ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Why are all five components of leadership necessary for success in leading through change?Change is so unpredictable. As Fullan (2007) states "Leadership, then, is not mobilizing others to solve problems we already know how to solve, but to help them confront problems that have never yet been successfully addressed." We have to be ready for the unexpected. Knowing to how to best deal with the unexpected is where leaders rise up. A leader could be anyone. "Leaders are those who step up to help their organizations succeed. They take a larger measure of responsibility for keeping track of the big picture" (Elias, 2013). Fulan (2007) give 5 components that that he believes are imortant to any successful leader. Below is a graphic of the 5 components. I personally believe that moral purpose is the highest on my list. "Moral purpose means acting with the intention of making a positive difference in the lives of employees, customers, and society as a whole" (Fullan, 2007). For me I am so busy and give so much to teaching. Why? Because I chose to be a teacher because I want to see students succeed. I enjoy being with them after school and seeing them doing things they really enjoy. Now all components are related so I can't say that I am only concerned with moral purpose. This is just the piece of the pie that really resonates with why I became a teacher. With doing after school activities I build relationships, this building of relationships helps me to build knowledge in sharing with my students and helps me to understand them better fostering change. In coherence making I start to realize what works with students and I can change my teaching to fit what I find. On the outside of the circle we have to remember that "energetic-enthusiastic-hopeful leaders 'cause' greater moral purpose in themselves, bury themselves in change, naturally build relationships and knowledge, and seek coherence to consolidate moral purpose" (Fullan, 2007). When I was searching for what makes a good leader through change I found a couple of articles by Elena Aguilar. In all her articles she really focuses on the relationship piece which in turn ties into the other 4 categories mentioned by Fullan. Aguilar (2014) says that a good leader should be a visionary, a community builder, and have high emotional intelligence. In other words they should have a vision and it should be clear by their actions, they should work with the community and understand their own emotions as well as others. They should be level-headed and should make a person feel understood. In another article by Aguilar (2011) she quotes Margaret Wheatley in saying that "I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again: simple, honest, human conversation, and not mediation, negotiation, problem solving, debate, or public meetings. Truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well." The biggest component to a good leader is communication. They must communicate their thoughts well and also listen to others intently. Conversation is how we keep everyone feeling like they are important and this is where you can make a school great or you will see it fall apart. When you walk in a school you will know the environment based on the reactions you get from students, staff, and parents. Do they smile? If so you can guess that they are feeling heard by someone in the school. They are connected and that is a good sign. (Aguilar, 2014) Sources:
Aguilar, E. (2011, April 06). Educational Change Starts with Listening. Retrieved March 03, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/educational-leadership-change-listening-elena-aguilar Aguilar, E. (2014, June 10). What Makes a Great School Leader? Retrieved March 03, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/qualities-of-great-school-leader-elena-aguilar Elias, M. J. (2013, July 18). 6 Paths to Better Leadership. Retrieved March 03, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/educators-improving-school-leadership-maurice-elias Fullan, Michael. Leading in a Culture of Change (1). Somerset, US: Jossey-Bass, 2007. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 28 February 2017.
6 Comments
Natalie
3/4/2017 08:08:31 am
I agree when you said that communication is a big component to being a good leader. Actually, communication should be the easiest component in our digital age but somehow it still seems to be the biggest factor in determining whether we think our leadership is communicating enough. I always valued the open door policy but sometimes it was frustrating always seeing the door closed because someone else was already in the office. Maybe appointment scheduling would have been better? Although setting up an additional appointment would have taken more time with additional steps.
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Sara Lucas
3/5/2017 10:11:41 am
It is strange how with all of the avenues of communication it seems like we don't have enough of it. I think some of it boils down to how skilled administrators are with technology. The ones who are comfortable with it seems to be better at communicating than those who aren't as comfortable.
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3/4/2017 11:29:16 am
I am struggling with what a good leader is at the moment, not that I don’t understand the role of a good leader in change, but sometimes get the feeling that some leaders are just interested in what their personal idea of a good education is, without making an effort to listen, like you say, to individuals. At what point do leaders (principals) make that distinction of what is personal, to what is best for the organization? I suppose I am reacting to what has been happening with me at my school, but my question is valid, is it not? And at what point do superintendents make the distinction of what is personally best for them on their resume, and really paying attention his principals, teachers, staff, and making sure the decisions they make are for the best interest of all students in the district? I was not being sarcastic during our Twitter session about knowing a good leader. I suppose it’s difficult to say someone is a good leader when you feel they don’t listen to you and your suggestions and you see things that are happening that make school/education seem a chore and not a passion. (sorry for being down, but that is my state of mind at this moment.)
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Sara Lucas
3/5/2017 10:16:39 am
I agree. This is tough becasue what we feel personally will affect our leadership no matter what. I think this is where you really have to look for a school that matches your beliefs. I know I have been filling out a lot of applications and they do ask questions relating to what you believe about education. I think people really have to be honest here to make sure they end up in a place that is a good fit for their beliefs.
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Jule
3/4/2017 10:29:52 pm
Your last few sentences could not be more true! Leaders really do shape and change the climate of a school or any function. I wonder how many smiles we would get these days walking into, say, the white house? :)
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Sara Lucas
3/5/2017 10:19:03 am
For sure!!! Some of it is from home but you can make kids smile. We really need to focus on making them feel welcome especially with all the tech out there. It really lacks the human component.
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