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Sitting in my living room. Looking around, five items stand out:
Christmas Cactus plant Inkjet printer Wireless modem Duck bookend End table Clay pot |
The objects I selected from the living room are not all related but they all have some purpose in the room. The plant, bookend,clay pot, and table are decorative but also functional in some way. With the exception of the clay pot, an object that once was in the home of my parents, each of these items is from a second hand store or garage sale or simply found after being discarded by someone else. This is true of many items in my house.
The modem and printer are tools for school and work. They work together to enable wireless printing These are important tools for every member of the family and therefore are in a central location in the house. In a sense all of these items are related because I had a hand in selecting them and bringing them into the room.
I feel relaxed in this room. It is what I think of when I imagine being at home. I work, read and spend time with family here. When my family is all together, including extended, this room is a central place for us to get together and talk. Years ago when all of our children were small our family would get together for holidays. With all of the children running around the adults would sit in this room and share what was going on in their lives. We still get together but now the children are grown and the room gets crowded. We still talk about our lives but now we are also listening in on the lives of our children. This room brings out deep thought and reflection.
How do these objects represent leadership?
As I reflect on the room I see several similarities to how a leader must impact a room. Leaders can make you feel connected, important, positive or the opposite - alienated, anxious, suspicious. A leader will be the model for others to follow and can create a sense of stability and a feeling that the organization is progressing. I have a mixed experience with both positive and negative leadership.
Leadership has always played an important part in where I choose to work. In recent experiences I have been in situations where there has been turmoil around the leadership. Most of it stems from a failure to communicate and share a vision for the school. This often created a situation where several often competing interpretations of the purpose and direction led to a feeling that the organization was failing. People were unhappy because they felt misunderstood or unappreciated. I have noticed people begin to withdraw at a professional level, no longer caring to share feelings and experiences about their professional practice and growth. What usually is follows is a toxic environment that takes a toll on almost everyone associated. That’s around the time I look for a new place to work.
When those leaders, unaware of how their impact on others, are in a room I feel anxious and frustrated. I’m torn between sharing my views and feelings or just tuning out. I feel that way because I’m afraid of how the message will be received. Probably because this has always been in an environment where teachers have not had the opportunity to give input into the vision. The message that leadership inadvertently communicates is that they alone have the responsibility for creating the vision/mission and choosing the direction in which to lead the school.
Leadership that deliberately seeks to develop a shared vision that takes into account the context and purpose of an organization, with the input of all stakeholders, creates a powerful group of people on a clear mission. The group can always fall back on that vision to inform practice and policy. They are united in their goal for success of the organization and in a way, they can all be thought of as leaders. Leadership that grows and communicates a vision collaboratively, is cultivating future leadership that continues to grow that vision.
The modem and printer are tools for school and work. They work together to enable wireless printing These are important tools for every member of the family and therefore are in a central location in the house. In a sense all of these items are related because I had a hand in selecting them and bringing them into the room.
I feel relaxed in this room. It is what I think of when I imagine being at home. I work, read and spend time with family here. When my family is all together, including extended, this room is a central place for us to get together and talk. Years ago when all of our children were small our family would get together for holidays. With all of the children running around the adults would sit in this room and share what was going on in their lives. We still get together but now the children are grown and the room gets crowded. We still talk about our lives but now we are also listening in on the lives of our children. This room brings out deep thought and reflection.
How do these objects represent leadership?
- Christmas Cactus plant - Leadership is effective when it is organic. Leaders that come from within an organization have an advantage but that does not mean that only leadership that is grown from within will work.
- HP printer - Leaders have a vision of what a great school can be. They share that vision with others and invite input to craft a group vision of what an organization can be.
- Wireless modem - Leadership thrives on and seeks to develop modes of communication among all stakeholders.
- Duck bookend - A bookend keeps an entire shelf full of books from falling over. It will always be there. Leaders are dependable, remaining consistent with a vision when others may become discouraged
- End table - Resilience, I found this in the alley, it works great in our house, its not new or polished but it stands the test of time, survives after being thrown away and it is beautiful. Leaders have to be resilient. There will be doubters and there will be haters It takes a lot of inner strength to carry on and continue to deliver the message.
- Clay pot - Its beautiful and functional but it also represents a history and culture. It is an artifact that connects my family to our culture and reminds us where we come from. Leaders are connected to the community they serve and work to establish a positive culture.
As I reflect on the room I see several similarities to how a leader must impact a room. Leaders can make you feel connected, important, positive or the opposite - alienated, anxious, suspicious. A leader will be the model for others to follow and can create a sense of stability and a feeling that the organization is progressing. I have a mixed experience with both positive and negative leadership.
Leadership has always played an important part in where I choose to work. In recent experiences I have been in situations where there has been turmoil around the leadership. Most of it stems from a failure to communicate and share a vision for the school. This often created a situation where several often competing interpretations of the purpose and direction led to a feeling that the organization was failing. People were unhappy because they felt misunderstood or unappreciated. I have noticed people begin to withdraw at a professional level, no longer caring to share feelings and experiences about their professional practice and growth. What usually is follows is a toxic environment that takes a toll on almost everyone associated. That’s around the time I look for a new place to work.
When those leaders, unaware of how their impact on others, are in a room I feel anxious and frustrated. I’m torn between sharing my views and feelings or just tuning out. I feel that way because I’m afraid of how the message will be received. Probably because this has always been in an environment where teachers have not had the opportunity to give input into the vision. The message that leadership inadvertently communicates is that they alone have the responsibility for creating the vision/mission and choosing the direction in which to lead the school.
Leadership that deliberately seeks to develop a shared vision that takes into account the context and purpose of an organization, with the input of all stakeholders, creates a powerful group of people on a clear mission. The group can always fall back on that vision to inform practice and policy. They are united in their goal for success of the organization and in a way, they can all be thought of as leaders. Leadership that grows and communicates a vision collaboratively, is cultivating future leadership that continues to grow that vision.
