Self-differentiated Leadership
Friedman’s “Failure of Nerve” emphasized to me that leadership is about making myself into a “presense” to affect change and become a significant influencer in my own right. Furthermore, I never thought of empathy as an ideology expressed by Friedman, but I can accept the concept as he describes it. I disagree with his premise that it is a symptom of weakness, but I recognize that it is an element that must be kept in check as to not blur the mission so to say.
It may have been Dr. Harapnuik who said in class something akin to that managers play to the safe choices, whereas leaders take risks. I feel that I need to be more comfortable in taking risks with my colleagues instead of worrying about my academic credentials.
My teaching experience is significant and I’m confident in my record and the successes of my students. I do not profess to do anything new or previously undiscovered, but I do advocate that my use of a student-centered environment utilizing the Maestro Method pioneered by Leland “Buck” Ryan in the early 1990s was a significant influence on my student’s success and mine.
I have come to learn that COVA is an evolution of that concept in theory and practice that I can apply to established methods I already use. My objective has become to evangelize and influence these models to be incorporated on a larger scale at Lamar University.
A larger part of self-differentiated leadership is to advocate a sense of deeper, more impactful responsibility as a manner for instruction as a whole, for K12 and higher education.
I do see myself as part of a larger mission to transform education in the United States. I firmly and unequivocally believe that and to influence that the old mold of “lecture only” must be broken.
Public education is at a significant crossroads today and its future is uncertain. I also believe that education is the means for progress to occur for our society at large. Education needs leaders who are going to fight to change the status quo and adversarial relationships need to be bridged in order for that progress to happen.
