The Role of the Rogue

After teaching and studying literature for over 10 years, I was quite excited to read this chapter: symbols and culture and poets, oh my! This chapter was particularly interesting to me for another reason; I spent most of the time trying to figure out which of these roles I'd rather play --my first instinct was healer but then I read about the potter and was enthralled and since if I were at all talented or creative, I’d be a writer of fiction, the poet role was the one I secretly coveted.

Alas, after finishing the chapter, I realized that I don't quite know which of these roles I am or that I'd fit best in. Time and experience still needed.

After reading this chapter, I was struck by the discrepancy between the positive outlook on leadership presented by Deal and Peterson and how it seemed to be in stark contrast with an article from this month’s Community College Journal, Terry O'Banion's "Disruptive Forces: College Leaders Feel the Impact of Rogue Trustees." O'Banion writes in his article about those parts of the institution who "wreak havoc on their institutions" (2009, p. 33) through bullying, intimidating and even threats of physical violence. I thought for this blog I'd consider how each of the symbolic roles of leaders might play a part in helping overcome these disruptive forces and, therefore, help maintain the school's culture.

Of those roles, it seems to me that the anthropological sleuth, who could find a way to expose the disruptive nature of the rogue and combat it in a confrontational--but not aggressive--way would be the most effective against allowing this rogue to upset the school's culture. Other roles, like the historian or the symbol, would be ineffective in combating the rogue force; this rogue would hardly be aware or responsive to the subtleties of historical context or symbols of leadership. However, the historian and symbol leader could provide a positive, healthy role model as a contrast to the rogue. The potter, the poet, the visionary, and the actor could help maintain the school’s culture, even in the midst of this rogue behavior, by re-casting the conversation and dialogue of the school. Finally, the healer could help mend the rips in the fabric of the school's morale and well-being once the rogue has been dispelled from the havoc-creating role, an important ability to maintaining a positive, healthy environment.

I can't help but think of these rogue forces in relationship to literature; in my head, the rogues are like Claudius, from Hamlet, and it is only through the work of the actor, sleuth, and visionary Hamlet that Fortinbras, the healer, can enter into "unweeded garden" of Claudius's Denmark and restore order.

O'Banion, T. (October/November 2009). Disruptive forces: College leaders feel the impact of rogue trustees. Community College Journal , 32-39.

As Real As It Gets

I'm just getting caught up after a ridiculously hectic last couple of weeks. My computer crashed, two classes ended (one that's graded on the portfolio method), my router locked up (how do we live without internet?), and I visited my brother, his wife, and their new baby down in Alabama (picture of me and my sweet new niece, Katelyn, included). In the midst of all that, I just plain forgot to blog. No different than the weeks that you all had, I'm sure, but it was distracting, to say the least. I loved meeting my new niece and was so happy to see my baby brother loving being a daddy.

I still want to chime in on the topic about leadership styles from pages 171-172, and I'd make a bet that I'm the only person in the class thinking about this blog after watching this week's episode of the Ultimate Fighting Championship: Heavyweights. I don't have time to watch much TV, but this reality show intrigues me, due in part because of my interest in MMA but also because of the difference in leadership between the two coaches, Rashad and Rampage. Rashad, the coach of the undefeated team, perfectly exemplifies the 4 positive leadership styles Goldman exemplifies; it shows in his successes and in the morale of his fighters.

How does UFC relate to Education Leadership, you may ask? Well, the fact that I can correlate this list to a sport that seems to be about as far from education as you can get shows these ideas really are about leadership and effective leadership styles, regardless of field.

Goldman's list and its implications reminded me of the material I learned about tranformative leadership, especially authoritative. If nothing else this semester, I think we've all learned from our readings that a vision, a goal, is an essential for effective leadership.

Never Settle for the Best

As I ponder the three questions from the Evans chapter, I'm drawn back to Jim Collins description of Level 5 leaders. These leaders, like authentic leaders, are driven by an innate quality that is impervious to outside forces. Their sense of integrity and commitment to their values overpowers the influences of family, higher level administrators, and naysayers. These two ideas, of the humble, yet willful Level 5 leaders and the authentic, savvy leaders, seem to overlap in an interesting way.

Dr. K asked us to think about the 3 questions on page 146. I'm going to answer these based on how I see myself and how I see leaders whom I admire.

1. How do I define my role as a leader? Well, right now, my leadership role is mostly as an instructor and occasionally in a departmental setting. This describes my duties, but not necessarily my role. I think of myself as mostly a facilitator. I tell my students that the only reason I'm at the front of the classroom instead of sitting down with them is because I've already been the one sitting, so now I have an opportunity to share with and learn from them.

The leaders I have found to be most effective in my work were often ones that I considered to be caring leaders; they cared about the people around them, the students we serve, and themselves (perhaps an important but sometimes overlooked link ?).

2. What inspires the best in staff? Again, I'll speak from an instructor's point of view. My students respond best when I emphasize, clearly, that they are capable of achieving what I have set out for them and that I will help them achieve their goals, if possible.

When I am in the position of a staff member, I respond best when leaders meet and try to help with actual needs. What do I mean by this phrase, actual needs? Well, I've been in situations where the leadership designed a "learning opportunity" for faculty that was basically a motivational speech ("students are gifts."). This activity did nothing to inspire me; in fact, I was almost resentful of the time spent in the workshop (papers to grade, emails to answer, etc...). However, similar but different workshops devoted to really understanding the institution and our role in the goal of the institution were very much appreciated and inspirational.

3. What are my strengths? Ahh, the 10 million (inflation) dollar question. I just don't know the answer to this question right now. I can make some guesses: determination, caring, interest in achievement. But, when it comes down to it, I'm just not sure what my major strengths are and how I would rely upon those strengths as a leader.

As to the leaders' strengths that I admire, one is charisma. A man that I know exudes from his pores a commitment to excellence. One day with him inspires you to consider running, not just a few miles, but a marathon. That's what I'd like my strength to be.

I keep thinking of Google's motto: Never settle for the best. I wonder how this would play out in the classroom if we could convince every single student to believe in that principle.