I recently read about the 21 responsibilities of a school leader in "School Leadership that Works" (Marzano, Waters, McNulty). Although I am not the principal of a school, I do lead teams that develop curriculum and professional development initiatives at the K-12 school where I work. I completed a self assessment related to the 21 responsibilities and then answered a more comprehensive inventory to get graph-able (why isn't that a word?) results on my strengths and weaknesses related to these leadership qualities. The good news is, I know myself pretty well. The self assessment results were identical to the inventory results. The bad news is that it's one thing to know your weaknesses and quite another to go about improving them. In an effort to be authentic, I want to discuss my top three(or should I say bottom three?)weaknesses.
#1. I stink at establishing operating procedures and routines. My heap 'o laundry by the washing machine attests to this. When it comes to running task oriented committees, I must improve on this or at least confess to the weakness and delegate the responsibility. This one has a .25 correlation to student achievement which is on the higher end of the spectrum.
#2. I don't often "adapt [my] leadership behavior to the needs of the current situation and [feel] comfortable with dissent." I've been told by my boss that I need to temper my passion with patience. When I am excited to move forward with an initiative, I positively resent those who resist. Not good. I need to welcome the opposing ideas and learn from the dissonance. With an even higher correlation to student achievement at a .28, this one takes priority.
#3. It's important to recognize accomplishments and acknowledge failures. I love doing the former and never do the latter. Who wants to talk about how we tried this great new technology idea that failed miserably in the classroom? If I want to lead with integrity and gain the trust of others, I have to open up about the ideas or initiatives that have failed. When it comes to student achievement, this one is at a .19 correlation- important, but not imperative.
So as not to be annoyingly self-deprecating, I will mention my strengths as well.
Ideals and Beliefs- I have a well-formed philosophy regarding teaching and learning.
Intellectual stimulation- I work hard on initiatives that keep teachers learning!
Knowledge of and Involvement with Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment- these are my passions and required of me as Director of Academic Development.
Optimizer- I love to think creatively and challenge others to question why we do things the way we do.
Relationships- I genuinely love people of all backgrounds and personalities and am truly interested in their lives.
Unfortunately, most of my leadership strengths have a small correlation to student achievement as defined by the authors. However, they make a point of saying that a combination of all 21 Leadership responsibilities is vital to successfully lead a school.
I appreciated the opportunity to analyze my leadership style and recognize the areas in which I need to grow.
Rachel, I appreciate your candid responses. I too find it easy to identify weaknesses, but working on them is the important component. I too have a tough time delegating and yes laundry is heaped near and beyond my washer. As for tempering your passion with patience, I too can identify. I guess people get intimidated and turned off or mistake passion for forcefulness or demanding. I learned with age and wisdom, acknowledging failures is the best way to gain respect. Others appreciate that you are human and make mistakes like the rest of them. I have a tough time with not relating to student achievement when it comes to the Relationship indicator. They are the most important in my personal philosophy. You are doing a great job as an innovative leader. Just keep yourself in check. Get your good friends to tell you when you are over passionate. Mine keep me in line most times! :)
ReplyDeleteThis was a pretty powerful thing to read about you, Rach. I would agree with you spot on. However, I also think that you are fairly hard on yourself while encouraging others to NOT be so hard on themselves! What a fun double-standard! :) This sounds like an interesting class. I will be following your adventure!
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to read about what you have been studying and learning through your Master's program. You have a great passion for what you do and it is refreshing to view. You also have a unique talent for reflection, which is vital in the education field. Your energy is commendable!