Leadership: A New Definition
Personal Journey
It’s time for a new definition of leadership. Being a leader is no longer denoted
by an important title, a position of authority, or one’s I.Q. Educators, like all of
us, are ultimately inspired by a leader's presence and way of being. Aristotle
spoke of 'ethos' as a type of leadership in which a leader influences others to
change their values and thus their performance. He explained that ethos is not
what a person says or promises, but it is their way of being in the world, their
presence and comportment that affects how others follow them and whether
they are open to their ideas.
Clearly, effective leadership has less to do with what you know and more to do
with the kind of person you are. There are plenty of educational experts that we
would not follow if they tried to lead us.
If we are serious about improving our schools; we must change our approach to
leadership. We need to stop blaming others for their unwillingness to do what
we think is best and hold ourselves accountable. Perhaps the simplest but most
profound step in the leadership journey; is the realization that we need to focus
less on the faults of others and more on our own effectiveness and leadership
“ethos”.
Becoming an effective leader requires a healthy dose of courageous, self-honesty.
Particularly when we hear the inner voice asking:
“Why is it that when I try to move others to my vision I get little traction?
It’s as if my voice is not heard or valued. “
“How can I meet our goals with too little resources”
“How will I overcome my tendency to say, “Yes”, to every request when I
really need to say, “No”, to some?”
“When will I stop avoiding difficult conversations with those who are not
performing to my standards?”
“Will I ever learn to manage the performance of others when I’m most
comfortable doing things myself?”
These questions and many others are deeply personal, deeply human and
represent only a few of our many leadership challenges. Little of the vision we
have for our schools can be realized without dealing with a myriad of human
issues. In our hearts, we know that real leadership involves far more than the
etiquette of the professional domain. Leadership is personal.
The good new is that, contrary to some beliefs, we do not have to be born
leaders. Leadership can be developed. It is an exciting journey with few short
cuts. Those of us that try to make developing our leadership a safe, intellectual
exercise will be disappointed.
The traditional path of listening to lectures, reading books, writing and talking
about leadership provides information and insight; but generally will not change
our behavior and our ability to take new actions. We know intuitively that
reading about leadership will not make us leaders. We don’t expect to learn to
play the piano by reading about it. Athletes practice and musicians rehearse so
that they have the skills they need to excel embedded in their bodies. Real
leadership is more than learning and applying tips and techniques. It is a
commitment to aligning our values and beliefs with our actions; and that takes
commitment and practice. So where should we start?
Purpose, Passion & Inspiration
The best place to start is to reconnect to our purpose and our passion. We need to
ask, “For the sake of what am I doing what I am doing?” The first answer,
generally, just scratches the surface. Ask the question again in order drop deeper
into your purpose. Another answer will appear. Ask again and again until you
arrive at an answer where you begin to feel the smoldering passion and purpose
that has been waiting for you to stoke it. It’s there for all of us. Sometimes our
answer, our purpose, scares us because it is so big, or surprises us because we
have wandered so far from it. Our purpose is not something to be recited like a
mission statement but something to feel in our hearts.
Being in integrity with our purpose brings on a more powerful presence. When
you are living your purpose it is easier to speak the truth and inspire others.
Being able to inspire, to create narratives that enroll others, and shift the
behaviors of our teams are important attributes of effective leaders. When we are
clear about our purpose we can envision possibilities without being tethered to
the details. Sure enough, there will be operational and tactical details to deal with
but once we sense our purpose the details take on more meaning. They are not
nuisances that irritate us but important steps on the way to our goal. No one can
lead effectively without a strong sense of purpose.
Whether you are a district or building administrator, or a supervisor; every day
you are inundated with operational issues that, while important for the
functioning of the organization; sometimes take us further and further away
from our real purpose. It’s been a long time since some of us have examined our
organizational purpose, our professional purpose, and yes; the purpose of our
lives. Life hijacks us. Things need to get done. There are plans to write, budgets
to be developed, reports to analyze, personnel issues, kids, parents, new
programs to be implemented…the list never seems to end.
As more and more of our time is devoured by the important details of our jobs,
the underlying purpose of our work and our lives drifts further into the
background, until, at last, we become disconnected from it. Have you ever
snapped at a co-worker? Rolled your eyes in frustration after meeting with a
planning committee? Wondered why no one was as concerned as you? They’re
common occurrences and they’re very human reactions. They may be isolated
incidents or bad days; but if they are more frequent, perhaps you should reflect
on your purpose.
