Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-art-of-leadership/5022808/
We have had the opportunity to work with thousands of center directors around the world for the past four decades. Lucky us! Not only has this built our profound respect for the amazing work we observe, but it has also given us the opportunity to make some off-the-beaten-path observations about leadership in the early care and education arena.
Life on the Ground is Not Like the Leadership Textbooks Describe
This observation is a bit like what Mark McCormack conveyed in What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School (1986) with a bit less glamour. In many early childhood leadership textbooks, problems faced by center directors can often be solved with a clever application of logic and hard work.
Have an under-performing staff member? Well, take these three actions and the problem will go away.
Have a parent who is a chronic complainer? Here is what you say.
Have a cash flow crisis? Then you adjust this, increase that, and apply for something else and — Presto
Change-o! — you are back in business.
In real life in a center, the underperforming staff member, the nagging parent, and the cash flow crisis all hit at the same time. Meanwhile, you are scheduled for an annual ...