#EdLeadership: Why You Can’t Lead without Love

Michael Fullan describes in his book, The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive,  the attributes that are akin to what good leadership looks like in schools which I think are elements that are embedded into a Happiness-Based approach. In general, a “good leader”, always has hope, is selfless and ready to serve, and they exemplify life-long learning. Moreover, they have 6 practices within their school culture that are the 6 “secrets” for creating a safe environment for change and innovation:

1. Love your employees/staff as much as you love your students (and parents)
2. Connect peers with purpose
3. Build capacity rather than judgementalism
4. Know that Learning IS the work!
5. Transparency rules
6. Systems “learn” rather than being fixed

What can we take away from these “secrets”?

With Big Responsibility, Comes Big Heart

As I see it, the only difference between a teacher and a school leader is the level and scale of your ability to see the good and find reasons to love the people in your care. Leadership not only has to care about its students but see its staff as allies in the pursuit of excellence, and with that, care about their well-being.

Heart trumps the head, especially as the extent of your responsibility and influence expands in the learning community. That’s the choice we make every day–who and how am I going to bring about awesomeness in others?

Love of …

Who you serve

Everyone has a desire to create. In fact, I strongly believe that educators are some of the most creative humans on the planet because of the level of attention and intention we bring to the learning process. So, I believe it is the ability to care and have empathy for our teachers that help them along on their professional path. And teachers who strive for excellence and innovation, I believe, do the same for their students.

How do you show your teachers that you care about them? Do you go out of your way to talk to them, ask about their family or weekend, or do something thoughtful like give them a birthday card? How many of your staff members do you connect with during the day? And of those interactions, how many of them would drum up a feeling of goodwill and appreciation?  Not sure?–then track it. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

By the way, increased social interaction is a known antidote for the “blahs” when it comes to work, in general. In fact these social connections fuel innovation, in which one study showed how the importance of interpersonal relationships are to the professional atmosphere and learning behaviors of members in an organization.

What you do

Do  I really have to tell you this? Being in education isn’t a J-O-B, it’s a choice.

And it’s a choice to have relationships. We call this “culture”-the micro and macro choices that are made by every individual in that learning community to engage and connect. Educators who make a difference are the ones who understand the power of their relationships. Research shows that it eclipses raw intelligence in order to go beyond 1-2-3s and A-B-Cs because it’s this commitment to bringing out the best in others that creates impact and cultivates talent.

 So what do you do to bring out the best in teachers and colleagues? How do you instill trust and confidence in them? And how do you connect with them when you have something difficult to share? Do others solicit your advice for improvement or turn to others for help? Or do you have closed doors and closed minds?

You have to love what you do so you can do what you love. Think about how you inspire that in others and write down evidence of such impact.

How you do things

Everyone has a work ethic. Repetition creates discipline and culture within our four walls. Are teachers rushing out the door, seeing their work as a JOB and not a calling? And who’s responsible for that?

Ahem…..Hey Leader–YOU ARE! When you take responsibility for that, shift happens. You want to go back to step 1–Love of Who you Serve–so you can move from coordinating staff to co-producing with staff.

Just as when a child comes along and tugs on our sleeve, are we saying “yes” to our teachers’ ideas or listening to them challenge our decisions? We must cultivate the “voice” of our staff so that they feel heard and appreciated. In fact, I don’t think listening is enough. I think actively soliciting their ideas would open communication and provide the opportunity to ask them: “Now that you shared this with me, what action do you think should be taken as a result of it? Is there some way that you can lead this initiative?” This should not be seen as trying to manipulate them, but out of the observation that they deeply care around an issue and you VALUE their concern and perspective.

But it takes more than ears, it takes eyes–not only do leaders need a vision that is clearly articulated, but more importantly, school leaders need to take more responsibility for establishing a professional learning culture within the school. What do you see happening in classrooms? Have you ever read this paper by Peter Cole- Entitled “PD A great way to avoid change? Do you have a system of classroom observation, feedback, and lesson study? How do you create professionalism at your school?

I hope this post gives you a pause for reflection, making you wonder if the people around you see you as an encouraging person who inspires them or an obstacle to their personal happiness. Also, I hope you consider the habits and systems you use that cultivate the professional atmosphere and culture of your school–enthusiasm is the driver for the work and when people feel supported and cared for, they will go all-in.

Perhaps now you will too……

with love.