What is a Leader? By Clint Anderson

This topic that I am about to speak about is more serious than any of us may realize. We have to cease the moment with a sense of urgency.

 I would like to ask each of you a simple question.  What is a leader? What qualities does a great leader possess? Are some of us born with innate leadership qualities? In actuality this is a very complex question. Perhaps when we hear the word leader, we think of a person who always does what is right even if they are alone in their

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endeavors. Good leaders are innovative and are always seeking new ways to better themselves and others around them. Great leaders are constantly seeking new ways to evolve to new levels of thinking.

When I hear the word leader several people come to mind. Mother Teresa was a great humanitarian and leader.  Whenever I think of great leaders, people such as Alexander the Great, the great African King of Mali Mansa Musa, Napoleon, former presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama come to mind. Let’s move away from the historical figures. There are great leaders everywhere. The student body president of the local middle school is a leader just as the captain of the basketball team is a leader. What qualities did an unknown state senator from Illinois possess that made people want to follow him in 2004?

Edwin Friedman is famous for saying, “Leadership can be thought of as a capacity to define oneself to others in a way that clarifies and expands the vision of the future.” In my humble opinion there are two types of leaders; those who lead people to achieve higher standards and those who lead people down the wrong path”.

I am going to share a secret with you all. Most of us in this room are educators or worked with students in some capacity and that makes each of leaders.

Some of the most impressive leaders that I have ever met in my life are educators. I recently read a book about becoming a better educator. The book is titled “TheLeader in Me”. In the book the authors discuss the 7 Habits which are based on timeless principles. This means that regardless of a person’s nationality, age, creed, ethnicity, health or economic origins, the principles can be applied to varied circumstances. These principles are hundreds of years old. I can guarantee that they will not cease to exist anytime soon. If an educator masters these principles they can in turn teach them to their students.

The first three habits are to be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and put first things first. If we master these habits we can teach our students to be more independent. These first three habits teach discipline and responsibility. They also help individuals to take control of their lives and gain needed independence.

The next three habits are win-win, seek first to understand, then to be understood, and synergize. They include skills for conflict resolution, respect, problem solving, ethics, honesty and openness, teamwork and valuing diversity. The aforementioned habits help us to realize that we live in an interdependent and global society.

The last habit or principle is the whole person philosophy. It focuses on the health of a person. This last principle is very important. It is known as sharpen the saw approach. It teaches us to care for the body, heart, mind and spirit. This includes our mental and physical wellness, emotional stability, desire to learn, social skills and even having fun. As I stated earlier if we can master these steps in our lives, and model them for our students we can began the process of teaching them how to transform their lives.

·      For this discussion I referenced thebook “The Leader in Me” by Sean and Steven Covey.

Questions to ponder:

1.    Where do you see yourself in the chain of command in your learning community, regardless of what title is in front or in back of your name?

2.    What motivates you to go further in your learning community?

3.    What makes a person an effective leader?

4.    Are people born leaders or do we become leaders?

5.    What I am doing to help my learning become progressive?

6.    What am I doing to empower my colleagues?

7.    What is my end goal within my personal learning community and am I really moving towards them?

8.  Being a leader is all about motivating and guiding people toward accomplishments. But how do you know if you're actually getting "leadership" right? - See more at: Are you an Effective Leader?