10 Key Behaviors of Global Leaders
Inviting the Unknown is a scary thought for those leading others into a world of "unknowns." Today's issues may be tomorrow's solutions. The leaders in today's schools see only today's issues. They take comfort in knowing that the challenges students face are tangible, observable, and perhaps even solvable. But our challenge is to develop global thinkers and educators who possess skills to envision the ambiguous future of education. Globalization, the digital revolution, mass migration, and the prospect of climate instability are triggering new concerns and demanding a new kind of graduate (Mansilla and Jackson, 2011). Global leaders need to have the intellectual capital that capitalizes the on cognitive complexity to imagine education on a much bigger scale. Our students need leaders who not only have intellectual capital but also psychological and social capital to navigate an unknown global terrain. We must nurture the skills our students need to make them aware, curious and interested in inviting the unknown.
Closing the gap is THE
today's educational buzz phrase. One reason the gap exists because of
the disporportionate number of leaders in our schools who are not equipped with their own skill sets to adequately prepare students for the challenges and uncertainty in a competitive global marketplace. In the 2012 article Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's Marketplace, Ann Pace defines a skills gap between an organization's current abilities and the skills it needs to achieve its goals. But the organization, in this case our schools, must cultivate
Results through relationships. In an interview for ASCD (Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development), Principal Barute Kafele shares insight on how to leverage relationships with students in your schools. Building strong personal relationships is the first step in closing the gap. But educators must also learn to close the achievement gap through frame-shifting - finding ways to shift their communication style, leadership style, and strategies (Gundling, Hogan, & Cvitkovich, 2011) by infusing the curriculum with student [background] culture. The teachers who find a way to use the home culture of a student as a resource and not blame the home culture for student failures are more culturally proficient, build connections with students and parents, and bring about an improvement in student academic performance (Anderson, 2011). While the emphasis for educators may be on assessing standards, completing tasks, or increased student achievement, the failure to see that the relationship (student culture) and task are so closely intertwined prevents frame-shifting as a means to get things done.
Check out more tools to increase leadership skills at Mind Tools.
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Widening the SCOPE through which you view education.
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