Response-ability

Riggio et. al. (2008) stated "followership, like leadership, is a discipline of competencies and response-abilities. The difference between response-able and responsible is the difference between something you can do and something you should do. Response-ability is readiness. Responsibility is abstract duty or job description. Leadership and followership are competencies that work in tandem as a shared discipline of reciprocal response-abilities" (p. 18). Being ready and prepared is often times the most important thing leaders and followers can be, and asking questions to alleviate ignorance and confusion and expressing doubt, concern, and even fear are ways in which a good follower and leader become ready and prepared.

I believe it is somewhat easier to ask questions and express doubt and confusion as a follower, because that is expected and even encouraged, especially by a good leader; for, how does a follower learn except by and through asking questions? However, a leader is in a more precarious situation, as questions, doubt, and confusion may lead followers to question and doubt their leadership.

Nonetheless, as a leader, one is bound to get confused and have doubts and questions, so how does a leader express doubt and confusion? As a teacher, when I get confused or have doubts and questions, I go to a fellow teacher. This is good because we do the same things and have the same problems, and a fellow teacher, I think, is less likely to look down on me for not knowing what to do. I can even go to my principals and curriculum leaders, as long as I phrase my concern properly and don't go to them all the time. But, is it OK for a teacher to express their confusion and questions to their followers, i.e. students. Is it OK for a principal to express their confusion and questions to their followers, i.e. teachers. Is is possible to do this without seeming inept or out of control?

Finding Others Without Losing Yourself

Mary Parker Follett (as cited in Riggio, Chaleff & Lipman-Blumen, 2008) stated leadership "is a partnership in reciprocal following." In other words, one that intends to lead must also follow; therefore "there are no leaders who are not followers, not followers who are not leaders, both need to learn what and how to follow" (Riggio et al., 2008). A good leader works to discover the best way to lead and follow the people with which they work. For example, good teachers will ask their students for feedback on an assignment or will ask questions to better understand the learning styles, needs, and personalities of their students. Consequently, teachers, who are normally leadership figures, become followers of their students; the teacher follows what the student says in order to better teach and serve them. As a follower, the teacher ascertains the information and insight necessary to be a better leader and teacher of their students. In addition, students, who are normally followers in the classroom, become leaders of their teachers; simply put, students lead the teacher in the direction they both need to go to achieve the best possible result. This example works best for the situation students and teachers are in; the teacher and student leads and follows depending on the situation and the legitimate needs of themselves and the other.

The Respectful Mind and political correctness

Gardner (2008) stated, "political correctness refers to the practice of speaking and acting positively toward a certain group, just because that group has in the past been subjected to mistreatment, and in decrying anyone who might say anything critical about that group.  In turn, political incorrectness refers to . . . deliberately saying or doing something critical of the targeted group or those who would shield it from criticism" (p. 113).  In modern American society, it seems being politically correct is frowned upon.  It seems we, and especially the media, always want people to NOT be politically correct; we want them to say what they really think.  Even when someone is truly being outwardly respectful of a certain group, we don't believe them.

However, regardless of the way political correctness is percieved, it is still important that we teach our children in the classroom to truly be politically correct; our children must not only say the respectful and "right" thing, they must also believe it, think it, and live it. Furthermore, the best way to teach our children to truly be politically correct is to model it, which means treating children and other teachers with respect when they are present and when they are not. This is a challenge, and I am not always good at it; however, our children will be introduced to incredible challenges in the future and being politically correct with their words, thoughts, and actions will go a long way in overcoming these challenges.

Transnational Leadership and Symphony

Daniel Pink (2005) defined the aptitude "Symphony" as "the ability to put together the pieces. [Symphony] is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair" (p. 130). Pink went on to say that those with a high aptitude of symphony are "boundary crossers" because they are able to develop expertise in a number of different spheres and disciplines and "find joy in the rich variety of human experience" (p.134). As leaders for the 21st century and beyond, it is imperative that we develop within ourselves and those we lead the freedom and confidence to attempt to make connections between ideas and fields that do not seem connectable (I'm not sure if this is a word, but it works here!). Furthermore, to work effectively with people of different cultures, beliefs, and value systems, we must be willing and able find how we connect with them. We must be able to find answers to questions like "How can a white male American Christian connect with a Chinese female Confucian?"

Pink refered to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's comment that great minds are "androgynous," which means to contain both male and female characteristics. Pink said those with androgynous minds are "boundary crossers." To me, this does not mean that I must act like a female or that a female must act like a male. Instead, in a larger sense, I believe Pink and Coleridge are stating that boundary crossers are those whose minds are not rigid and closed off to people and ideas that seem disconnected from their own. An androgynous mind is an open one, always searching for new relationships and progressive connections between seemingly different ideas and concepts.