When we asked educators what attributes are needed to effectively lead transformational change, authenticity was one of the top five. When leaders have credibility and their colleagues trust them, they can establish and cultivate collective action towards sustainable learner-centered approaches and systems.
Leading sustainable transformation requires authenticity because of the uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that are par for the course. Change efforts fail when leaders are singularly outcomes-driven without deep interrogation of identity – or when change or learning is demanded from others while they remain static. Authentic leadership that is values-driven during transformation provides the necessary anchor to navigate any potential volatility.
What are some considerations for practice? Here are a few strategies to lead with authenticity:
1. Lean into your values
Who are you? What do you value personally and professionally? Integrity is the most essential and only value required for authentic leadership. Why did you become an educator? What are your most basic assumptions about teaching and learning? What are your personal beliefs and philosophies; how have they shaped you? These are some of the questions authentic leaders ask throughout their development and experience. The true test of authenticity is how you are able to practice your values during times of uncertainty and stress.
2. Lead with humility
In times of change, leadership failure is often a learning failure. Make time for self-reflection and demonstrate vulnerability by sharing your areas for growth and development. Emotional intelligence or leading with the heart (as well as the head) puts leaders in a better position to show and model compassion for individuals, teams and, more importantly, those we serve. Empathy for others, particularly those that are struggling or unreceptive to change ideas, is imperative for momentum to keep going. The courage to support others and the system while defending difficult decisions requires humility and compassion.
3. Walk the talk
Leaders who design learning for others but exempt themselves from it risk undermining trust. Collective efficacy is vital for the deliberate establishment of a professional learning culture that is educator centered. If you are asking your team to adopt learner-centered instructional practices, make sure they see you making the same commitment to shifting your practices as a leader. This could look like co-teaching, modeling a more teacher-centered approach to professional learning or letting go of control of staff meetings and empowering a teacher to lead (distributing leadership). Authentic leaders do not merely enact or endorse learner-centered practices rather they subject themselves to them by modeling and championing personalized competency-based learning tenets through leadership.
4. Build clarity and dialogue
Change and transformation efforts fail when leaders do not effectively communicate, steward and evaluate momentum not because of a lack of (shared) vision. When communication is inconsistent or opaque momentum can become unproductive and turn into drift. Authentic leaders continually articulate the shared vision, not as a static statement on a website or in a document but as a dynamic living reference point that evolves over time to best meet the needs of learning communities. This necessitates transparency, the intentional creation of space for discussions, civil dissent and feedback on strategies that have not worked or opportunities to build shared understanding and commitment to new programs or processes. By creating regular opportunities for reflection, calibration and sensemaking, leaders build a shared understanding and drive a renewed commitment necessary for effectively navigating transformational change.
