Leadership

Over the past 231 Blogs—with topics ranging from research to reflections to rants—I have tried to analyze current topics, reports, and practices in education, psychology, and organizational change, emphasizing effective practices that improve student, staff, school, and systems-level outcomes. I have done this in the spirit of “paying it forward”. . . and while it may result in a keynote invitation or a workshop presentation or a needs assessment or on-site consultation. . . the time I spend thinking about and writing these pieces really is the best “compensation.”

Tue Jan 14 09:12 AM

Over the course of this past year, we have continued to witness the innovative and compassionate response of educators across the nation as they continue to accommodate the educational and social needs of their student populations. Additionally, we recognize the current challenges facing educators and we marvel at how these new challenges are being addressed with efficiency and effectiveness. We fully recognize that this response would not be possible without the resolute professionals that serve and support our educational institutions. On behalf of The Akribos Group, please know how much we appreciate your dedicated public service and be assured of our prayers and best wishes as you continue to navigate these professional challenges. Last but certainly not least, as we approach the 2024 Christmas Season, we would like to extend to you and your families our warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season and a productive new year. We look forward to reconnecting in early January 2025.

Tue Dec 17 07:23 AM

Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience!

Tue Nov 12 09:36 AM

As previously emphasized, transformational leaders know how to encourage, inspire, and motivate people to perform at levels that lead to meaningful results and successful outcomes. Therefore, it is essential for the transformational educational leader to be both well-informed and appropriately prepared to provide decisive and effective leadership. As outlined in the previous blog, Transformational Leadership: The Challenge (Part I), there are inherent challenges, and successful leaders are those who effectively and constructively influence people and build capacity within their respective organizations to meet those challenges. Today’s educational leaders are called upon to provide stable leadership in what can often be an unstable and rapidly changing environment. In addition, educational leaders are often expected to raise the bar and accomplish more in an environment characterized by declining resources and support, all in the name of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Tue Sep 17 09:32 AM

Transformational leaders know how to encourage, inspire, and motivate people to perform at levels that lead to meaningful results and successful outcomes. Therefore, it is essential for the transformational educational leader to be both well-informed and appropriately prepared to provide decisive and effective leadership.

Tue Aug 06 09:24 AM

Without question, educational leadership can be one of the most complex and challenging areas of professional practice in our 21st century communities and culture. Contemporary trends, leading to increased normative pressure to bring measurable improvement to every aspect and component of the educational process, coupled with an ever-changing political landscape and rising community expectations and demands, have only served to heighten the enormity of those complexities and challenges. Consequently, educational leaders are often confronted with nagging questions pertaining to the appropriate and efficient use of available resources in the face of declining revenues and deficit budgets. They are also required to navigate the challenges posed by competing interests and priorities within their constituent communities and the inherent political tensions that often result. As an outcome, the critical need for strategic thinking in conjunction with courageous and visionary leadership has never been greater.

Mon Jul 15 10:47 PM

Interruptions during the school day eat away at instructional time in the classroom. According to a recent survey we conducted, 17.5% of U.S. K-12 educators report losing four hours or more of instructional time every week due to disruptive student behavior. This means almost 18 days out of every school year are lost, all while school is in session.

Mon May 27 08:22 PM

Nothing could be more true for K-12 education than this by a team of seasoned management consultants writing in the MIT Sloan Management Review: A fundamental assumption underlying traditional approaches to strategy is that industry boundaries and economics remain broadly stable over time. This assumption is no longer realistic... Change, not stability, are the key drivers for most organizations today, and that was true even before the triple tectonic shifts of 2020: pandemic, economic disruption, and acceleration of the long battle against social injustice.

Tue May 14 08:39 AM

Four years ago when I published #EdJourney, I posited that significant changes at individual schools might take place over a period of 3-15 years, depending on leadership, intentionality, and focus. I have really never seen an example of significant change (other than in schools where a wolf is at the door) in the first year of a new principal or head of school. New leaders almost always use that first year to listen and learn the culture of the school, which is not only good, but very much in line with what we see as the successful “architect-leader”. Until now.

