Hi Marcello, I wrote a response to you Saturday night but it did not go through or you have not been able to read it? So here it is again:<\/p>\n
Response to Marcello 3.1<\/p>\n
Hi Marcello,<\/p>\n
Thank you for sharing your insights on some aspects of leadership in your role as principal in Paraguay. I found it interesting to hear about some challenges that you have faced in learning to work strategically with your team. Hughes, Beatty and Dinwoodie (2014) note \u201cThere is no doubt that working as a team at the top of an organization is not an easy thing to do\u201d (p.201).\u00a0 You write \u201cIt is not always an easy group to work with since we have inherited our position in the team through formal position. Hughes et al., (2014) mention that one of the reasons such top management teams might have difficulty working as a team is because the right mix of skills is often absent; instead, members are chosen based on their formal position (p. 201). Every member of the equipo directivo was hired for our job and then told by the board to work together as a Strategic Leadership Team (SLT).\u201d I wonder if, you as principal, could speak to the board of directors and ask them to involve you more in the selection process for hiring your own administrative team?<\/p>\n
According to Harris (2014) and Fullan (2012) distributed leadership has many benefits. As cited by Fullan (2012, p.27), \u201cEither too much sameness or too much scatter is problematic. Interacting only with the like-minded or being hyperlinked to scads of strangers is dysfunctional. Creative collaboration has a sweet spot that consists of the right mixture of established relationships and newcomers. Within the collaborative cocktail, distributed leadership is pivotally important because it is the \u201csocial glue\u201d that supports effective interdependent working\u201d (Harris 2014, p.4).<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch of my job these last few years has been trying to understand the mindset of my team members and trying to build their sense of confidence and ownership of the mission of the school. Besides our weekly meetings, we have also made time for an annual retreat, going out for dinner, traveling together every two years, and encouraging each other.\u201d In what ways do you encourage each other? Do you think the annual retreat has helped your staff become more invested in the mission of the school?<\/p>\n
I really like what you said here \u201cAs suggested by Lepsinger (2010) I have also allowed each member to express their point of view and share freely their thoughts and concerns to make them feel like key players in this leadership team (p. 14).\u201d This reminds me of what Atha (2018) wrote \u201cUtilize the team, bring everyone together, review collectively and by all means make problem solving the group activity it is meant to be\u201d (p.14).<\/p>\n
\u201cOne can get quite discouraged in one sense while making decisions today and not seeing the results, on the other hand, one might not realize what effects one small decision today might create in the future. As strategic leaders in our equipo directivo we occasionally fail to see things long-term and fail to reflect on the possibilities.\u201d This sounds similar to a missionary I once supported. She worked with an American mission agency in Toulouse, France. She and her team-mates worked with North African Muslims who had come to France as refugees. After more than ten years in the field working with these people she became very disillusioned. It seems to be times like this when one must step back and re-evaluate what the mission and vision are and re-examine the Big Picture. Hughes et al., (2014) write \u201cIt\u2019s often helpful for these teams to step back and refocus, gain the big-picture perspective and bring it into the foreground again (p.199).<\/p>\n
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\u201cI would like to add another limiting factor in my team systems, \u201cthere is no blame.\u201d We try to find someone or something to blame but do not take complete ownership of what has happened. Some team members are more willing to do so than others. Much of this has to do with the culture. Because of low self-esteem, people are less willing to confess shortcomings.\u201d This problem makes me think about Atha\u2019s (2018) view on leaders when he writes \u201cleaders are like symphony conductors who endeavor to maintain a melodious performance in which the contributions of the various instruments are coordinated and sequenced, patterned and paced, while the orchestra members are having various difficulties, stage hands are moving music hands\u2026\u201d (p.16). According to your noted experiences, your staff are just learning how to play their instruments. I think it is important for teams to work cooperatively in order to be successful. Galbraith (2014) sums it up succinctly when he asserts \u201cSuccess depends on teamwork\u201d (p. 98). Perhaps your staff could use some strategic pro-d workshops on building up their esteem? You could also try fitting this topic of discussion in for your staff collaboration days.<\/p>\n
Thanks for sharing Marcello! I am certain that your staff will follow your example, as you lead the way as a strategic transformational leader.<\/p>\n
Reference:<\/p>\n