Years ago, I was blessed to be in a position to hold seminars with groups of educators designed to discuss and build leadership skills both informally and formally, internally – for the individual and externally for the school. As we discussed leadership skills and qualities, we would talk about new tools being put in our toolboxes as leaders. This year in Teach & Serve, I have decided to talk about many of those tools.
EVERYTHING IS NEW ALL THE TIME
Today I offer what I hope is an appropriate tool for the start of the new year.
Most who have formal leadership positions in a school have been doing this work for a while. Typically, leaders who are in “official” positions have sat other chairs leading up to the job they currently hold. They have been coaches or mentors or department chairs or the like. They have seen things and they have lived things. They know a bit about this work we share.
This is a strength, to be sure, and it has helped them reach the positions they have. However, it has, like most qualities do, a shadow side.
When leaders find themselves saying “we’ve been through this before” or “I’ve seen this before” when they are brought ideas, they should remember that part of their leadership is to make everything new all the time. There is very little that can shut someone down quicker than a leader saying “no, that won’t work, we’ve been through this before.”
While that sentiment is likely true and the concept that is on the table has flaws that have been lived through, a leader approaches a response to this scenario carefully and with some deliberateness. Old ideas were tried at some point because they did work. There are kernels in them that may work again. The leader explains what did not work before while validating what can work going forward.
Cycles will repeat. The great wheel turns ever around. It is the responsibility of the leader to make everything new all the time.