I have this “thing” that drives me nuts every time new student leaders are elected at our school. Often when I hear teachers suggesting kids, I think, “But they aren’t a leader!!! No one is following that kid. That’s just a really quiet, obedient kid that you wish everyone would copy!” I think, “Train that loud, high-energy kid that owns the heart of his or her classmates. They aren’t afraid to speak their mind, they just need to be directed in the right way!”

Then I read, “Management is (Still) Not Leadership” by John P. Kotter, discovered via the TL Diigo group. In that article, Kotter mentions under “Mistake #3” that people often mistake charisma for leadership. People then conclude there are very few leaders.

Hmmmm… is that what I was doing? Kotter goes on to describe leadership as being future-focused; having a vision and exploiting opportunities that arise to move into the future. I don’t know, maybe that is what those kids I think of as leaders do? They certainly seem to exploit opportunities, it’s just to serve themselves, not the school. I still think they are the ones to train, but the article did really cause me to rethink leadership (particularly as a distinct role from managing–both being vitally important). Can we train all different types of students (and staff) to share a vision and takes steps to make that a reality? This feels achievable and exciting (In some ways more realistic than teaching management)!