by Shane Sparks, Co-founder
I have to admit, I’ve been reluctant to jump on the blog bandwagon, mainly because it requires a commitment of time (which, like for most of us, is at a premium for me). But when thinking it through I realized, like all important things, I need to make time. Or as Steven Covey called it, focus on the Important but Not Urgent.
So here we are…
What I most often notice in working directly with leaders in schools is presence, or lack of, leadership. Generally clients fall into one of two categories:
1. High achievers – they are looking for an edge, an additional 2% to help them get just a little bit better. Internally, we call them “killers” or “2%ers” because they are the people that make things happen. I LOVE working with the high achievers.
2. Reactors – They’ve hit some crisis point in their business/organization and are reacting to the pain and are seeking out someone to stop the bleeding. Usually through neglect, laziness or lack of foresight, they’ve gotten to a point where something has to change or else (kind of the equivalent of a heart attack scare). I am sympathetic to them, but often frustrated because they won’t act in a way that makes positive change happen.
And at the core of this is leadership. Strong leaders make things happen, fail fast, are constantly striving for an edge, advantage, improvement, or innovation. Weak leaders are passive, react to crisis, are slow to change, resistant to ideas, and prefer the safety of the known to the fear of the unknown.
Now, I happen to believe that people CAN change. Call me optimistic. But I don’t believe how we have been is how it has to be. So my question for you is this:
What kind of leader are you?
And what kind of leader would you like to be?