Leaders Don’t Know Where They’re Going
“Leaders don’t know where they’re going.”
I was deep in my daily reading time – this time the topic was leadership – when I stumbled on this statement. Leadership expert, Orrin Woodward, went on to explain.
Leaders are the ones who step forward, when needed, to chart a new path. We all have opportunities to take a stand as leaders on our own personal path, in our families, within our communities, and in our careers.
Some of us have leadership titles, but any of us can take leadership action.
Note that it’s a NEW path. Leaders know what the destination looks like, but they haven’t walked that exact path before. It’s stepping forward into uncertainty when the opportunity arises that makes them leaders. If they had been down that road before, they’d be tour guides – not leaders, according to Woodward. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Leaders employ insight, wisdom and reflection as they consider challenges, evaluate available resources, weigh alternatives, and create a course of action. Most of all, they tap into their inner courage to step forward when there is confusion. A study of great leaders who have impacted the world through their actions will reveal that they didn’t step forward because they wanted to be leaders; they stepped forward because they saw a need, a roadblock and could envision a new possibility.
Leaders cannot operate alone. The greatest leaders learned to be leaders through inspiring others to follow them. They then stepped back to empower their followers to lead. None of them knew how it would turn out. They only knew they had to try. This is how powerful movements have shifted from a lone cry in the wilderness to mass transformation.
How does this apply to education? It applies at all levels, from district leaders and building administrators, to classroom teachers, cafeteria staff, families, and students. There are leadership opportunities for all of us to step forward to be the leader in our own lives – to set personal goals for growth and then follow through with learning and applying newly acquired skills. There are opportunities to lead for all of us in the communities where we live, work, and play to step forward when we see confusion or uncertainty, when we are stuck or something doesn’t feel right. The opportunities will be there. Somebody has to take the lead.
Will it be you?
Are you a school leader who wants to increase the effectiveness of teachers in your building?
Are you a teacher who wants students to develop a stronger sense of community?
Are you a parent who wants the school to include your child more effectively?
Are you a co-teacher who wants to have more influence on engaging struggling students?
Are you a student who witnessed your friend being bullied?
These are all opportunities to step forward as leaders. The good news is you don’t have to know where you’re going. Just where you are starting and what you’re looking for.
