03/16/2009

Abundance Thinking

In the latest issue of Exchange magazine (March 2009) Debra Sullivan contributes an article, "Lifting as You Climb," which can be viewed in its entirety on our web site. In the article, she gives ideas on how we can develop new leaders in our field, including this advice...

"We often talk about ‘growing our own leaders,’ but this seems to be more difficult to implement than it sounds. Growing our own leaders means that current leaders need to mentor the next generation of leaders. This is difficult in many professions, but seems to be more so in early childhood. It can be difficult to intentionally create your own replacement when you’ve worked so hard to establish yourself. And, given the economy, job security may begin to take priority. Of course, this usually happens when we fall into the trap of what I call ‘scarcity thinking.’ Scarcity thinking happens when we impose limits — in this case, limits on how much leadership is needed. Scarcity thinking tells us that there’s only ‘room’ for so much leadership so we have to hold on to what we have. Children require an abundance of leadership. ‘Abundance thinking’ allows us to realize that the more leadership we have, the better off we will be. Abundance thinking relieves the pressure of making sure you’re indispensable now that you’ve finally made it to the top, because you realize that more leadership makes us more powerful and effective advocates for the children and families we serve.

"Our first task is to recognize and seek out great gardeners. Gardeners thrive on the anticipation of what they can grow and what can be done with what they grow. Growing leaders in early childhood programs will be the great contribution of those who seek a bountiful harvest. To grow leaders, you must sow seeds — leadership seeds. As teachers of young children, we have expectations that children will grow cognitively, socially, and emotionally, and develop the critical thinking and decision-making skills that will help them be successful. To grow leaders in early childhood programs, we must have similar goals for adults."

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Exchange is proud to sell Debra Sullivan's book on developing new leaders, Learning to Lead: Effective Leadership Skills for Teachers of Young Children. In addition, we offer comprehensive support for leaders in our Manager's Tool Kit which provides six Exchange resources on managing early childhood programs at a 33% discount.

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For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

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