Lead from the heart

In the spring I learned that I would be leading another school in the district during the 16-17 school year. I had some mixed emotions about the change. I loved my time at HCS and I had the privilege of working with so many great teachers. It is the place where I learned about being a leader. After being appointed as the principal of AGS I began to reflect on my beliefs about leadership. I thought about my experiences, some great some not. Through my reflection I came to the realization that the times I connected best with teachers was when I was leading from the heart. It also occurred to me that leading from the heart and showing vulnerability created an environment for teachers to take risks and to innovate. 

Over the summer I continued to pursue more wisdom about leadership through books on this topic. I read books by John Maxwell, John Gordon, Andy Andrews, and Todd Whitaker. After each book I read I became convinced that leading from the heart is not only the best choice in developing others it is the only choice. 

Here are a few excerpts from books that have shaped my view on leadership:

“Great leaders are great because people trust and respect them, not because they have power.” - Jon Gordon, The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All


“[Good leaders] have more than an open-door policy—they know the door swings both ways. They go through it and get out among their people to connect.” - John Maxwell, 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential

"Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world." -Andy Andrews, The Noticer: Sometimes, All a Person Needs is a Little Perspective

"Great principals never forget that it is the people, not programs, who determine the quality of the school." - Todd Whitaker What Great Principals Do Differently: 18 Things That Matter Most 

The last three years were spent working on my Ed.D. in Leadership. The title of my dissertation was At the Heart of Professional Learning Communities: How Principal Leadership Practices Influence Teacher Collaboration. I was interested in investigating how leaders impact the way teachers work together. Doing the study allowed me to talk with teachers, specialists, and principals. My findings from the study echoed previous research about principal leadership practices. 

• Teacher participants mentioned the following leadership characteristics/practices that demonstrate being a caring leader: transparency, openness, frequent communication, patience, willingness to truly listen, and demonstrating vulnerability. 

• Shirley Hord describes a second set of supportive conditions, in her attributes of PLCs,  as friendly interactions and relational trust. A participant in the study summed this idea of relational trust best - "I think from my experience, it’s just having conversations with her, just feeling comfortable. I feel that I can say anything to her and I’m not going to get like backlash because I said something she doesn’t agree with, positive or negative. I think that trust has built up over years, it wasn’t there right away, when we first met, when she first came into the building. But just seeing that she’s one of us, she doesn’t over power us and she’s not that micromanager"

• Leaders need to model how to extend trust in others. Covey (2006) describes the extending of trust as empowering others and comes from a fundamental belief that most people are capable of being trusted and will run with that trust. Principals who extend the trust to their teachers to do the right work to build powerful PLC teams. They give their teams the autonomy to do their work which leads to teams being more creative in solving problems and meeting the needs of their students.

As a leader I must continue to lead from the heart in order to connect with teachers and to build that relational trust, so I can bring out the best in others. As you lead your districts, buildings, or classrooms how will you lead from the heart? How will you bring out the best in others? These are questions we should constantly think about as we walk our halls, talk with our students, and listen to our teachers. 

I recently discovered Audible and have been listening to books while at they gym or on my ride in to work. The book I am currently listening to now is Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't by Simon Sinek. I came across this audio clip that demonstrates the importance that we have as leaders in creating a positive culture. A negative work environment actually impacts the health and well being of employees.

Leading from the heart means we care about the people we serve. We care about who they are, who they are striving to be, their health, their well being, and their personal lives. When I read books, listen to podcasts, and participate in Twitter chats it is to continue to learn and grow as a leader. I use these learning opportunities to reflect on my own practices. I want to make sure that I am leading from the heart, that I am connecting with teachers and students, and that I am creating a positive school culture where teachers feel comfortable to take risks and be innovative for their students.