NYSAIS+Leadership+Institutute

NYSAIS Leadership Institute Jan 27, 2011 Notes George and Barbara presented rough outline of possible NYSAIS Leadership Institute Discussion: [|Gardiner-Carney Leadership Institute]: training student leader “Mentorship” and “leadership” “Leadership board” might be a component – selecting three people (Andrew example) How do people gain experience in “hidden” aspects of institutional leadership of independent schools like fundraising? Get heads of school to delegate and share experiences. Leadership is (round robin):
 * Cohort experience (2-year?)
 * Heterogeneous group of educators interested in developing their own capacity as leaders (teachers, deans, division heads, department chairs)
 * Begins with 2-3 day residential experience in summer
 * Attend AH/DH Conference
 * Attend one other residential program (admissions, technology, heads, etc.)
 * Mentor experience (self- or NYSAIS-identified)
 * Accreditation visit
 * Independent project
 * Do not want to replicate current programs (Klingenstein, NAIS, etc.)
 * Want program to be experiential and that draws on strength of current NYSAIS programs
 * Do we want to recreate what currently exists or challenge systems that currently exist?
 * If we do not want to recreate current power structure, what can we do?
 * How do we identify potential leaders? Self identify? Nudged by supervisors?
 * How do people identify that they would like to pursue leadership?
 * How do we explode the pipeline of who thinks of themselves as leaders?
 * Almost unfair for future leaders to be gate-kept.
 * On-line study program really valuable, especially in creating a cohort (Roxanne example)
 * Need to know people really well in the school
 * What is the definition of leadership?
 * What do we mean by mentoring?
 * Curriculum:
 * How do we attend to school culture and institutional memory?
 * Who are we recruiting in our schools to become leaders?
 * How is leadership structured in our schools?
 * How do students and teachers take up leadership?
 * Ability to empower change while stabilizing core values
 * Not concerned about leadership with big “L” but rather growing small “l” leadership throughout the school. “Line leader” metaphor. Leadership rotates and is shared by all.
 * How do we know what we know? Knowledge of the institution. Fact-based understanding of your school, history of school, recreate those while making choices
 * Integrity, love
 * Difference between leadership and management – someone who has vision and working on big picture, long-term guiding individuals towards those visions. Enrolling people to go along with you. Not top down to get them to do what you want.
 * Leadership also really needs to attend to details and management
 * Need to “walk with people” if you are going to lead them. Distributing leadership.
 * Good leader needs to be a good follower. When you need to lead from front, from within and when to sit back and observe. Incorporating
 * “Conductor” to lead with. Passing the baton. Being able to play in the orchestra as well as stand in front to lead.
 * Notion of “servant leadership:” build and sustain a community.
 * “Good” leader: patience, respect and appreciate differences of those being led. People feel comfortable with you. Trust. How to gain the trust. How do you invite this. Being a good communicator.
 * Leadership implies a direction. Something towards which one is leading. Goals and directions. Implies growth.
 * New learning happening all the time.
 * Communication is so incredibly important to all constituents.
 * Understanding of the whole and encourages bridges between the different part.
 * Teaching people to see the whole.