Truth 2- Credibility is the foundation of leadership Truth 3- Values drive commitment Truth 4- Focusing on the future sets leaders apart To summarize:
Credibility is important to leadership as educators, because students need to trust and believe us. We are after all responsible for their learning, and no one pays attention to a phony. It should be a sense of duty to aspire to higher levels of trust and expectation with students. When we accomplish this with them we not only make our work easier, but students feel the importance of being taught by us. When our word is infallible, we are in control. This also leads to stronger pride in our schools and organizations. When we are in leadership positions, we need to hold ourselves accountable. This can be seen is strong sports and club organizations. Usually the best operations are headed by a credible and driven leader. They admit and learn from mistakes, but strive to avoid them. This leads us to the next truth. Values were identified on page 31 as absolute necessities to be relate-able to those we lead. We don't trust automatons without personality. We trust individuals with heart and direction. We want to know what others passions are, what goals they have, and how they work with others. Those most commonly looked up towards are seen as leaders because of their ideals alone. They stand for something among the swarm of indifference. When we make out values known, we say something about ourselves. "This is what I believe, and this is how I view the world". It is important to do this, even if we think others may see the world differently. It's not about the specifics, its about the heart and drive. Communicate what matters! Finally, a goal oriented future adds to our leadership value. The mindset to continue progress, and set goals is important to build true leadership. We must work towards something, instead of just working. As teachers, we focus on the process. We want to foster growth in our students. If we don't have a plan to do this, we are more likely to fail them. We should have short term goals, but we should also know where to go once we reach them. It doesn't ever end. There is always things to strive for, and having focus on the future ensures we get better, not complacent. Overall these chapters had some tangible reasons as to their merit. They made their case without over explaining nor reaching. Which of these three do you feel is the most valuable? Leave a comment below and let me know.
2 Comments
Andy Pethan
1/22/2017 08:48:44 pm
"It's not about the specifics, its about the heart and drive."
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Jen Green
1/23/2017 05:33:55 pm
You are so right that "no one pays attention to a phony." We work with this every day as our HS students can sense phoniness in a teacher, and as a result, do not respect and are not inspired to learn from those teachers. We are no different. We want the same truth and sincerity from our leaders. We might not always agree with them, but if we know they have the same values and goals as we do, we will continue to follow them.
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AuthorI am a Health and Physical Education Teacher at Byron High School in Byron, Minnesota. Archives
November 2016
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