Depending on how you conceive of leadership (leader as guide, etc.) and how you conceive of teaching (teacher as guide, etc.), you could be forgiven for using the labels interchangeably – they seem to share overlapping skill sets. What are seen as the best practices in some types of leadership (e.g., servant leadership, Spears, 2010) might inform our teaching practices and what are seen as best teaching practices (Samples & Copeland, 2013) might inform us as leaders. Yet, while many committed teachers shy away from taking on explicit leadership roles, often citing workload and stress concerns, Parker Palmer (2000, p.74) reminds us that “”Leadership” is a concept we often resist. …. But if it is true that we are made for community, then leadership is everyone’s vocation, and it can be an evasion to insist that it is not”. During this guided discussion, which will include a variety of solo, partner and small group activities, we will explore how these conceptions of teaching and leadership might encourage us to consider accepting more explicit leadership opportunities, to refine our decision making about what leadership opportunities we want to nurture or decline, and/or to expand our conceptualization of what might constitute leadership within the diverse landscape of academic culture. By the end of the discussion, participants will have better questions to consider when making decisions about their potential contributions to collegial leadership in their departments, institutions, or disciplines.
Palmer, P. J. (2000). Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. San Francisco, CA: Wiley & Sons.
Samples, J. W., & Copeland, S. E. (2013). The universality of good teaching: A study of descriptors across disciplines. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 25(2), 176-188.
Spears, L. C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1, 25-30.
