The Good, Great, Excellent, and the Successful Leader

 Welcome back teacher friends to another week of inSpiration! I'm glad you're here and I'm very excited to share some insight with you t his week. My message this week is and was not my original thought that popped into my head. I'd like to take this moment to thank Bishop Michael at my parish for providing me with the core idea to start my blog this week. When I heard his message las week, I instantly wanted to take out my notes and start writing because while the message (of course,) had a spiritual overtone, I automatically connected the theme to leadership and teaching!  

I often hear different quotes and phrases describing what makes a good leader, what makes a great one, and what makes an excellent leader. Most of the time these quotes come from the great John Maxwell. After all he is the guru on all things leadership. Over time, through workshops, books, observations, and my own experiences, I've seen all different kinds of leaders and leadership styles. I've been trying to find ways to express the different kinds of leaders to others, and now thanks to my parish and a few tweaks of my own flare, I found how I want to explain it to others. 

Let's start with what makes a good leader. A good leader is like a GPS; someone who leads you step by step, turn by turn, through whatever project, problem, or workspace you're navigating. He/she tells others where to go on their journey to get to the destination. It's direct, and explicit so others don't have to worry about getting lost and solving problems on the other side, but focus on the direct path they need to get there. These leaders are experts and directing, being specific about what needs to be done, and providing a sense of stability for those who follow that they are heading in the right direction with their work. These leaders will be always one step ahead for those who are relying on them, especially if they are unsure of the way. At the end of the journey, when others have "reached their destination" a good leader offers a sense of relief and accomplishment that all the steps were taken effectively and correctly to get there. As teachers, there are times where we have to be that GPS for our students. As teacher leaders, this also applies! We have to guide others step-by-step and be the model example they need for their work.

Now then, what makes a great leader? A great leader is a compass, which doesn’t give an exact location, turn-by-turn navigation, and warnings how far away the exit ramp is. It's still a guide, but with gaps that need to be filled in by the person holding it. These leaders will always be the reminder where north is, so others can have a general sense of where they are, look around them, and navigate their way with a guidance toward their goal. A compass allows others to figure out the steps in the journey for themselves, but be there when needed. This type of leadership can be scary for some of the followers who have to figure things out for themselves, and sometimes (depending on the leader,) it's also unnerving for the leader. The people he/she may be guiding could still get lost, make a wrong turn, misread the direction, and delay the process of "reaching their destination." At the end however, the person who had to use the compass and navigate their way more feels a bigger sense of accomplishment. Isn't this what we do everyday as teachers? We guide our students, yet allow them to fail forward to learn how to fix their errors and feel pride that they did their best at achieving a goal. As teacher leaders, being a compass for someone or a team provides a sense of accomplishment for all involved, and more learning happened!

Now you might ask, ok, so then what makes an excellent leader? If you’ve ever seen the compass the character Jack Sparrow had in Pirates of the Caribbean, you know it never pointed north, but rather, always changed and maneuvered in the direction of what he wanted most. Fictional as it may be, an excellent leader is one who will always get to know others, and what they want most. This type of leader reflects on what others need and want in the process of achieving a goal. He/she will help others discover what they want, and encourage them in the direction they need to succeed. Without buy in from those around them, a leader will surely end up alone on the journey. It is his/her responsibility to make sure everyone whom they are leading feels empowered, has a sense of growth for themselves along the way, and they are achieving what they want most out of their work. In other words, it’s not just about the leader and his/her journey, but what those around him/her learn and experience that will help navigate the entire crew toward the destination (even in the most dark, murky waters.) This can be the uncomfortable type of leader to be, but yet, the one that will achieve the most and greatest accomplishments in the end. This type of leadership style is one that exudes confidence, and has others asking "How does he/she do it?' This is also the type that takes the longest to master, after all, as a leader, you may not have a GPS to help you get to this point... but if leaders keep this as an underlying theme in their hearts, being a compass that points others in the direction of what they want most, will soon be a natural part of their work. As teachers, isn't this the essence of our work? Whenever we have to be the GPS or a compass, we always have the same theme- we want our students to flourish in whatever they want to be. As teacher leaders, we can do this for our peers as well. When we listen and ask questions (linking to last week's blog,) to learn more we can help be the compass that points them in the direction of what they want most. 

In my opinion, a successful leader has the ability to be little bit of all three- the GPS, the compass, and the compass that points in the direction of what others want. Sure it takes time to master all three of these, but if we want to be successful teacher leaders, it should be our goal to learn all three, and more importantly, when each one is needed in different situations. Which leader are you teacher friends? Which leader do you desire to be? How can you practice the skills needed for that type of leadership? Remember that leadership is about the journey, not the destination, and when you feel you've reached the destination, you'll find there's even more to learn. Perhaps that's what makes a truly successful leader- the sense of lifelong learning and knowing it never stops. There's always something new to learn and room for growth. 

Let’s work together this week to learn how to be all three at appropriate times to help guide others and achieve our goals together, and continue to be the successful leaders we know we are! 

Final thoughts: Keep practicing the different types of leadership to help you understand them better. Keep getting to know the people you are leading, and what they want most. Keep asking yourself, "How can I help lead others along their journey?" And finally, keep learning! True teacher leadership is about lifelong learning. When you stop learning, you stop growing, and we never want to loose sight that growth is what makes us better, not achieving our "destination" or goal!