Administrator's Corner
marginalise/outpace
‘established’
rules/regulations/norms of commerce
and
‘prescriptive’
management
practices. Therefore, grooming the
next crop of school leaders is being
optimistically leveraged upon the
sanctity of the current best practices
and the probabilistic determination of
formulated predictions for the future.
Consequently, identifying, developing
and grooming potential school
leaders, should be an ‘ingrained
exercise’ woven within the fabric of
the school’s culture. This enables
the establishment of an ‘embedded
nursery’ for producing skilled school
leaders who are not only critical to
ensuring a bright future for the school,
but also, become worthy ambassadors
of the school’s brand. Such a move also
converts associated risks with having
competent leaders into competitive
advantages, e.g., talent poaching is
embraced instead of being feared
since there is no shortage of skilled
successors within the ranks and ‘fresh
blood’ flowing through the school’s
veins ensures long term vitality, agility
and relevancy.
So, what are the key tr aits of a ‘true’
School leader in the Digital Age?
Let’s breakdown the word ‘LEADER’
into its constituent elements and
then synthesise the segregated parts
in a particular context to gain a clear
and insightful understanding of the
desired merits:
Learner (L)
This refers to having the humility of
an ‘always be learning’ attitude that is
critical to thriving within the dynamics
of a Digital world. It requires an
open mind that is accommodative
to constructive views/perspectives
from all facets of the organisation
while being mindful of the strides
being made by worthy disruptors and
evolving rules/regulations. It calls for
the courage to embrace failures while
having the boldness to experiment
with innovative solutions despite
internal dissention to overcome
daunting challenges.
Earner (E)
This pertains to possessing the ability
to increase the bandwidth of adding
value to the organisation. It entails the
gaining of trust and confidence of team
members to a level where they feel
confident in loosening the ‘stringent’
expectations of the ‘psychological
contract’ without the nagging fear that
the element of ‘trustworthiness’ will
not be egregiously violated in taking
difficult decisions. It also harbours the
skilful fulfilment of the performance
expectations
from
investors/
shareholders.
Appealing (A)
This refers to the harnessing of personal
qualities that create robust endearment
with the team members. It entails the
channelization of ‘convincing power’ in
a way that is more felt than expressed,
to create consensus over the effective
resolution of contentious issues. It
includes the optimum combination of
nonverbal and verbal communication
that
strengthens
organisational
integration, promotes approachability
and cements core values through the
personal manifestation of being a role
model.
Decisive (D)
This pertains to the intelligent
consumption of available information
and then taking astute decisions
based upon viable options while
being mindful and accommodating
of inherent risks. It indicates the
presence of a calm disposition
that is unflappable under pressure
and abounds with creativity and
imagination in coming up with or
deriving novel solutions. It reflects a
level of maturity/conscientiousness
that accepts the trials and tribulations
of leadership. Such a demeanour
is unfazed by the prospect of being
‘wrong’ and readily ‘accepts’ the
consequences without shifting the
blame on others.
Effective (E)
This pertains to being serenely
comfortable
and
positively
impactful in all the conventional and
unconventional initiates undertaken
as a leader. It includes the prudent
realisation that being a visionary is not
enough anymore as momentous strides
are made within the Digital realm and
one has to step up to the pedestal
of becoming a Futurist for securing
the school’s journey of excellence in
the relevant ecosystem. It demands
a person of strong personal integrity,
sound professional expertise, incisive
decision-making skills and steadfast
commitment to pleasing and placating
key stakeholders while solidifying the
school’s standing. It also reflects
a willingness to allow the Talent
Management practices to have the
‘breathing space’ for ‘Free Thinkers’
and ‘Trendsetters’ who are imbued
with the ‘Change Imperative’ and
enrich the ‘Organisational Aptitude’ in
unconventional ways, while boosting
their ‘Professional Relevance’ in the
Digital world, as depicted below:
Reformer (R)
This refers to having an innovative
mindset that is driven to disruption
by a profound sense of purpose. It
reflects a personal promise of being
transformative in refining ailing/
inadequate business processes and
maximizing the talent potential of
the
multigenerational
workforce
by assuring an optimum balance
between ‘Crystallised Intelligence’
(prevalent in older team members)
and ‘Fluid Intelligence’ (prevalent in
younger team members). It calls for
someone who is intent on leaving
an enduring positive legacy and is
comfortable with establishing a strong
line of capable successors. It also
reflects the ability to harmonise the
‘Organic’ and ‘Inorganic’ elements of
the organisation, as depicted below:
The aforementioned traits reflect an
enterprising and invigorating leader
who is ready to meet the dynamic
challenges of tomorrow, especially,
in a burgeoning era of advanced
automation and seamless autonomous
functioning that is ‘commoditising’
conventional notions of excellence
related to job performance while
‘relevance’ is steadily gaining stronger
traction in being a more significant
factor for determining obsolescence. Is
your leadership prepared accordingly?
Murad Salman Mirza is an innovative thinker and an astute practitioner in areas
within and associated with the fields of Organisational Development, Talent
Management and Business Transformation. His LinkedIn profile can be viewed
at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muradsalmanmirza/
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Sep - Oct 2018
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