We participated in a group activity where we individually ranked 20 common leader attributes from least to most important. After reading various resources, our team met synchronously to discuss a group order of attributes. Common themes that arose in our discussions were the importance of context and telling stories of each others experiences and leadership preferences. After enjoying this surprisingly challenging activity, I chose a prompt provided to reflect on the activity and leadership:
What you think are the most important attributes of a leader working in digital learning environments?
Communicator
After my initial thoughts, readings and discussions I’ve developed a greater appreciation for several aspects of leadership I may not have particularly identified before. As mentioned by Sheninger, communication is a key pillar for leaders, especially in the context of digital learning environments. Many of us in MALAT are so used to digital communication, amplified by COVID-19, but purposeful strategy and considerations from leadership’s communication is imperative (2019). From personal experience, great communication can go basically unnoticed, while poor communication completely stops you in your tracks. This shares a lot of similarities to adaptive leadership outlined by Khan (2017), as leaders must have the capacity to consider external factors and communicate in a consumable format for those they are collaborating with. I loved an example shared by Julien highlighting good communication, the vice-president of the company communicated his answer to a subordinate’s question through a allegory with a spider web (2010). It was a well-thought out and meaningful response that help support his colleague.
Supportive
With support in mind, our first choice in our group leadership attributes list was supportive. When we discussed supportive as our top pick, I recognized how valuable it was to me in both professional and personal contexts. Leaders can support you in so many ways, they can empower, motivate, guide, inspire and more (Workman, 2012). Many of the great leaders I’ve encountered had different styles of leadership, but were always supportive when it mattered most. As Khan highlighted, there is “no leadership theory can address all required actions”, so it’s not an exact science in being a supportive leader, but important for the wellbeing of your group and its members (2017). When thinking of support specifically in digital learning environments from personal experiences, leaders have helped with idea generation, clarifications, calling in backup, providing feedback and encouraging further research/professional development.
Dependable
With the context of digital learning environments in combination of working primarily in a technical role, I would also include dependability as a very important leader attribute. Dependable is described as the quality of being trustworthy and reliable, which sounds simple initially, but can incapsulate so much. I’ve depended on leaders to drive strategy, consider the big picture and capture requirements because as a individual, I likely wouldn’t have the time or knowledge to effectively complete these tasks. Additionally dependable leaders have shared values and will advocate for the group’s vision, mission and people (Workman, 2012). Dependable leaders will trust your expertise and you can trust their recommendations. This mutual dependency drives a relationship of reliability for each other. The reassurance a leader is dependable speaks to their character and competence to help those around them.
References:
Julien, M., Wright, B., & Zinni, D. M. (2010). Stories from the circle: Leadership lessons learned from aboriginal leaders. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(1), 114–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LEAQUA.2009.10.009
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), 178-183.
Sheninger, E. (2019) Pillars of Digital Leadership International Center for Leadership in Education. http://leadered.com/pillars-of-digital-leadership
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 Zac,
Thanks for your post and sharing your three top attributes and some very relevant and striking examples of the impact that each of them has on your experience. In your section on communication you say “From personal experience, great communication can go basically unnoticed, while poor communication completely stops you in your tracks.” Communication has been a key theme throughout many of the posts, and I think your statement really sums up how it can almost be a visceral reaction when it goes wrong. I think many leaders have been challenged with how to shift their communication styles/modes to use technology to effectively connect with their teams during the pandemic. It affects how we see them as being supportive and dependable, as in my experience some leaders have not figured out how to be a visible, and so there is a perceived absence or lack of direction that would be helpful. In your own context – what strategies do you think worked well to help create that sense of support and dependability?
Thanks for your reply Michelle! To your question, I think some strategies that have worked well to help create that sense of support was providing an “open-door” policy and putting aside the time for regularly booked 1-1 check ins. Setting aside that time allows for ideas, concerns or updates to occur easily and provides a time to chat about non-work related topics. Otherwise we have a team wide questions Slack channel that allows for any questions including repeats to support each other which is excellent!