Leadership is a term that fluctuates in definition based on who you ask. It is contextual in that it reflects the needs of the environment and those who belong to the community which it serves. It is reciprocal in that it requires members to partake in the journey toward a shared vision (Workman & Cleveland-Innes, 2012). It is both individualistic and collective (Senge, 2015). Leadership, therefore, is a complex and relational term, one that should not be compartmentalized nor constrained for a specific purpose.
Reflecting on leadership attributes has been an interesting endeavour, as I have negotiated multiple perspectives in order to reach my personal list of attributes (Frawley, 2022). My list began with an interrogative look into my last high performance coaching experience with a women’s university team, and the type of coach they required for optimal team performance. While I attempted to reflect on my traits at that moment in time, I recognized that the attributes I had chosen were persuaded by the learning that had taken place between then and now, that I had allowed other experiences to weigh in. This reflection felt like an authentic revelation of the process of leadership: that it is not stagnant, it is not fixed, and it cannot be easily labeled. Leadership is alive in each leader in whichever capacity it reveals or manifests itself. Perhaps it is only truly known to be leadership when others perceive it to be true and necessary. True, because those who partake in being led (followers) embrace that they are a part of the journey. Necessary, because a means is only so good as it has an end to justify it. Leadership, like trust, is something that is cultivated and earned (Kouzes & Posner, 2011).
In public education, specifically in Ontario, I believe a path forward to address inequities and to build inclusivity is through an Indigenous theoretical framework. I believe that an Indigenous lens to leadership is the tool that will dismantle the colonial education system, a system that has enshrined barriers to the racialized students it serves. If educational leaders are equipped with Indigenous worldviews of reciprocity and being in community with members (Julien et al., 2010), the much touted equity policies and aspirations for change will quickly follow.
In my view, a digital leader is one who can affect change, give purpose, can motivate and inspire both synchronously and asynchronously with their intended audience. This leader would evoke an Indigenous lens whereby leadership is in community or in relation with members, and have the ability to authentically connect students to their environment while in digital spaces. A digital leader who utilizes digital access as a means to affect change; a medium to address systemic inequities.
However, my current reality is much different from this utopian version. I have students at home recovering from COVID-19, piecing together information through distance learning. They do not receive synchronous instruction, rather a piece-mealed version of the day’s events. The access they have to me via the learning platform or through email is enough to narrow the gaps of information lost during an interactive activity or an in-depth discussion, but it will never be a recreation of the shared experience of learning that took place that day. I wonder if it ever will?
References
Frawley, A. (2022, February 5). Attributes of leadership: Team E. Angela’s Blog: A MALAT Student Blog. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0204/attributes-of-leadership-team-e/
Julien, M., Wright, B., & Zinni, D. M. (2010). Stories from the circle: leadership lessons learned from aboriginal leaders. Leadership Quarterly, 21(1), 114–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LEAQUA.2009.10.009
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2011). The characteristics of admired leaders. In Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass. https://royalroads.skillport.com/skillportfe/main.action?path=summary/BOOKS/43184#summary/BOOKS/RW$564:_ss_book:43184
Senge, P. (2015, June 4). What makes a great leader? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aYaj2-GZqk
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
February 7, 2022 at 6:46 pm
Hello Angela,
Thank you so much for your post. So much of what you said resounded with me. I believe we face many of the same challenges in our contexts as educators in public education systems and share many similar hopes. I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about the power of leadership “in community or in relation with members” and for leaders to utilize “digital access as a means to affect change”. I fear that the hierarchies of leadership in many organizations, not just education, result in disconnected information sharing and decision making that may not have the intended results. A holistic Indigenous view of leadership based on community and connectedness could result in so much good for so many.
I look forward to discussing this with you further, and thank you again for your thought-provoking post.
Amber
February 8, 2022 at 5:45 pm
As always, it is a pleasure to hear your thoughts, Amber. I know it’s utopian in many ways, but if we don’t try, we’ll never know! But I do believe it is possible, and that the change we need is in the near future. For example, there continue to be calls for a Black curriculum by special interest supported by members of parliament – if you have a second, look up Dr. Jill Andrew (MPP), she’s the minister for my school’s riding. I foresee a future for K-12 education that infuses technology, reconceptualizes infrastructure, and includes inclusive curriculum and holistic pedagogy. I wonder how long it will take for the old structures to finally reflect the needs of today’s students.
Thanks again,
Angela
February 9, 2022 at 7:41 pm
Hi Angela and Amber,
Angela it is interesting as you describe your thoughts as “utopian”, but I really do wonder when we will start to see a shift in our organizational structures. You give an example of curricular changes that are coming that would be more inclusive. Curriculum change may be one area where as educators we can take a leadership role. In your own experiences, what are small steps that might move us towards more reciprocity within our educational communities?
March 30, 2022 at 7:24 pm
I agree, Michelle, that curriculum can be a path forward for educators to embrace leadership roles. However, I have experienced the very opposite and of course this may be circumstantial to the context in which I find myself. Time and again, hours are spent in different capacities with various groups generating plans and designing pathways for a better, more inclusive future for those for whom I am responsible and the community which I serve, only to have this labour shelved or worse, claimed by others and never seen to fruition.
Small steps toward reciprocity begin with open discourse and concerted effort to listen and act on stakeholder concerns. Educators, support staff, social workers, parents, must be given a permanent seat at the table. Until action is based on the needs of these members, change will not happen. In the infamous words of the powerful and wonderful Audre Lorde, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”
Reference
Bowleg, L. (2021). The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house: Ten critical lessons for black and other health equity researchers of color. Health education & behavior: the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 48(3), 237–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981211007402