My Take on “Model the Way”

My readings on The Leadership Challenge provides me as a basis for my learning to better lead and engage my teachers as I journey into my new leadership role as head of department.

The first of the five practices of exemplary leadership: Model the Way helps me reaffirm my beliefs to the question “Leadership Philosophy – Is it necessary?” blogged in my previous reflection (27 Sept 2011). That is to be able to express what my leadership philosophy is help me to connect what I say with what I do.

To Model the way is to clarify values by finding your voice and affirming shared values and set the example by aligning personal actions with shared values.

The authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner asserted that the first step to take along to become an exemplary leader is to discover your personal values and beliefs. Then, to define a set of principles that guides your decisions and actions and finds a way to express them in your own words, not in someone else’s. The leader must find his/her Voice.

Yet the leader doesn’t just speak for himself/herself. He/she also speak for his/her team and the school. Therefore, the leader must understand and appreciate the values of his/her team/school and find a way to affirm shared values. This way, the leader gives people a reason to care, not simply orders to follow.

Finally, the leader must be able to stand up for his/her beliefs. He /She practice what he/she preach. He /She show others by his/her actions that he/she lives by the values he/she profess. He /She also ensure that others adhere to the values that have been agreed upon. It is consistency between words and actions that build credibility.

So, what does that mean to me? Before I begin to examine the values and what principles I feel as most important that have guided my actions in my leadership journey, I will like to be clear and be able to distinguish between principles and values, mentioned many times in the book. I found that Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, provides a clear definition of principles and values. Principles, unlike values, are objectives and external. They operate in obedience to natural laws, regardless of conditions. Values are subjective and internal. Values are like maps while principles are like compass. Maps are not the territories but are only subjective attempts to describe or represent the territory. Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have an enduring, permanent value. They appear in many forms of values, ideas, norms and teachings that fulfill, empower and inspire others. The more closely our values are aligned with correct principles – with the realities of the territory, with things as they really are – the more accurate and useful they will be.

Through this exercise, I came to realize that while I finally centered on three main principles – of Trust, Potential and Excellence, I hold many values to achieve these principles (to gain trust, to develop potential and to achieve excellence) and at time some of these values will be in conflict with others. For example, if I am to focus on the principle of excellence, at the high end of the spectrum, I see teachers with discipline attaining high quality achievements for our pupils. But it may also lead to teachers with no real trust produced by such school climates. In my decision process, I need to weigh such values as achievement, discipline and quality against competences, integrity and teamwork for my teachers. This kind of conflict is indeed unavoidable. For now, it is more important for me to have a greater understanding of my priorities of my principles and values so that I can better resolve the inevitable conflicts.