Provision #679: Oneness
Matters
by Bob Tschannen-Moran
Laser Provision
What is your concept of leadership? Do you think of leadership as being a
lonely task? If so, then perhaps you fail to understand the synergy between
leaders and their people. Leaders are not lone-rangers who carry the vision and
get other people to follow suit. Leaders are listeners who build consensus and
rise to the occasion when their people call. That is why oneness matters.
Leaders become great only when we become one with our people. Then, and only
then, will our leadership become transformational. Intrigued? Read on to learn
more.
LifeTrek Provision
It's ironic
that we called our new book,
Evocative
Coaching: Transforming Schools One Conversation at a Time. Since the
book came out two weeks ago, it has been transforming us. In conversation with
trainees from our Pilot Training Program, we've decided to put Evocative
Coaching out into the world through our newest creation: the Center for School
Transformation. You can visit the Center online by going to
www.SchoolTransformation.com.
One thing I've noticed about transformation is that it's exhilarating in its
pace, range, and depth. Far different from evolution, which can proceed quite
slowly and incrementally, transformation is revolutionary. It takes the world by
storm. One minute we have a relatively small organizational concept, as a coach
training program: the Center for Evocative Coaching. The next minute we have
morphed into something much larger indeed, replete with coach training, on-site
workshops, leadership coaching, and whole-system transformation initiatives.
Phew!
The transformation of our website also reveals how much work transformation
takes. First, there's the inspiration: the Center for School Transformation is a
much better way to represent what we do and what we have to offer the world.
Then, there's the ideation. How do we capture that in images, metaphors, and
stories? It's not immediately obvious, but it sure is stimulating to imagine the
possibilities. Finally, there is the implementation: That's the grunt work of a
website makeover.
We got it all done, just in time for today's Provision. I hope you enjoy the
results and benefit from all the new resources, articles, case studies, and
program offerings that you will find on the site. If you have a question or
suggestion, please don't hesitate to write. The Center's new email is
info@schooltransformation.com.
One thing that gave us the courage to make this transformation was the growing
support community around our book and vision. If Megan and I had to carry the
load for the Center for School Transformation, there's no way it would have
integrity or move forward. It's only by virtue of our long-time colleagues in
LifeTrek Coaching International, combined with our new-found partners through
the Evocative Coaching Pilot Training Program, that we dared to make such a big,
bold claim.
In some ways, the vision for the Center began to emerge when I was interviewed
by a reporter from the New York Times. He had just gotten off the phone with
Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education. Mr. Duncan has spearheaded the effort to
transform low-performing schools by "replacing the principal and improving the
school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development,
extending learning time, and other strategies."
The reporter then called me with a straightforward yet challenging question:
"How can evocative coaching transform schools?" You can read the answer in our
essay,
Why
We Wrote Evocative Coaching. If the story gets published, it will probably
be during the first week in August (ironically, when we will be at the
Chautauqua Institution in western New York
State focused on
Excellence in Public Education. We'll keep you posted on that.
For this Provision, however, as part of our series on great leadership, I want
to make clear the importance of our sense of connection and oneness with our
colleagues and friends who are equally interested in and passionate about school
transformation. Without them, there would be no leadership. With them, there is
no backing away from leadership. The two always go hand in hand.
Unfortunately, in American and many Western cultures, leadership is viewed as a
solitary, lone-ranger, top-down kind of experience. Leaders have the vision and
then persuade others to follow. It is all about their initiatives, their
competence, and their personality. They are the ones in control, who therefore
stand the most to gain as well as the most to lose from their ventures.
Such is the rationale for excessive CEO compensation packages. They are the
leaders so they get the goods. But not every CEO and not every company
understands leadership in this way. You may remember the story a few years ago
of the Florida CEO who, upon retirement and selling his company for millions of
dollars, divided the proceeds between himself and his employees based upon
seniority and experience rather than title or position. His rationale was
simple: the company was a group effort, so the group should share the good
fortune.
That story made front-page headlines and human-interest spots on the evening
television news. Why? Because it was so atypical of how most leaders and owners
do business. Yet the shift from individualistic to collaborative leadership,
from I to we leadership, has ancient roots and is growing new
shoots.
