Traditional Schools Have the Wrong Bosses

An interesting article appeared earlier this year in the Harvard Business Review. Written by Matt Mayberry, a former NFL linebacker and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker and global expert in leadership, cultural change, and organizational performance, “You Don’t Need to Be ‘the Boss’ to Be a Leader” got me thinking about what learning would look like if we let our young people learn to lead their own learning.

Mayberry writes,

“To become an influential person at work [school], we’re often told we must rise through the ranks or collect a series of fancy credentials. But this is a big misconception.”

“Most people don’t identify as a ‘leader’ unless it’s written into their role, despite the fact that leadership is a skill, not a title. Over the years, through my work as a leadership consultant  working in the trenches with companies in nearly every sector, I’ve seen hundreds of early career professionals and individual contributors project more influence than their own managers. The best leaders don’t wait for a promotion to step up. They begin practicing long before then.”

“In its purest form, leadership at work [school] is the ability and desire to accept responsibility for your career [learning]. It involves having a vision that benefits not just yourself, but your organization and colleagues. Leaders are skillful at influencing others to believe in that vision and gaining folllowers that will help them make an impact.”

“Becoming an influential leader begins with shifting your perspective and mindset. While it’s natural to think of yourself first – analyzing what you’ll gain from a circumstance, job, or relationship – strong leaders know that their level of success is directly proportional to the value they add to their team or organization, and the number of people they impact as a result.”

“…there are three actions you can take to hone your leadership skills right now and become a highly respected and influential team member.”

“Devote time to daily growth – You’ve probably heard the famed analogy: You must help yourself before you can help others. In our efforts to become more influential in the workplace [learning organization] this principle applies. We cannot contribute the things that we lack.”

“Discover and embrace your personal strengths – Aspiring leaders often mistakenly believe that they should spend the bulk of their time trying to improve their weaknesses. While we all have areas we can improve, when it comes to building influence, your advantage will lie in discovering your strengths and using them to the best of your ability. Research indicates that focusing on and developing weaknesses diminishes employee [learner] energy, productivity, and motivation. Developing strengths, on the other hand, improves employee [learner] performance, productivity and self-confidence, while also increasing engagement…”

“Improve your ability to connect with people – Many people think that all leaders need to be naturally talented public speakers. But this is another misconception. When it comes to leadership, making genuine connections is more advantageous, and anyone – introverts, ambiverts, or extroverts – can learn how to do this. It all comes down to how we communicate, rather than what we communicate.”

“You can practice this skill of connecting with other people by being intentional in your interactions with others. Keep these three factors top-of-mind – vulnerability, authenticity, and empathy.”

Traditional schools have too many bosses, and most of them don’t help in producing what a learning organization should be known for – smarter and stronger learners, no matter their age.

What would happen if a learning organization took it upon itself to promote what Mayberry promotes in his article?

Devote time to daily growth.

Discover and embrace your personal strengths.

Improve your ability to connect with people by demonstrating vulnerability, authenticity, and empathy.

How would our learning organizations be different? How would our young learners be different?

Til tomorrow. SVB