My Leadership Journey

 

The Foundation of a Leader

 

Early Years

 

            As I worked my way through elementary and middle school, I never considered myself someone that people looked up to. I was never quite sure how I could make a difference. School never came easy to me, I was always comfortable around my friends but usually shy around others, and although I loved sports I was an average athlete. I began to get my first taste of leadership as I entered high school.

            With high school beginning, so too were truly competitive athletics. While I may not have considered myself to be a leader, I was and will always be competitive. Through this competitiveness, I believe the foundation for my leadership started to grow. I may not have done things the right way or considered myself a leader at the time, but I knew I wanted to win and I was going to do whatever it took to help my teammates and myself reach our goals. Competing with these teams, and meeting one guy in particular helped me form my foundation in leadership.

            His name was Jim Meerman. He was my varsity football coach and I can trace back a lot of who I am today from lessons that I learned from being around him. Whether it was through discussions, going through workouts, or simply observing the way he handled both me and everyone else for that matter, Coach Meerman may have been the single most influential person in my life outside of my parents. I learned many lessons about leadership from him. The first of these lessons was to be fair. Everyone deserves a chance to work and achieve his or her goals. He never had favorites, and his players knew it. If you worked hard enough, you had a chance. The second lesson I learned was to simply be honest. I am sure it was not always easy for him, but Coach would always let you know where you stood. This was never done in a degrading way, and most times it was followed by advice to help you get on the right track if you weren’t already. The third virtue I have taken from Coach Meerman was to communicate. This lesson came a bit later, especially when I became a coach. I did not know it at the time, but he worked well with so many people in order to be successful. Students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members all had a stake in his program. Each felt they were important, and this was done because of how well he communicated with each stakeholder. These three leadership qualities will be present through the rest of this essay.

            College was the next phase in my life. I still place the college years under “The Beginning” heading because I was still learning about what it took to be a great leader. At the beginning of my undergraduate work, I had no clue what path I wanted to take. After reflecting on some advice I received, and of course remembering the impact Coach Meerman had on me, I decided to head in to the education world. I knew that if I could make a difference in at least one student’s life the way my coach had an impact on me, I would be successful. Little did I know how big being a leader is in both coaching and teaching.   

 

Who I am Now as a Leader

 

Fairness

 

            As I gained experience in the classroom and coaching athletes, I expanded on the knowledge that Coach Meerman instilled in me about being fair. Fairness does not mean everyone receives the same treatment, as I may have thought when I was a student. It is my belief that the definition for fairness is that each individual person or student is given exactly what they need to be successful. This may differ from person to person.

            During the spring semester of 2014, I was enrolled in a class called “Engaging Diverse Students and Families”. (EAD 822) This class taught me so much about what it means to be fair for my students. These lessons can be summed up from a small segment from a book that we read while I was enrolled in this course. The books title is: Other People’s Children and was written by Lisa Delpit. The quote from the book reads, “If there’s someone who doesn’t understand what I am teaching, I try to understand who they are.” This class, book, and quote taught me a lot of how I see fairness in my teaching and coaching. If a student did not grasp what I was teaching them in the classroom or athletic field, I feel I used to give up on that student rather quickly. I now try to get a better understanding of the individual. Is there something in his or her own life that is getting in the way of my lesson? Getting to truly know and understand the individual will open the doors to many future lessons.

            Fairness is a great trait that ties in to leadership. It does not matter what situation the leader is in, they will only be as successful as those they are leading. It only makes sense that to help others be successful you must get to know them. While I noticed my past mentor was fair, it was only until I began thinking critically about my own leadership that I began to develop in to the leader I hope to be.

 

Honesty

 

            I always respected what Coach Meerman had to say. Looking back on it, I believe this is because he always told the truth. Even when you didn’t necessarily want to hear what he had to say. A simple way to look at honesty and how it ties in to leadership is this; if you cannot believe the messenger, how are you supposed to believe in the message?

            The first class I took in my MAED program was called “Shared Leadership in Schools”, (EAD 825). While reading The Truth About Leadership, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, We were presented with survey results about the top characteristics of admired leaders. The number one characteristic mentioned, with 85% of people responding, was honesty. There is a key for a leader to use honesty effectively however. If the leader is honest in a way that does not single out those who are following in a negative manner, those same followers will begin to trust and work harder for the leader. There is also an equally important side of honesty that should be mentioned. A true leader does what they say they are going to do. An excerpt from the same book mentioned above reads like this, “Credibility, does not come from giving orders; it comes from aligning your actions and your words.” What a powerful thought. How can you put your trust in to someone who does not follow through on his or her claims? This is simply another reason why honesty is so important for a leader.

