I began my career as a seventh grade English teacher with no expectation that I would become an educational leader. That was my father’s job. Growing up, I had watched him lead—first as an elementary school principal, then as the curriculum director for a small city school district in upstate New York, and throughout as a long-time board member for community organizations that supported local youth and adults with disabilities. My dad was a true Progressive educator. He had studied at Teachers’ College, Columbia University with some of the era’s greatest scholars and believed in keeping up with the latest research and using data to inform his decisions. Through his example, I learned about leadership—the importance of passion for your work, a long-term vision of where you want to go, and the ongoing follow-through to make sure you and your colleagues would get there together. He taught me the meaning of hard work, of kindness to people from all walks of life, and of the willingness of a leader to do any task, however menial. I have a vivid memory of picking up litter with him on the Broad Street School playground because he wanted his school to look better than other public places in the neighborhood.
When I left junior high school teaching to become a professor, first at Tulane and then at the University of Minnesota, I found that I had inherited my dad’s leadership gene and, somewhat to my surprise, that leadership came naturally. As I trace the evolution of my philosophy of educational leadership, I can see its clear roots in his practice, coupled with what I have learned in over 25 years of experience in several, very different settings. Let me summarize these concisely as three broad principles—(1) truly value people, (2) work hard and persist, and (3) live by rules that are important to you. I will explain each of these principles briefly.
My first principle—truly value people—has clear meaning for a leader. People really do matter, and the wise leader attends both to individual differences and to collective strengths. In my experience, no one sets out purposefully to do a bad job. People want to do good work, and they appreciate the support of a leader who has a vision, cares about them, and is passionate and enthusiastic about their shared purpose and able to inspire them to be, too. To my mind this principle has three overlapping components:
Create a team. A leader—the keeper of the vision—needs to help people mutually craft a common purpose, a set of short- and long-term goals that will lead over time to its achievement, and shared benefits and consequences (i.e., the knowledge that “we’re in this together”). I always work to create an esprit de corps, often including a collective group identity. Here is where my sense of humor comes in. People I work with know that I enjoy finding acronyms for different committees and task forces (e.g., MESI, TESSE, GRIP/E, GERT). I do that for easy reference, to name our shared group identity, and, oftentimes, to have a bit of fun. As a leader, I seek to find meaningful roles for different people, complementary and interconnected roles that celebrate people’s different skills and abilities and build on their strengths. It is important that people feel positively about their work, celebrating successes and coming together to understand when things go wrong.
Support individuals. A second component of a leader’s valuing people relates to providing them the support they need to do their jobs. Part of that support comes from having a big picture vision and recruiting others who are also committed to it. Support also comes in the form of creating a warm and inclusive environment, a workplace that has touches of home, a space where people can come together formally and informally, a place where (to quote the “Cheers” theme song) everybody knows your name–and your children’s names. Supporting people means giving them the public credit they deserve when they do good work, and taking that as an indicator of successful leadership. It also means encouraging and even requiring people to develop themselves, helping them to think about and prepare for their next position, the place they want to go next.
Make connections. A final component of valuing people involves creating connections that build a network of interest and support. Much of life depends on positive relationships with others, and a good leader—with or without the Internet—helps those around her to make those connections. Part of making connections has to do with encouraging people to express their views openly and honestly, tackling conflict head-on by naming it and dealing with it. In Minnesota this can prove to be a challenge, but “Minnesota nice” notwithstanding, managing conflict and using it as an opportunity for building connections can pay off in the long run. Making connections also means remembering that someone in one area might benefit from a connection to someone else in another department or agency
My second broad principle—work hard and persist—is more personally oriented. It is important for a leader to value and work effectively with others, but as a leader it is also important to put in the time and consistent, thoughtful effort necessary to get things done. Deming once wrote about the importance of “constancy of purpose over time” for achieving true change, a phrase that I am often reminded of as a leader. It is about keeping your vision before your eyes and working every day to move it forward. It means keeping your head above the fray and modeling a work ethic for others to emulate.
My third principle—live by rules that are important to you—reflects the integration of what I have learned through many years of leadership in a variety of settings, both professional and personal. In all of my leadership activities for at least the past 20 years, whatever the setting, I have abided by four rules:
- Never panic, because panicking only stymies your response and contributes nothing;
- Solve the problem, which is always coupled with the first rule, because you need to determine a viable course of action whatever the situation you find yourself in;
- Keep the big picture in mind, because often times what seems overwhelming at the moment is really unimportant in the grand scheme of things, and by holding that big picture vision before you, you can continue making progress toward your goals; and
- Be nice, because nothing is gained by acting otherwise; my mother was extremely clear on this point, and over the years I have found her to be correct.
Those with whom I work often recite my rules (especially numbers 1 and 3) back to me in times of stress!
I am passionate about leading because I believe I can make a difference. In my father’s long career, I observed the role of the servant leader, and my three principles clearly stem from and relate to that commitment. I consider it a privilege when asked to take a leadership role in organizations and to provide support to others as together we work to create something wonderful.
