yep, that really sucks, but let’s find a way to make it better together” and then followed through. So powerful!
Amber
P.S. Check out Luis’s post – he made a comment that is absolutely perfect and so, so true: “It is not about being in a position of power, it is about having the right mindset and desire to make a positive impact within any organization or group that we belong to” (Rodriguez, 2022, para. 4).
Hi Amber,
Thank you for sharing about the empathetic mindset. I think that this is often missing in the healthcare field with business minded leaders stepping into roles to make processes more efficient without really taking the time to understand what is happening at the ground level with healthcare staff. Nothing more frustrating than the new office manager tightly scheduling appointments in dental clinic without having a clear understanding of what occurs behind the scenes and time needed to get things ready for the next patient. I have found those office managers that are prepared to roll up their sleeves to help out in the back can help with the flow of the clinic and overall energy. Great leaders are those who never feel that the task is below them. Thanks.
Hi Amber,
Beautifully and brilliantly said! By continuously learning with their people, leaders can better understand what their people needs resonated with me. It speaks of the broadminded leadership characteristic we discussed on our team as part of this course. When leaders are aware of others’ needs, their obstacles, and their concerns, they can also better appreciate the differences and the uniqueness everyone brings forward. Learning with people put them in a better position to lead.
Stephanie