Miss Profe and Kelly Christopherson tagged me with Miguel’s new meme about being a leader. The question is: What are 7 qualities we don’t know about you that help you be a leader?

I wanted to do something a little different for this one, and so, with apologies to the Brothers Grimm, since there are seven items on my list I would like to express my ideas via the international language of the dwarves:

• I am trustworthy and dependable, like Doc. I often find myself fulfilling leadership roles by default because people have confidence in me.
• I am friendly and open, like Happy. I enjoy taking the time to get to know people. I find it easy to bond with all sorts of different people and enjoy developing productive working relationships with everyone. I enjoy fostering team spirit.
• I am sensitive to other people’s needs, like Bashful. I am very used to working with teachers that feel helpless or ignored (especially with technology). I enjoy listening, helping, and genuinely making people feel valued.
• I am practical and down to earth, like Grumpy. I like to find the most effective solution to every problem and I understand that it’s not always the “official” or “best” solution that can solve the problem.
• I know how to delegate tasks and step aside when necessary, like Sleepy. I have always been complimented on my ability to run meetings effectively, keep people on task and organize responsibilities. It’s something I have always loved, and got to truly enjoy as the Chairperson for our Amnesty International group back in Munich.
• I am super organized, like Sneezy. (You’ll just have to trust me that Sneezy is organized, or this isn’t going to work.) I have a deep love for containers and office supply stores. I like keeping track of things and making things easily accessable for everyone.
• I know I don’t know everything, like Dopey. I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong or to ask for help.

And there you have it: the closest I can come to getting in touch with my inner dwarves.

I’ve mentioned before that I often find myself in leadership roles by default. I do think some people have a natural ability to be effective leaders, but these courses I’ve been taking have really opened my eyes to just how many facets there are to educational leadership. Just being able to know when each member of your team requires a different leadership style seems exhausting to me (or is that just my Sleepy side?)!

To continue the fun I’ll tag: Susan Sedro, Graham Wegner, Clarence Fischer, Silvia Tolisano, Chris Betcher, Jennifer Cronk, and Chris Craft.

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