Leaders Exceeding Expectations

Barbara McSwain
Aug 11, 2008

After recently reading an article by Lynda Schermerhorn, Wyndham Mills International Partners, I concluded that education leaders have a lot to learn from the world of business.  Today more than ever, leaders are at risk for undue criticism. It is important to know one's academic content and to have managerial skills,  but it is also imperative that leaders possess interpersonal skills. In today's school districts, complaints can be made almost daily. Unfortunately, even when there is no foundation for the complaint, people find themselves to in complex situations. Even though one may not be guilty of misconduct, there is the hint of potential liability. The "not guilty" factor is often thought of as an irrelevant issue because an allegation has been made. Leaders can find themselves in the uncomfortable situation of having to defend themselves against unfounded criticism. As Schermerhorn pointed out in her article on Exceptional Leaders, this situation is often the result of someone's feelings being hurt. Therefore, since feelings are involved, a career may be in jeopardy by having unintentionally hurt the feelings of an employee, parent, community leader or even a board member.

Since criticism can come from any corner, it is more important than ever that school leaders begin to take a page from the business community and begin to develop interpersonal skills. It is extremely important for leaders, who exceed expectations, to become masterful at interpersonal relationships. This can be accomplished by respecting the dignity of everyone they meet or with whom they engage in conversation.

Schermerhorn gave these thought provoking questions in an article on Exceptional Leaders:

  • How sensitive are you to how you impact others in your communications?

  • Do you know and use the components of emotional intelligence?

  • Do you respect the dignity of all those with whom you work?

  • Do you know how to manage stress by avoiding getting your buttons pushed and communicating inappropriately?

  • Are you able to respond rather than react?

"Exceptional Leaders learn to treat everyone with dignity while effectively leading and coordinating action," stated  Schermerhorn. It is a lofty, but attainable goal in which the change process can move forward.