Effective Leaders are Storytellers

Howard Gardner, in his book Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership writes that "leaders achieve their effectiveness chiefly though the stories they relate." He goes on to describe how important it is for these stories to be congruent with leaders’ personal values: "The ways in which direct leaders conduct their lives…must be clearly perceptible to those whom they hope to influence…People who do not practice what they preach are hypocrites, and hypocrisy mutes the effectiveness of their stories."

A similar theme is found in the Out of the Box Training Kit, How Do I Relate and Share Professionally? In an article that provides the foundation for the kit, Rhonda Forrest and Nadine McCrea write: "Our values and beliefs underpin the way we act and respond to others. Therefore, a reflective journey that deepens our self-awareness is essential to improving ways we communicate and provide foundations for establishing and maintaining relationships…Our professional identities are in part founded on our evolving values and beliefs…We base our actions in values that may or may not be explicit or clearly understood. Therefore, as part of understanding our own professional foundations, it is essential that we uncover and consider the deep-seated notions that steer and motivate us."

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

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site