Leaders Should Not Stand Out

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Leaders should not stand out. Here are three reasons why. (tongue in cheek)
You should not stand out as a leader.
You should not think of new ideas.
You should not innovate.
You should not be creative.
You should seek to fit in and be normal.
Follow rules and be safe. Here are three reasons why.

Innovative Leadership Involves Risk

Standing out and being creative is how we find solutions. Innovation means you have to try out new ideas. It means you have to find solutions. Trying out new ideas is risky.

Many educational leaders maintain the status quo. Policy makers maintain status quo. You should definitely do the same. It is safer that way.

If you are a school leader concerned only about keeping your job, then just be normal. Average is good enough. Average is safe. (And outliers are risky.)

Don't learn. Don't grow. Don't risk making a mistake. Just follow everyone else and you'll be safe.

Leaders with Vision Have to Work Hard

You might just want to come to the office and:
  • read emails
  • complete paperwork
  • talk on the phone
  • turn in reports.
If that is all you want from leadership, then you definitely don't want to have vision. Vision makes you stand out. And if you stand out like we discussed above, you'll be exposed to risk.

Also, vision is hard work. It is a lot of work to dream of what could be. Trying to make a vision come true is difficult.

A vision requires you to inspire others. You have to listen to others. You have to build consensus and collective effort. This is all hard work. It is a great reason why a leader should never stand out.

Passionate Leaders Serve Others

A passionate leader will stand out because passion leads to service. Serving others is real leadership, and it will make you different from average leaders. Passion and service will make you stand out.

Passion causes leaders to do things they wouldn't normally do. Passion will inspire you to help others. Passion will motivate you to work late and ensure everyone is successful.
Leadership is not about being safe. It is about having vision, passion, and caring.

If you're just selfish and only concerned about you, then you definitely don't want to be a passionate leader.

Passion will force you to find solutions. Solutions need collaboration. Again, this means everyone will have to work harder and work together.

Really Caring About Schools

You who may really want to do something good. You know that you will end up standing out. You actually might want to be above average. 

If you really care about school improvement, then you sure don't want to follow the advice in this post! You will want to read these posts about:

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