As somebody that is currently in a leadership position as our school's Athletic Director
and a member of our Leadership Team I look for any way that I can to improve my
leadership skills. As I went through the reading I fixated on a couple of different points
related to leadership. The first is Harvey's statement that decision-making is at the
heart of leadership (27). One of the things that Harvey does not point out is that not
only do leaders have the burden of making decisions but they have the burden of
making the right decisions. It is easy to make a decision but it is hard to make the right
decision sometimes, especially when that decision may not be the most popular.
Proverbs 3:5-6 states "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths
(ESV). Even though the decisions that we are faced with can be hard they are still
necessary.
The second thing that sticks out is Harvey's statement leaders have to get their own
emotions under control (27). Emotions are natural for all humans. We all experience
happiness, sadness, frustration, and even anger. Even leaders experience these
emotions, but as we talk about leaders that have to be decision-makers those emotions
cannot dictate how those decisions are made. When we let emotions guide our
decision-making other than available facts then our judgment gets clouded and it makes
it even more difficult to make tough decisions. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the Fruit of the
Spirit. These particular adjectives are all things as leaders that we need to put in front
of us as we lead because when we lead from a place of self-control then the other fruits
that are mentioned fall into their respective places.
The third thing is Harvey's exhortation to build a team (29). Harvey says that there are
places for both new ideas and more experienced employees. Building a team means
that these decisions that have to be made do not have to be made alone. It becomes a
team effort and being able to reach out to other members of the education community
and stakeholders regarding some of the decisions means that there is a support system
to lean on and help guide important decisions for the betterment of the students, school,
and community. Proverbs 27:17 simply as "As iron sharpens iron, so one person
sharpens another" (ESV).
Finally, the last thing that stood out was Coley's discussion on the motivation of people
to follow the leader. According to Coley, considering the motivation to do something in
response to leadership involves the leader familiarizing themselves with the inner needs
and desires of those that are to follow them (114). Someone that does not feel
understood does not have the motivation to follow much of anybody. However, Coley
points out that those that lead with a kingdom mindset have the advantage of the Holy
Spirit to guide them in both decision-making and relationships with those that are to
follow them (114).
Questions
How can I use the information in this course to continue to build my own leadership
skills?
Does the information on leadership make concessions for people that are serving in
rural schools and school districts that are behind according to state standards?
Our school and community has an abundance of kids that desire nothing more than to
simply be the kingpin of their hood. What can we do to try to help kids coming up to
want better for themselves?
References
Coley, Kenneth. (2006). The Helmsman. Purposeful Design Pupblications
English Standard Version of the Bible
Harvey, J., Cambron-McCabe, N., Cunningham, L.L., & Koff, R.H. (2013). The
Superintendent's Fieldbook. Corwin.
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