The Case of Embracing Messy Leadership in Schools By Sean Slade and Alyssa Gallagher Jul 7, 2021 @https://www.edsurge.com
A great piece to read! They list the benefits of messy leadership as follows:
Messy Leadership has many benefits:
- Multiplying Perspective – in short taking the broader view of an issue and of the potential outcomes. It is moving away from a short term or myopic view of an individual problem.
- Emotional Connection – bringing emotion and empathy back into leadership and into decision making.
- Seizing Momentum – being prepared to adjust or alter course and be not stuck in a predetermined path or process. This requires flexibility in thinking and a willingness to admit mistakes.
- Sensing the Future – being open to new ideas, solutions, and processes, and testing them quickly. Leaders create quick learning loops with rapid iterations where ideas are prototyped and tested without going through full committee cycles.
- Your Ego – being comfortable with “I don’t know” and putting your ego and your role as the traditional leader aside.
My thoughts:
During the global pandemic, and even as we share ideas today, it is messy. There are many points of view, guidelines being shared, professional opinions that contradict each other making clear decisions difficult.
At this time, we can recognize no matter what workforce you belong in; the world is changing at a rapid pace. We can only expect some “messy” points. Maintaining a solution-focused mindset to your leadership keeps the focus on the pathway to results.
When you can focus on solutions, you will see possibilities. Possibilities drive positivity for opportunities. When you focus on problems, you only see more problems. Problems cause negativity and blame. To be the solution daily, you can see the choice you and your team need to make. Will it be “messy?” The answer is yes! The recommended acronym is excellent! I love doing acronyms. They are fun to remember and to do. However, we tend to have too many of them in education.
Enjoy looking at your messy approach and see what works. It is easy finding problems, but solutions take creativity, thought, and collaboration.