            I have noticed myself becoming much more honest with my athletic teams. Playing time is so important to today’s athletes. The fact of the matter is that there are only so many minutes during a contest. Often times parents and players can become discouraged and even have their feelings escalate in to arguments. I have found that there are three things that can be done to help with this playing time issue. First, you must be honest about what you are seeing in practice. Tell them exactly why they are earning the playing time they are. Secondly, explain ways the athlete can help their chances at better playing time in the future. Lastly, have these conversations in private/respectful manner. By not having these conversations in front of teammates, I believe the athlete will be much more receptive to the message you are sending. Being honest ties in with the third lesson of leadership that I have really begun to understand while completing my MAED program, communication.

 

Communication

 

            Often times when people think about how communication is related to leadership, they think of talking. While being able to express your ideas is important, it is only equally important to being able to listen those who you are leading. While I didn’t realize it at the time, Coach Meerman had both of these important qualities for great communication. When he spoke, believe me, people listened. He also always had his door open when advice was needed; I regretfully never took advantage of this.

            While working through EAD 825, we were often given a situation within a school, and asked how we would lead a group of people towards a solution. This class taught me that one of the most powerful motivators is a sense of meaning or purpose. In order for people to feel a sense of belonging or need, I believe their opinions must not only be listened to, but valued as well. While completing the work for this class, I realized that leadership is most effective when responsibilities are shared. This shared leadership needs to be a two way street. You will not be a leader very long if you only do what you want to do.

            A second way to look at the importance of communication in leaders is the difference between a monologue and dialogue. Monologue means one person talking the entire time; it is there way or no way. On the other side of this, dialogue simply means conversation. Problems are more easily solved when ideas are exchanged and valued. In EAD 825, we talked extensively about having a common goal to work towards. Goals are extremely important, there has to be a desired outcome. When teams of people are collaboratively working towards a common goal, I feel more often than not that team will be successful.

            Since completion of this class, I have already noticed myself communicating differently. While coaching I am asking my teams opinion on situations more often. I know that my players have to feel comfortable with game strategy. After all, they are the ones that have to actually perform on the playing field. As far as communicating within my teaching, I have noticed an impact in two areas. The first deals with communicating with parents or guardians of my students. I am not sure why I never realized this before. If a student’s guardians are on the same page with what is going on in the classroom, and even offer them the chance for input, I have found that reaching the student is much easier. The second way I have become a better communicator is with my peers. My boss has recently created many different school improvement committees that I am now a part of. Being able to work well with my colleagues makes working in these committees effective. While I may not be as effective of a communicator as Coach Meerman now, with a better understanding of working with others to achieve a common goal and gaining experience, I feel I can get to his level at some point in my career.

 

My Future Self as a Leader: What I Learned From My MAED Program

 

Lessons Learned

 

            My masters program has taught me that there is so much more to being a great leader than simply giving orders. It starts with having a deep understanding for those people you are working with. You must understand his or her point of view, and have a shared outcome that everyone is working towards. In order to work through any differences among the people you are working with, communication has to play a key role. In order to work well with other people you must be willing to listen, and not always speak.

            Another important lesson learned from my experience was talked about in many classes, but demonstrated well in KIN 854 Legal and Administrative Issues for Administrators and Coaches. Much of this class dealt with covering your legal bases in athletics before an issue comes in to effect. This is true when it comes to leadership in all areas. A leader must have foresight into issues that may arise, and have plans in place to fix any problems.

             In summary, while many hours have been spent working through my MAED program, three lessons can be used to sum up my program experience. Accepting and working through differences in individuals, great communication, and planning for potential problems and their solutions are these lessons learned. They sound easier to accomplish than they really are. This experience has given me the tools to feel more confident as a leader.

 

Staying Goal Oriented

 

            What is going to come next for me? I am not anticipating a change in my responsibilities as a teacher. Knowing this, I have three goals that I would like to accomplish as a teacher. The first is to be a positive role model for the students in my classroom. I want to build positive relationships with my students and athletes so they know I care for them and will help in any situation. My second leadership goal is to become more active within my community. I believe a great way to make a difference in the community you serve is through community service. I want my athletic teams to gain an understanding of this so it becomes something they value in their lives after high school. My third goal is to become a better leader among my peers. I have always been the quiet type at work, the type that sits in the back during staff meetings. However, after working my way through this MAED program, I believe I have more tools to have a positive impact in school improvement. So what is next for me? My goal is to simply become a better leader in the classroom, community, and amongst fellow staff members.

            I want to close by offering a quote from the book referenced earlier. The book’s title is The Truth About Leadership, by James Kouzes and Barry Posner.

“ You have a chance to make the world a better place as a result of what you do. What could be more rewarding than that?” Coach Meerman made my world a better place, maybe I can do the same.