Tue Apr 09 08:29 AM

By: Dr. James Hutto, Superintendent Search Consultant McPherson & Jacobson, LLC

Tue Mar 19 09:25 AM

Let’s be honest. Taylor Swift aside, it seems that Super Bowl viewers are divided by those watching the game versus the commercials. And the commercials in this month’s (2024) Super Bowl seemed to bring out more “Stars” than usual: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Tom Brady, JLo, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Jenna Ortega, Chris Pratt, Addison Rae, Jelly Roll, Judge Judy, Ice Spice, Lionel Messi, Kate McKinnon, Vince Vaughn, Quinta Brunson, Wayne Gretzky, Christopher Walken, and more.

Tue Feb 27 08:50 AM

Leadership is a generally broad concept that has been extensively examined, variously defined, and vigorously debated. Studies of leadership have produced multiple theories focusing on style, level of performance, a particular set of observable character traits, and numerous other variables believed to be associated with effective leadership. As interesting and entertaining as some of these theories may be, those of us who have had the opportunity to occupy the seat, with our name on the letterhead, know all too well that it is more often the practical and not necessarily the theoretical that will carry the day in real time and in the real world. We have all likely been confronted with situations that somehow were not covered in our graduate studies, the latest books we’ve read, or that seminar we recently attended. Oftentimes, when these situations arise we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of one of leadership’s teachable moments and we better learn the lesson well.

Tue Feb 06 10:28 AM

For those of us who have had the privilege to serve, we know that leadership is far more than a designated position or title. We clearly recognize that effective leadership also entails its own unique set of challenges, some universal and others unique to specific roles, responsibilities, and work environments. These emerging and presenting challenges can be both highly complex and numerous, requiring a healthy perspective, perseverance under pressure and ultimately the sheer courage to lead!

Wed Jan 17 09:22 AM

Over the course of this past year, we have continued to witness the innovative and compassionate response of educators across the nation as they continue to accommodate the educational and social needs of their student populations.

Tue Dec 05 07:54 AM

Happy Thanksgiving from The Akribos Group! May the holiday bring you good things in abundance that stay with you all year long!

Wed Nov 22 07:37 AM

We are living through an inflection point— a wake-up call, a call that has the potential to bring about a fundamental reordering and rebuilding of the entire education system. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, it is reasonable to expect that all children should have free access to a system of learning that is grounded in the latest research for how human beings learn, grow, and thrive, and one that mirrors, honors, and nurtures all children. It is also reasonable to expect that all adults within that system of learning are provided the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive as the mission driven professionals they are.

Tue Nov 07 12:52 PM

While I love to celebrate the successes attained by the students, staff, and schools that I work with as a consultant, part of my job is to focus on the “half-empty” glasses, facilitating the processes needed to “fill them to the top.”

Tue Sep 26 09:21 AM

As we get ready for the new school year, I want to share this with you in case you did not see it at the beginning of summer. I won’t re-state my argument here; just click through to this article that I published in June via Next Gen Learning Challenge. The big question that I hope you will ponder: Might it be time to refresh education around a taxonomy that addresses today’s hurdles and biggest learning challenges? Should we not retire what was, in essence, the taxonomy of the Industrial Age learning imperatives... With one that addresses the realities of today and tomorrow?

Mon Aug 28 08:08 PM

The Alabama School Grant Consortia Program is a partnership between the Alabama Association of School Boards, the Winning Grants Institute, and The University of Alabama Center for Community-Based Partnerships. The program is based on a concept model that has demonstrated highly successful outcomes in a multiyear delivery system. The program facilitator is David G. Bauer, acclaimed author and grants trainer.

Tue Aug 15 09:41 AM

A key takeaway from Wisdom Road is not a surprise: America has seen a dramatic loss of civil discourse in the last decade. The skills and practice of civility itself have become endangered by a toxic stew of political, social, and opinion-masquerading-as-news media. I believe that the very foundations of our democratic society are rooted in civility. Without the ability to be human with each other, not through digital interfaces, but face-to-face with others with whom we may have significant disagreements, the system is destined to fail.

Tue Jul 18 08:35 AM