I had to think long and hard about who I looked to for their leadership qualities. Before I could make a decision, I did a little bit of research and I liked the information that I found on http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadcon.htmlI knew what I thought made a good leader; listening skills, delegation, and organization to name a few. But I really liked how this site talked about the differences between a "boss" and a "leader."
I choose to look at my former principal, Stewart Maxcy. Putting aside that he was the principal that hired me for my first teaching position, he was an excellent leader for our school. While his demeanor was calm and laid-back, he still commanded attention with his presence. He rarely got push-back from other staff members when he asked for a task to be done. Even now, while he works in the county office on a project that most teachers despise (Race-to-the-Top), Mr. Maxcy can still get teachers to help out.
He always had his door open and welcomed teachers who needed to discuss school issues. When you did have an issue, he didn't have a plan of action for you, but rather a question: What do you think we can do about that? He included you in the decision, he didn't make it for you. All of these things made Stewart Maxcy a leader.
Mr. Maxcy sounds like a great leader role model. I agree that it is important for leaders to be calm, laid-back, and open. The most important thing you stated was "...he didn't have a plan of action for you, but rather a question: What do you think we can do about that?" Too often people (parents, teachers, and students) have complaints but no ideas on how to solve the problem. This was a great post Stephanie.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice... it seems like many of you have been blessed with great examples of leadership right in front of you. Wonderful.
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