PP - Parents Confidence

Kaser and Halbert quote that, "Parents want to have confidence in their school and in the system as a whole." This is an interesting comment because I believe that parents although they want to have confidence in the system, they need to recognize that they are a part of the educational system. They are essential to the effective inner workings. I do believe that parents often may not realize that they are essential simply because they may not feel welcome or as educated as they need to be, to be part of the system. It is our job as leaders to help integrate parents as an essential part of the education system.

PQ- Clear Direction and sustainability

Kaser and Halbert talk about it being a leader's responsibility to develop a clear direction for the school. Who comes up with the clear direction? Is it the principal? Is it the staff? Is it the students? Is it the community? Is the clear direction decided upon ever really clear even if all parties are involved? How can one ensure that a vision encompassing all parties really exists in a school? I believe that an answer to this is essential in developing trust in the school community. Sustainability is another issue that I am also struggling with. At my school last year I helped to implement 2 school initiatives including Parent Reading Power and being a part of the the Network of Performance Based Schools. Both of these initiative were heavily supported by the Administration. However, since I moved away, both of these initiatives have been abandoned. I am concerned that the progess the students and staff had made last year has been lost. What could have been done differently to ensure sustainability in these two initiatives?

Emotional Intelligence

Kaser and Halbert say, "School leaders who are passionate about learning and improvement know that the must build a strong team both within and outside the school. This requires high levels of trust and emotional intelligence." (p.41)

My question, or in the words of Harjot what 'pinched' me is regarding emotional intelligence. How can (if it can in fact be learned) a leader learn emotional intelligence? What would this look like? If it can be learned, then can it be taught? Furthermore, with all of the malleable and fluid definitions of emotional intelligence how would you define EI for your own purposes and understanding? If you do take EI as the ability to be 'level headed' in the face of an emotional situation, could one consider the fact that to be human is to emote? To what degree should a leader curb their emotions for the service of their team?

Lots of questions I realize, touch on all, none or some!
-Myla Marks

PPs and PQs: Please Join the Conversation

In lieu of a make-up class, I've invited the Leading for Change course in PG, who are also studying the Kaser and Halbert Leadership Mindsets book, to join April and Terry and I on this blog. To review and discuss the concepts from the book that we find most compelling, I'm asking you to spend time posting two kinds of posts, or responding to them. You may want to respond to a post that appeals to you and check back a few days later to see what additional comments have been added. The purpose of this exercise is to come to a better understanding of the text through dialogue. In order to support one another's learning, please remember to challenge (or question or probe) as well as support ideas!

PP - this kind of post is a "provocative point". Post a short quote from Kaser and Halbert that you think will stimulate thinking - it may be a statement that not everyone will agree with, or that is not likely to hold true in all situations. Add a question that you believe will provoke and focus discussion. Check back once in a while to moderate the discussion or to summarize what has been said in a comment of your own.

PQ - this kind of post is a "persistent question". Try to identify ideas or statements in the text that continue to bother or trouble you. It can be something that you don't understand or simply wonder about. You may post an idea that you agree with but wonder how it would look in practice or in your particular setting. Ask the group to share their thoughts with you. Check back once in a while to review comments and let people know if their responses have begun to provide answers for you.

I look forward to participating, too!

Leadership Lessons Where You Least Expect Them!

Because you didn't follow up on my leadership lessons from animals suggestion, I thought I would share one with you that was brought to my attention by master's students in Quesnel a few years ago. Dr. Seuss was a very wise man who tackled huge themes in an engaging way. Take a look at this old favourite, and see how it speaks to you as a leadership text! My purpose is to provide you with a bit of fun that you can justifiably label as "homework", but also to set the stage for finding leadership concepts everywhere.

The Inner Work of Leaders

I have been having students in the current "Leading for Change" course read the introduction and first chapter of a book by Barbara Mackoff and Gary Wenet, "The Inner Work of Leaders: Leadership as a Habit of Mind". This book is available to you through the UNBC library as an electronic resource - you can find it easily in the online catalogue and you just need your 14 digit library number and your 4 digit PIN to have access to it. I would like you to read the opening to this book to help you understand why I've asked you to look at your leadership in a personal way, through your Self-Portrait assignment. In your first posts, both of you have identified specific leadership lessons in personal experiences - this reflective process is the "inner work" that supports strong self-understanding that translates, in social situations, to more effective leadership. In comments to this post, I would like you to select quotes from this reading and connect them to your narratives and the "life lessons in leadership" that you've shared. I think it works well to use a comment as a paragraph - one main thought per comment! This reading will also take us nicely into the Leadership Mindsets book by Kaser and Halbert. The examples from the lives of leaders in the Mackoff and Wenet book are similar to those in "Mindsets". For me, the main lesson in both, as well as in Senge's books about the 5 disciplines of systems thinking and Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (also his principle-centred leadership, based on the 7 habits), is that, as leaders, we think in certain ways and develop the beliefs that are the foundation of our actions. This thought is expressed more strongly in a different way, in a concept that is central to the field of school improvement: We cannot have sustainable change in practice without a corresponding change in beliefs. We'll come back to that idea, I'm sure!

A Risk, A Life Change, A New Adventure....



This year, I had leadership lessons come into my life unknowingly. Now in reflection I am able to see how these lessons have impacted me and my views as a leader. In March 2010, I was faced with the reality that I might lose my job with the school district in Prince George as the threat of school closures fell on everyone. My husband and I decided to start looking for jobs out of the province of British Columbia in order to keep our options open. My husband came across a great opportunity in Grande Prairie, Alberta and so we were left with the decision to stay or move. This was a difficult decision for me as I would be giving up a full time continuing contract. Additionally, I would be moving away from my family, which I am so very close with. We decided to sell our house and move to Grande Prairie. The Leadership lesson I learned was in risk taking. I know that as a leader it is important to take risks in order to move forward, whether it may be as a staff or in your personal life. When the moving day came, we had many helpers which made the task of packing, loading and driving alot easier. This lesson shows that in most cases two heads are better than one. The final lesson of my new life and adventure was that of courage and acceptance. I needed to be courageous and know that my husband and I were making a decision that would impact our lives drastically but that it was a positive decision despite the worries that my arise. I needed to have acceptance of the the outcomes that arose as this was a choice we made. As a leader having the courage to do what is necessary and having acceptance in what comes makes an effective leader. I feel that I have grown since leaving Prince George and will continue to grow with further reflection.