Leaders - they are everywhere.

Group dynamics have been a keen interest of mine for a number of years. I'm at a point in my career now where I gain great insight by watching a large number of students organize themselves in an attempt to solve a problem or complete a task. Recently, I asked a group of just over 100 grade 10 students to organize themselves by age. The purpose of the task was to get them to meet other people in the grade and to sit next to someone they do not normally sit with during our weekly assemblies. It took just over 12 minutes for the students to complete the task and get seated for assembly. As expected, the request started a flurry of questions regarding birth year, month and day. Some students were quick to identify their place in what would be a long line. Eventually, some students began helping others to identify where they belonged. Regardless of where in the line a student ended up, what was common to all involved was that communication skills had to be utilized in order to achieve the desired goal. Once seated, I asked the students to raise their hand if they were a leader. Much to my surprise less than 10% of the participants raised their hand. My next question to the group was to identify, by pointing, people they had talked with during the exercise. It was comical to watch extended arms and fingers as they identified others. I then asked if communication skills were key to being a leader. Everyone agreed that good communication skills were an essential ingredient for leadership. Then, like a contagious spread of understanding, facial expressions changed and students began to realize that they did posses some skills required of a leader.

As educational leaders we need to help not only our students realize that they have leadership potential, but we must also help our faculty and staff to understand that leadership comes in many forms and is required by many in order for a school to function at a high level. Long gone are the days of autocratic leadership in the educational setting. As we progress towards greater integration of 21st Century Teaching and Learning, leadership skills must be considered as a central feature.