Adult Basic Education is currently undergoing a lot of change in West Virginia - the GED test is changing next year, the official SPOKES curriculum is changing (essentially a job readiness course for TANF recipients), a higher emphasis is being place on computer literacy skills and post-secondary education in adult learning. I am fortunate because I am new to the department so the change doesn’t feel as big. Although I have heard some “groaning,” it has been minimal with the instructors I work with. I think this is because my supervisor, Shawn Cook, has done a great job of including his staff (RESA 1 & 4 ABE instructors) in decisions related to implementation. He has created a culture of inclusion and understanding, emphasizing what is best for the student above all else. I believe that Participative Leadership is the style that best describes him. He leads by involving the ABE instructors in decision making and implementation. For example, recently the state mandated that students taking part in the SPOKES class that I teach, earn a computer literacy certification. When an initial time line target was set for the students was too high, he asked his staff (the instructors) what was appropriate and changed the timeline accordingly. He creates a team-like atmosphere among the ABE instructors, even though we are in different counties and rarely have face-to-face encounters. He encourages cooperation, collaboration and sharing, instead of competition. He supports the goals of the students, and the work of the instructors. He constantly and consistently places emphasis on “what is best for the student,” while also placing an emphasis on providing support for the instructors, knowing that leads to the best for the students.
As for my Leadership assessment I scored a 66 on the first How Good are your Leadership Skills assessment. I found my weak points to be in creating and selling a vision, and managing performance effectively. I think a lot of this is because I have problems with being clear about my expectations.... even for myself when it comes to selling a vision. I scored relatively lower in the self-confidence section and I think this is related as well. I am uncomfortable “putting myself out there,” which is crucial in order to sell a vision. I scored high in emotional intelligence and providing support and stimulation. I think this is also a indicator of why I might not be clear about my expectations - I like to be a cheerleader for others, and I find it hard to critique work that I find dissatisfying - not because I don’t see the critique (in fact, usually that’s all I see), but I don’t want to make someone not like me because I made them feel bad. Definitely something I need to work on - and probably related to self-confidence issues again :). I have found that I express myself much better and am more confident in writing and so I have made adaptations in order to present myself that way more often. This is sometimes a problem because I think a lot of people still look to a leader as more authoritative and commanding of attention in person than I am (or maybe, I still harbor that image and let that hold me back a bit). I definitely aspire to be a participative leader, probably because I find I work best under this sort of leadership. I find supportive leaders that express confidence in their team to be the most effective for me and what I would aspire to. At the same time, I like clear, concise expectations and hope to better my leadership skills to reflect this.
No comments:
Post a Comment