Bad Leadership

This past week I saw something on Twitter that made me think.  It was posted by the Barna Group (@BarnaGroup).  They do a lot of research on trends in our country and specifically on how the different generations look at issues like leadership, religion, ethics, etc.  I had the opportunity to hear George Barna speak a few years ago and it was very informative and fascinating.  Anyway this week I saw this on Barna Group's twitter feed:

These stats really struck me.  First, I felt personally convicted.  How many times have I lack vision and direction as a leader?  How many times have I been the most stressful part of the job for those I work with?  Hopefully I've never made people feel controlled or manipulated, but we never know how our actions are perceived.

Then I got to thinking about the classroom.  If superintendents and chief officers are the leaders of administrators, and if principals are leaders of teachers, then teachers are the leaders in the classroom.  If employees have these types of feelings about their bosses, could it be that some of our students feel this way about us as teachers?  And if so, what does it mean for them?  If 3 in 10 of our students feel this way, how would it effect student acheivement?

I was reminded of how important it is to have a moral imperative for our leadership.  As classroom teachers, we set the tone for our classrooms.  We are the leaders.  Do we create a learning environment that is nurturing?  Does it promote curiousity and excitement to learn?  Or do we create an enviroment that lacks vision and direction?  Is it stressful?  Do our kids feel manipulated?  We know that the most basic need for an effective classroom, school, corporation, is for students to feel safe and supported. 

Educators typically got into education to make a difference in the lives of kids.  Our leadership is probably the best way to make that difference!