Week+Two

Ok... we are on a roll.... let's keep the momentum going and prepare for Week Two of Effective Leadership. It is looking like our TEAM approach has quickly become a strong partnership. I would agree that we rename our Team as KH2 (seems appropriate). I would also agree that we will both need a lot of red wine on our not-so-easy picnic as a dynamic duo! According to emails from Lynne and Jennifer.... we should approach this week as a partnership and make sure that we address Facilitator and Reporter roles. If we are lucky enough to have Sandra join us, we'll figure it out. This week, **Kelly will serve as Facilitator and Coach** while **Kellee will serve in the Reporter and Resource Manager** roles.


 * Helpful Suggestions**:
 * Get our reading done early in week (Tuesday - Wednesday)
 * Synthesize and reflect on group discussion to post initial thoughts by Friday
 * Read through motivation theory materials (as assigned) by Thursday
 * Post presentation about motivation theory for PARTNERSHIP/TEAM by Friday
 * Remember to complete your interview for leadership paper
 * Initial Reflection Log due by Monday
 * Revisit all discussions throughout weekend
 * Reporter to synthesize by Monday evening (midnight)


 * Motivation Theorists**
 * Covey - Kelly Hammond
 * TBD - Kellee Hill (Kellee review the motivation theorists and select yours)


 * Technology Goals**
 * We're going to conquer Prezi this week! Neither of us have ever used the software so we will use Prezi to develop our motivation theory presentations. We will be able to critique and support one another in our learning of this new technology.
 * Since Prezi doesn't record audio, we will try to use Jing to capture the audio portion.


 * Things we discussed in our weekly Skype:**
 * Ongoing Leadership Assessment progress/status - we revisited the assessment and discussed how best to get started in Part One
 * Internship benchmark assignments progress/status (after all we will need to create a virtual team to stay on track with that course as well) - made a plan to get a few of the Benchmark #1 assignment submitted; we will clarify the paper expectations in the other discussion area
 * APA Review of papers - we will share/compare our APA references for the chapters/articles we are reading for quick reference as we begin to write papers
 * How do we want to proceed... partnership or be re-assigned to other teams? We think we are a great team of 2, but we also feel like the workload might be too much for only two people. We would like to continue to work together as we have already created a routine and expectations. We would like to have another member added to our team from another team and/or have the other teams provide us access to their materials (Motivation Theories, etc.) so that we can benefit from other perspectives as well.

Notes from whole group discussion: As educators, we profess our commitment to lifelong learning. Stitt (2001) states that “Knowing is a state, learning is an action. Learning changes the state of knowing.” I found it interesting to explore the concept of an organization as a “learning organization” or “knowing organization.” In my review of Senge’s (1990) work, it really stuck with me that “learning organizations” are constantly evolving, asking the hard questions, working toward a shared vision, and use a long-range lens. Learning organizations value the potential of individuals and what an organization can become. Such organizations hire intrinsically motivated individuals who can work as a team toward something greater than individuals alone can accomplish. Creativity and flexibility flourish within a learning organization and individuals appreciate the need for change and embrace the change process. In contrast, “knowing organizations” focus on getting better at what they do as an organization rather than the potential of what they can become. (Stitt, 2001) Knowing organizations look for solutions to problems and work is a means to an end. (Senge, 1990). In trying to personalize this concept to my own district, I found an interesting article by Giesecke & McNeil that provides concrete examples of how libraries need to embrace the learning organization concepts. In considering schools as an organizational system, I would rate schools as relatively complex (8 out of 10). Schools have been set up as rigid bureaucracies that reward years of service rather than innovation and performance. In addition, while school systems are working together to reach a common goal, there are numerous stakeholders with varying perspectives and input. School systems are comprised of multiple departments with varying leadership styles. Teachers are required to grow professionally and document their higher education; however these same teachers are now always invited to be part of a larger change process. We want our teachers to be innovators and creative individuals within their own classrooms, but we haven’t provided a system that rewards such efforts. It has been quite interesting throughout our first week of discussions to read about how different various school systems are organized and how individuals and their talents are leveraged within those systems.

I have come to understand servant leadership as a model of leadership in which the leader’s focus is on meeting the needs of those that they lead. Servant leaders are dedicated to facilitating the personal growth and development of employees. Servant leaders bring out the personal best of those they work with and thereby create new leaders in the system. Servant leaders are excellent listeners who are empathetic, reflective, and authentic in their communication. This model of leadership is the opposite of leading by domination, power, and authority. Rather, the leader provides themselves as a servant to others to attain a greater good and ideal. Stewardship promotes the sense of personal responsibility for the long-term well-being of the organization. This model draws upon intrinsic motivation, values, and institutional trust. In trying to resolve systems organizations and servant leadership models, I think that the two concepts do not have to be exclusionary of one another. In systems thinking, there is constant feedback and analysis from all parts of the system. In a school, this may result from observations, student data, teacher reflections, and school culture. A servant leader is very reflective and dedicated to the personal growth of its members. This can only happen from a recursive process of evaluation and identification of needs. In Stronge’s article (1998), he states that honesty and the ability to inspire are key characteristics desired in business leaders. Enabling others to act and encouraging the heart are qualities that we have already read about (Kouzes and Posner, 2002). These characteristics are both indicative of servant leadership and successful organizational systems. In my classroom teaching experience, I had a principal who was a model for servant leadership. He was committed to the professional growth and success of his teaching staff. He encouraged me to apply to the MD Technology Academy in order to pursue my own leadership goals in the area of instructional technology. This principal was extremely empathetic and always concerned about what individual teachers needed to do their best. Whether family life crises, difficult classroom management issues, or curriculum support this principal maintained an open door policy and was always available to talk with. It is interesting to note that many of the county’s resource staff members and middle-level leadership individuals were once teachers under the direction of this same principal.

Giesecke, J, & McNeil, B. (2004, Summer). //Transitioning to the learning organization//. Retrieved from []

Stitt, H. (2001). //About learning// [White paper]. Retrieved from []