KEY IDEAS ABOUT LEADERSHIP

Leadership is not management. It is not organising a system and then telling others how to use it. It is not about being the one in charge or having the biggest office with the most expensive chair. In the 21st century leadership is, and has to be, much much more.

Leaders step forward when others don't; they describe a vision for a better future when others can't; and they empower people to succeed when others won't. They are trusted and respected for their abilities and for their values. They take risks, admit their mistakes, learn and grow. They celebrate their successes as unachievable without the efforts of those they lead. They inspire us to be better people. And what's more, a description like this can apply equally well to the director of an education authority as it can to a 3 year old playing with other children in the sandpit:

His team took a few minutes deciding exactly how to tackle the task. The members then set off to their various jobs. Time passed, the deadline loomed. He began to feel uneasy. Not enough was happening; they'd missed the point. They weren't doing what they were supposed to. He called out, "We need a meeting. It's not working". Everyone came back and sat down for a review.


He's four and his teacher is somewhere else in the room.

Here are a few points about leadership for you to ponder and debate with colleagues:

• Introverts and extroverts can be good leaders
• It's impossible to accurately define leadership
• Children are better leaders than adults
• The best leaders are invisible