Real Leaders Practice Transparency, Authenticity

The droning goes on and on, one right after another. People march up to the microphone, make comments that few will remember, then someone else says something forgettable.

This takes place on a regular basis, but in recent days, the speeches given by members of the House of Representatives took on a different level of drama. With the discussion of health care at the center of the debate, many new eyes were watching our country's leaders. What were they looking for? Well, without getting into a debate over politics and opinions, they were looking for something quite simple ... LEADERSHIP!!

It’s what we look for in education as well.  In fact, it may be what we are screaming for.

We want leadership within the classroom that gives really good teachers the ability to innovate and be flexible with the different needs of students.  We want leadership within the individual schools where principals can make decisions and not be worried about whether or not they have support.  We want leadership from superintendents across this country who will FINALLY look at the best ways to teach individual students versus the masses.  Real, authentic leadership in education … can we try that?

Again, regardless of one's politics, I'm not sure you have seen any real leadership in the recent national debate. There's been screaming, name-calling and in-fighting, but leadership? I don't think so. People want to follow a leader who will be clear and articulate a vision to rally around. I think everyone actually wants to see that their leaders are real people who have faults and can admit them. That's part of authentic leadership; I just wish we could see more of it.

Authentic leadership means you are willing to be REAL with people. You want to hear from them and are willing to let your guard down. For educational leaders, this can be tough. Aren't we supposed to have the answers? We've been conditioned to think and believe the leader has no failures, faults or mistakes. The problem with that unreal ideal is that few people will be able to relate to the leader.  In fact, no one will be able to relate to the leader.

I believe people are drawn to authenticity, especially in leadership. Can there be issues with this newfound transparency? You bet. But the overall result may produce an environment where people can be real with each other and more effective in accomplishing their goals. I'd stay up late to watch that!