Leaders first inspire us to become the best version of ourselves. They recognize each of us is different and encourage us to embrace that uniqueness. Think of children, whether in your family or in your class. Each of them is different and to expect it to look the same, sound the same, and be the same is silly. I have two brothers. All of us swam, but only I swam in college. All of us did well in school, but none of us were as strong performers as our parents. Two of us earned doctorates in different things but none of us became medical doctors like our parents. We were encouraged to go out and find our path and challenged to do well on that path. None of us were required to follow their path. The same is true in my work environment. I may be a proponent of guided instruction and flipped learning. That doesn't mean that guided instruction will work for every teacher, every student, and every situation. It is a tool that will work for some but not all. If it doesn't work for a specific instructor, then we need to work with them to find ways to differentiate for our kids in a style that both meets the needs of the student and the skills of the instructor. The same is true with flipped learning. It works for a multitude of students, teachers, and situations but not all nor is it the only way to be successful. Leaders understand the underlying goal, talents of their teams, and inspire them to become the best they can be to reach success.
Leaders cultivate the resources and opportunities that create pathways towards success. A good parent understands that their children may not always be the best students. At times they sit with them to help them learn to do homework. Sometimes they help them organize how to study. Other times they invite tutors and specialists in for support. At times they have their children work independently or with friends. We don't try all these things at once, We stage experiences to maximize growth. As leaders of organizations we need to do the same thing. We need to trim down as many initiatives as we can. Focus our teams on achievable next steps, while encouraging them towards the overall goal. We need to understand that growth is not always linear and that not everyone will follow the same path. As such, we need to respect the different growth rates and cheerlead our teams and individual members to make their next achievable step.
Finally, leaders help everyone understand success is neither overnight nor instantaneous. It requires patience and consistent work. One does not wake up and suddenly discover they can sing opera. It takes years of study to become a "overnight" success. Just because I start taking Spanish, I am not instantly going to be able to read a novel in Spanish. Many of us expect change and growth to be instantaneous. It can't be. If we want to implement guided instruction. We need to start with one subject matter and one unit. We need to plan, try, fail, try again, adapt, learn, and eventually build toward success. Each of us wants to be there when we begin the journey. However we need to take the journey to be there. As leaders, we need to understand the importance of the journey and support our staff, teams, and families as they take that journey.
All of us want to succeed. In order to do so, we need help from those leading us to see what we can be, help us have the opportunities to get their and support us as we move towards that goal.
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