Re-connecting with our purpose can simplify our lives. Rather than have our
lives dominated and driven by the details of the job, when we are guided by our
purpose we are in a better position to create the world we desire. We can use our
purpose as a GPS system to locate ourselves in a complex and crowded world or
a complex and crowded day. Having a strong sense of purpose makes it easier to
make decisions because our inner conversation is simplified. It comes down to
this, “Does the decision I’m about make, or the action I’m about to take serve my
purpose?” Making commitments becomes easier when we feel our purpose
strongly. This is different feeling than doing our duty or excelling in our jobs.
Embodiment & Trust
One caution, you can’t fake a connection to purpose. If a leader promotes a sense
of purpose that is not embodied, she is sensed as inauthentic. She will not be
trusted. Leaders require trust in order to be effective. Whatever your purpose, it
must be rooted in your most cherished personal values. Your life is centered and
in integrity when your organizational, professional, and personal values align
with your purpose. When your life is aligned like this you are living from the
“sweet spot”; and draw likeminded people to you. New opportunities begin to
open before you.
Most of us have good intentions. We have noble goals. For example, we say we
value our health and are aware of the benefits of exercise and good diet; but may
not eat well and lead sedentary lives. We know we should be spending more
time with our family; but we find ourselves at work staying late far too often. We
are human beings and have plenty of excuses but the real test of our commitment
is in actions we take. Being in a leadership position puts us under a magnifying
glass. We are being scrutinized for how consistently we embody what we say we
believe. If our actions are out of alignment with what we say, then we won’t be
granted the trust we need to lead.
It should be no surprise to anyone in a position of leadership that their behavior
is being observed and assessed by everyone around them. One sad statistic
brings this point home powerfully. “65% of American workers don’t trust
management.” (Harvard School of Business - source) The most cited reason is
that management doesn’t do what it says. A simple incident serves as an
excellent example of this point. A building principal speaks often about the
primary importance of Professional Development to the success of the school’s
future growth. However, when confronted with a tight budget he cuts back on
Professional Development while continuing fully fund other areas. Remember
Aristotle’s ethos and our new definition of leadership? It’s not what a person
says or promises, but their way of being in the world, their presence and
comportment that affects how others follow. Clearly, the principal is out of
alignment with his own stated beliefs and will find it difficult if not impossible to
lead.
Courage
Courage is an important component of the personal leadership journey. It is a
familiar word with an unfamiliar etymology. The word courage comes from the
old French “couer” or heart. Being a leader is more than being smart or
visionary; but requires heart and spirit. “Courage is that firmness of spirit and
swell of soul which meets danger without fear.” It takes courage to live in
integrity with one’s beliefs. It takes courage to hold a vision for your
organization, your department, or your team. It can be daunting to confront the
issues, obstacles and people that stand in the way of the future you wish to
create. It takes courage to look at yourself and your beliefs and to hold yourself
accountable for the world in which you live. A leader can either complain about
those he leads or realize that they reflect his leadership. Everything that exists in
the organization, good and bad, has been allowed to exist by the leader.
Courageous behavior in the professional domain can be developed through
practice. For some, these practices are necessary to change behaviors that have
been employed for a lifetime. It takes courage to step into the role of a beginner
or learner, leaving one’s established habits behind and practicing new sets of
behaviors that feel clumsy and uncomfortable. How much courage does it take to
leave a part of yourself behind in order to pursue a new self that, at the moment,
is nothing more than a belief about what is possible for you and your school.
How many life changing journeys have begun with the words “We can do
better”. It takes courage to accept that great things are possible. We may ask
ourselves, “Who am I to believe I can do these great things?” It takes courage to
answer, “ Who am I to turn away from them?”
Courage shows up in performance evaluations and in apologies when we make
mistakes. It shows up in being fully present and listening to criticism even when
we feel a wave of defensiveness wash over us. Courage can be deciding to leave
the safety of methods that we have employed for years; to risk trying new ways
of managing that might be more exciting and effective for the organizations in
our care. For some it takes courage to give up complete control and to trust in
the competence of others. For some it takes courage to step into power and to
provide direction to others.
Conclusion:
The foundation of our leadership journey is our life’s purpose. We understand
that we must look to change ourselves in order to develop a presence that will
predispose others to listen to our ideas and be inspired to take new actions for
themselves. We know that we cannot do this from our heads but that we must
develop the skills of the heart as well. New behaviors and new learning will
make us feel clumsy and insecure at times; but we will continue the leadership
journey, not for our personal benefit; but because it serves a higher purpose. We,
as emerging leaders, can be the catalysts that transform our schools, and thus, the
world in which we live. We know in our hearts that change is needed; and it is
we that must lead the way.
Pete Reilly