When Leaders Can See It All

If you google “qualities of great leaders” or another synonymous phrase, you will come across a plethora of lists from authors, current leaders, professors, etc. of what people who are lucky enough to serve others in leadership roles should and shouldn’t do. I will say; however, that over the years, I have noticed one overarching quality in those leaders who have provided more examples of what one “should” do versus what one “should not." 

Being a leader of people is not an easy task. In order to effectively serve others, there is a myriad of intricacies that one must recognize and implement. One quality; however, that I have noticed in leaders who are able to passionately lead a community of people is the ability to see things from points of view other than their own. Whether this means showing true empathy when someone is struggling, stepping into someone else's shoes when sharing news about a change, making an unpopular decision when you know there are few people willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, or stepping out of your own bubble to lead a change that you may not even be on board with yourself. Even though many leaders believe they are practicing these skills, remember, it is different to step into someone else’s shoes and actually think about how THEY feel in their shoes than to reflect on how YOU feel in them (Gourguechon, 2017). 

Unfortunately, in this day in age, perspective-taking is not an easy task. We live in a partisan society in which people would rather try to prove why their point of view is the “right” one versus taking the time to truly understand someone else’s. A leader, however, who recognizes differences in opinions and is willing to step out of her comfort zone, name that schism for what it is, and find a way to move forward will find it easier to lead through adversity and change than a leader who is not willing to take that step. This act of leadership does not mean that everyone will end up on the same page in peace and harmony, rather that the team may be able to come to a place where they recognize each other’s opinions as different, but valuable in their own right. A leader who can help her team come to this understanding together will experience more success than one who cannot. 

While perspective-taking is not something that comes naturally to everyone, there are some ways to practice it in your daily leadership life. When making decisions, stop and think, Am I leaning this way because this decision is what I would want, or because this decision is best for the entire community. When listening to other people’s perspectives, do not listen with “the intent to discredit or disprove” the speaker, but to actively hear and understand what the other speaker is saying and the feelings behind it (Cools, 2018). As a leader, you do not have to change your views to agree with the other person, but you DO have to allow that person to be truly heard. Finally, recognize that empathy and perspective-taking are not easy. Allow yourself time to reflect on your daily decisions as a leader and whether you took the time to consider the perspectives of your team that day, or focused mainly on your own. If the answer is the latter, vow to do better tomorrow.

Cools, J. M. (2018). How & why you should strive to understand someone else’s point of view: Specifically when you don’t agree. Medium.com. Retrieved on: April 15, 2020.

Gourguechon, P. (2017). Empathy is an essential leadership skill -- And there’s nothing soft about it. Forbes.com. Retrieved on: April 15, 2020. 

Courage + Supportive School Leaders = Opportunities for Teacher Leadership

The majority of teachers would not argue with the fact that it is important to instill a sense of leadership in their students. Moreover, encouraging students to take risks and challenge their thinking is another key component of most classrooms. Why then would the practice be any different for teacher leadership?

Although teachers strive to promote leadership among their students, often those same principles are difficult to embrace in their own practice. For this reason, it is increasingly important for teacher leaders to step forward, providing a positive example in order to remove the stigma from leadership, perhaps encouraging their colleagues to follow suit. Additionally, encouragement from building leaders to seek out leadership opportunities that align with a teacher's passions is a great first step in growing the level of teacher leadership and engagement within a school building.

However, in order for teachers to feel comfortable stepping up to a leadership role, there is one essential element that must be present throughout a school building, trust. Just as students in a classroom are not willing to take risks if there is a fear of ridicule and mockery, teachers often pass on opportunities to take on leadership roles when high levels of trust are not present in the school building. In these instances, positive examples by strong teacher leaders and support from administrators can help to break down the wall of mistrust and encourage other colleagues to seek out opportunities to lead.

           

Promoting teacher leadership is even easier when it is supported by upper level administrators.  One major change that our Directors of K-12 education (@maureenbur1 and @i_sing_america) initiated is to put professional development opportunities into the hands of the teachers.  This has been extremely empowering as well as eye-opening.   During the first sessions, there were several innovative and meaningful opportunities offered.  They were well attended; and the feedback was phenomenal.  Teachers enjoyed learning new instructional methods from practicing colleagues. They also felt a sense of camaraderie when collaborating about ideas that had worked and those that hadn't.  As a result, even more teacher leaders have emerged to provide learning opportunities for their colleagues. As school leaders, we should strive to provide similar opportunities for teachers to discover leadership opportunities within their own practice. Kudos to our curriculum directors for empowering their teachers and putting the PD in the hands of the practitioners!

In conclusion, as mentioned by Carol Dweck in the book Mindset, taking risks and learning valuable lessons from mistakes is an integral part of the learning experience.  Just as educators encourage their students to experiment with new strategies, teacher leaders should follow suit.  You do not have to be in a leadership role to be a leader, and teacher leaders can help to transform a school culture and develop trust while encouraging colleagues follow their example.

This blog post was adapted from an article I wrote for Oakland University's Publication "Teacher Leader" from January, 2013.

Storytelling to Build Relationships

Every year at parent conferences, a handful of families comment that their children love how I tell stories about my husband and kids during class. They comment that often they feel like they know my family well since stories about them often come up at their dinner tables when my students recount something I told them during class. It is something that I do naturally because I love talking about my family.

When reading the article Leading From Within by Parker J. Palmer,  it reminded me of the fact that storytelling is a great way to create and build relational trust. As Palmer (2000) stated, the more we know about a person, the more connected we feel to them.   As a school leader, the practice of starting each staff meeting with updates and celebrations about people’s personal and professional lives is a great way to start building and developing the foundation of trust and storytelling in the work place. It also sets a good example that people could take back and use in their own classrooms.

As I reflect back on my teaching career, I now understand that the realization of the importance of building relationships is something that has developed as I have matured as a person. I cringe as I remember myself defiantly telling a seventh grader in Philadelphia “You do NOT have to like me, but you DO have to respect me!!!” As a young 22 year old, this seemed like the best way to get respect from a defiant teenager, demand it. However, 12 years later, I realize that if I had approached my relationship with that child differently from the start and worked on building a relationship through storytelling and understanding of his position, I might have had a different end of the year conversation with him than the one I recounted above.

The same is true about relationships between school leaders and building faculty and staff.  Teachers will work harder for a building principal that they like.  It is important to continuously work on establishing relational trust and building relationships throughout the school year using activities such as storytelling, celebrations, and connecting at a level that goes beyond the day-to-day classroom instruction.

In summary, one of the overarching themes that has woven through all of my courses in school leadership is the importance of building relationships and establishing trust in the work place. To me, the fact that this theme appeared in all of my class work, whether it was philosophy of leadership, human resources management, school finance or school law, only serves to further highlight its importance and necessity in the development of a successful and functional school building.

References

Palmer, Parker J. (2000). Leading from within. Let your life speak. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.