In her excellent book, Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a
Multicultural Age, Juana Bordas ties this style of leadership to communities
of color, where it has long been the norm rather than exception. To quote
Boardas:In collectivist cultures, a leader's authority comes from
the group. Leaders are expected to reflect the group's behavior and values.
By listening and gathering people's opinions, the leader integrates the
group wisdom. The leader must find unanimity within the group first,
and then act in concert with it. Like a battery, leaders charge people up,
facilitate their working together, and assist them in solving problems.
Through empowering others, a community of leaders evolves. Standing out too
far from others or calling too much attention to oneself can damage the
group cohesion that is central to collectivist cultures.
The following dynamics promote this concept: (1) authority comes from the
group, which takes precedence over the individual leader; (2) leaders are
chosen because of their character, including honesty, humility, and
generosity; (3) leaders inspire people to identify with them by setting an
example; (4) a leader serves something greater than her- or himself – the
mission, cause, or well-being of the community comes first; and (5) a leader
plays by the rules.
In other words, oneness matters. Leaders who lack solidarity
with their people are not leaders. Solitary leadership is an oxymoron. It's only
through connecting deeply with our people, through listening carefully and
embodying fully the future that wants to emerge, that we can together become the
change become the change we wish to see in the world.
If you are in a position of leadership, then do your best to give it away. Don't
keep it for yourself, like a prized possession. And don't think it is all up to
you. There is no reason for leadership to be lonely at the top. Instead, make
your leadership a common inheritance in which all can share and benefit. Then,
and only then, will you experience the power of transformation. Then, and only
then, will the power of transformation experience you.
Coaching Inquiries: What kind of leader are you? Are you out front, always
trying to bring others along? Or are you a listening presence, always trying to
understand and articulate the needs of the community? What would assist you to
become one with your people? How you could cultivate that orientation and
presence? To reply to this Provision, use our
Feedback Form. To
talk with us about coaching or consulting services for yourself or your organization,
Email Us
or use our
Contact Form
to arrange a complimentary conversation. To learn more about LifeTrek Coaching programs,
Click Here.
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LifeTrek Readers' Forum (selected feedback
from the past week)
Editor's Note: The LifeTrek Readers' Forum contains selections from the comments
and materials sent in each week by the readers of LifeTrek Provisions. They do
not necessarily reflect the perspective of LifeTrek Coaching International. To
submit your comment, use our Feedback Form or
Email Bob.
This Sunday's
edition of Provision,
Openness
Matters, was particularly special to me. Hard to describe the impact in
words. Tomorrow I begin a brief session at a conference with individuals who
will be "coaching" leaders of low-achieving schools. This is an ongoing process
and I have referred your Center to the folks who are facilitating it. Hope they
follow through!
Thank you very much
for the two articles in this week's Provision. The first one on openness and
building trust is most timely, and I really appreciate the practical suggestions
on building in mindfulness. During some recent difficult times I was definitely
open, but not very mindful, and the lessons from that experience are ones I need
to take with me into the future.
I also really liked Kate's contribution regarding neighbourhoods and a sense of
community. I have been feeling a bit of a gap and this article invites me to
consider ways to explore that gap. It encourages me to join a community walking
club to which I've been invited, so I thank you for that encouragement.
Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and openness in sharing these
contributions. They are such a welcome start to Sundays and the week.
Congratulations again on your book. Can't wait to read it! I think that my partner and I can
apply some or all of the concepts to our marriage relationship. As in schools,
so in marriage: trust is the key.
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May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Bob Tschannen-Moran
President, LifeTrek Coaching International,
www.LifeTrekCoaching.com
CEO & Co-Founder, Center for School Transformation,
www.SchoolTransformation.com
Immediate Past President, International Association of Coaching,
www.CertifiedCoach.org
Author, Evocative Coaching: Transforming Schools One Conversation at a Time,
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Phone: (757) 345-3452 •
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Skype: LifeTrek •
Twitter: @LifeTrekBob
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