Update: Education Thought Leaders, The Response

My post about education thought leaders asked a sincere question and generated several sincere responses -- many of them on Twitter.  The gist semed to be that there are lots of folks who qualify as thought leaders, whether or not I or others know about them or think of them that way (or even know their names):  @TheJLV, @irasocol, @chrislehmann, @samchaltain,  @DTWillingham, @OlsonKirsten,  @TeachMoore.

For me, the key is someone who can see multiple sides of an issue, acknowledg and weigh them all, and come to an interesting, ideally thought-provoking interpretation. There was some disagreement about whether it was more important to be thoughtful or to be a leader, and about what leader means, anyway.  I was intending it in the simple, crude sense of having developed or being in the process of developing large numbers of followers, but I've been told that's not so important.  

In any case, some folks to consider paying more attention to, perhaps.  Happy Friday everyone.  

Comments

[Bruce]

I'm reminded of something I once heard Frank Wells say: "You think you're a leader, and then you turn around and realize no one is following." Is that the kind of leadership that is desired?

And among a generation that is teaching even our least likely candidates to prepare to be leaders, it's clear that we're moving into a world where there may be less and less following. And if no one will ever follow anyone else, doesn't leadership, in any socially significant sense, just simply evaporate?

[Virgil]

This is a great thought-provoking topic. Here is a great resource and some food for thought on this topic.

“Some sit and pontificate about whether leaders are made or born. The true leader ignores such arguments and instead concentrates on developing the leadership qualities necessary for success. In this article, we are going to discuss five leadership traits or leadership qualities that people look for in a leader. If you are able to increase your skill in displaying these five quality characteristics, you will make it easier for people to want to follow you. The less time you have to spend on getting others to follow you, the more time you have to spend refining exactly where you want to go and how to get there” (http://www.leadership501.com/five-most-important-leadership-traits/27/).

The five leadership traits/leadership qualities are:
1. Honest
2. Forward-Looking
3. Competent
4. Inspiring
5. Intelligent

These five qualities come from Kouzes and Posner’s research into leadership that was done for the book The Leadership Challenge.

Posted by Virgil

Reference:

http://www.leadership501.com/five-most-important-leadership-traits/27/

[Sarah]

Well, if there’s one thing the internet revolution-of-sorts has taught us, it’s that leadership doesn’t mean a lot in the first place if followers are able to freely question. One has to wonder if leadership is even entirely relevant anymore.