School Leadership & Grit

There are books, blogs, videos, tools, speakers, resources, seminars and conferences all dedicated to helping you understand, process, delineate, and achieve your leadership potential.

In some organizations there is one boss. These individuals are that one person who occupies the corner office and his or her wisdom is depended on daily to ensure that the ship runs smoothly.  They set the pace, control the message, and avoid the appearance of needing or depending on anyone.  These leaders earned the right to sit in the chair, make the rules, and be the boss.  This leadership model is still in effect in the corners of some industries.  These leaders don't share. Why should they?  They are allowed to rule and their kingdoms are in place to serve the mystique that is their leadership.

The world we live in today requires collaboration with people working together to solve complex issues.  These employers host big conversations to address details, events, and activities with the sole purpose of creating, solving, and sharing.  The idea that one person holds all the answers, has all the wisdom, and information is simply not true.  Businesses today value employees with the skills that include tenacity, dedication, and follow through: grit.

Great leaders today open themselves up to scrutiny and have a willingness to admit failure knowing that this leads to success.  These leaders value feedback and look for ways to engage the team in helping problem solve and find solutions to move the organization forward.  Being a vulnerable leader does not equal being a weak leader.   

So how do we move from the one leader at the top to a management model that welcomes that collaborative environment in the organization? It starts with a leader pushing for that collaboration with his or her team.  How do we help more employees embrace their valuable role on the team and instill that sense of purpose, drive, and determination?  Leaders set expectations in leading by example.  What employers want is a workforce with the character trait best described as grit.  

Schools are specifically targeting grit as an element where students should focus.  Studies have shown that students with grit have the ability to push through adversity with the goal of strengthening their character and resolve. That grit is an indicator of a students longterm success with their academic programming, and future success as an employee or employer.   

Taking grit and measuring it against leadership is a factor that will gain greater momentum as employers engage in the practice moving from a single leader to a collaborative workplace. Sure there has to be an ultimate authority in every organization, so establish a leadership vision that is inclusive so that many people have the ability to be involved so that leaders at all levels are empowered.  

As you interview your next line of leaders, set the resume aside and focus on a few questions that will reveal the candidates grit and determination.

1) Ask about a problem they solved - personal or professional - and the process they used.

2) Ask about a current project they are working on and the collaborative efforts they used with a team to complete the project.

3) Ask your candidate about their view of leadership.  Have them describe what it means and then listen for indicators of team building and those examples of collaboration.  

Our schools need leaders with grit, that believe in team work, and the ability to align the mission and vision around the set goals and objectives.  School leaders need to be people who trust and rely on others to accomplish greatness.  These are people who value the contribution of others knowing that greatness comes through teams and not lone rangers.  

Now how do we start to build grit in our students today?  That is another great topic for an upcoming blog.