"OPEN MIC"

How does one keep an open mic session from becoming a heated gripe session?  The positive component in using  a publishing tool like this blog as part of your open leadership approach, is you too should exercise your right to post; in doing so you must make it a point to constantly speak of the mission of your organization.  By repeating the mission statement and living it,  unrelated "gripes" should be minimal.
On the other hand, giving teachers the power to voice their opinions and suggestions is what open leadership is about.  As Leaders, if we know what our employees are thinking, we can then address our concerns as they relate to our mission.
Many companies have teams that are employed for the sole purpose of updating and managing the companies web sites.  I do not foresee this being something my current school district would even consider including in our school budget.

Open Leadership!!!

The more I read Charlene Li's Open Leadership, the more eager and anxious I get to witness open leadership in Education.  She does a great job illustrating the benefits of Open Leadership in various industries.  She spells out how providing customers with a platform to voice there concerns or grips, gives employers opportunities to select or prioritize then address issues before they become problems.
My biggest question, is what if your "customers" are students? How can we field what I anticipate to be an over abundance of postings?  The policing of the site is also a question I wrestle with.  Parents will be invited to participate, but will also have to do there part monitoring the site.
Im aware that we have to start somewhere, but are schools prepared to Open the technology flood gates? What do you think?  Or should we keep "open gate" slightly closed?  

True Meaning of Leadership

After reading articles and several good books, my journey to go deeper and make that spiritual connection continues.  Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal wrote several books that speaks to the spiritual leadership, however one of the more interesting to me is their “Leading with Soul” ( an Uncommon journey of Spirit ) This is a very compelling book that should be a standard read for anyone working or planning to lead and living in the fast paced  turbulent riddled world of today.  The authors describe a feeling of emptiness inside as a “spiritual malaise” which can only be filled by a greater attention to soul, spirit and faith.  The authors of Leading with Soul tell an all too familiar story of “Steve”, a dispirited leader in search of more meaning in his life.  It is through conversations with “Maria”, a wise woman who has experienced much of what Steve is going through, teaches him valuable life lessons while helping him discover the true meaning of Leadership.

During one of the first conversations with Maria, Steve explains to her that after a recent promotion to head one of the company’s subsidiaries and he feels like everything is falling apart.  He told her about needing unity among his staff but that people were never agreeing and that he needed a vision but he was too overwhelmed to see beyond next week.  At this point in the story Steve is focused on being manager: task-oriented, worried about getting things done, controlling, telling people what to do, and dealing with the current environment.  Good managers, even those considered as great managers are not necessarily good leaders and Steve found this out the hard way.  He felt that in order to do his job he needed to be in control.   Steve clearly did not understand that the real way to get power is by giving it away. ( a very strange concept at first glance )  Also, he did not know what his vision was so this made it difficult for others around him to know what he expected because they were just as confused. In order to go deeper, and translate a vision into a reality it must first exist and it is important to reflect on it as well.  It is important to remember to clearly define and communicate your vision or it will be a hallucination.  In this case Steve, he lacked a vision, therefore there was none to communicate.  With a clear vision there will be clear leadership.  Steve needed help from more than just Maria.  Steve along with all administrators can really benefit from utilizing technology to communicate their vision.  Embrace it or not, technological breakthroughs are a force to be reckoned with, meaning it is senseless to pretend digital natives are merely experiencing a passing fad.  

Digital or Spiritual?

After reading the previous blog one may ask the question, what does one (spiritual leadership) have to do with ( Digital or OPEN Leadership?)
Well simply this, Jesus taught us as he washed the feet of his followers that humbling yourself does not make you less of a leader and sharing power equates to great leadership.  Leaders have to let go of the post war mentality that relies on maintaining total control.  By empowering others we increase productivity.

True Open--Spiritual Leadership

Spiritual Leadership in times of turbulence

Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of spiritual leadership.  When most people think of leadership, they picture a military setting with someone “barking” orders and expecting people to carry them out without hesitation.  Although this may be a form of leadership it is not the essence of spiritual leadership.  True spiritual leadership involves humbling yourself, In Jesus’ time the act of washing feet was to be assigned to the lowest of servants. However, at the last supper, Jesus humbled Himself and washed the disciples’ feet.  Afterwards he declared,   “Do you understand what I have done for you?...  You call me ‘Teacher ‘ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.   Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them”  (John 13: 12-17).  ( Bob Briner, 1997 )