I read Jennifer Surge’s ‘Leadership: it is made from productive change’. This was a great introduction to the concept of leadership for me!

This was a great article and I appreciated the author’s succinct approach to leadership and ‘total leader’. Surge believes that a total leader is someone who ensures that things matter actually change, they improve results, ensure more effective operations, make enhancements that benefit everyone and ensure these changes that do occur are lasting.

She sums it up neatly by establishing five pillars that she believes make up productive change:

• Purpose
• Vision
• Ownership
• Capacity
•  Support.

Each of these pillars are explored with clear, definitive and achievable statements that simplifies what a total leader is. I asked myself the questions she encourages leaders to ask. I believe that Purpose, Vision and Opportunity were my strengths, and I continued to read with enthusiasm that I ‘had’ this. But then I read Capacity: having the knowledge, skills and resources to make the changes to the purpose and vision, and I realized I still have so much to learn. By now I was feeling deflated. After reading Module 1 and the amazing opportunities Diigo offers to teachers and students, I knew that this is something I will need to gain a great understanding of and share with colleagues. When I read Support, it justified my feelings of inadequacy in Capacity. I just need to expand my knowledge through the networks of support available, attend conferences, read other blogs penned by TLs and engage in professional journals. It is all of these ideas that will strengthen my skillset in Capacity. According to Surge (2020), Teacher Librarians are Total Leaders. I am motivated to fulfil each of the pillars to be just that.

Surge, J. (2020). Leadership: it is made from productive change. Knowledge Quest. https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/leadership-it-is-made-from-productive-change/