Title: The%20Empathic%20Leader:
1The Empathic Leader
- A New Dynamic for School Improvement
- Michele W. Atkins, Ph.D.
- Ann H. Singleton, Ed.D.
- Union University
- Jackson, Tennessee
2Underlying Questions
- Why are you a school leader?
- What are the characteristics of an effective
leader? - What are the goals of education?
- Do we really want to produce good people?
- What are the characteristics of a successful
learner?
3Agenda
- Support for a New Paradigm of Leadership
- Characteristics of the Successful Leader
- moving from authority to influence
- Influence for Change
- the snowball effect
- Characteristics of the Successful Learner
4The Problem at Hand
- There is a myth that an organization can find
salvation through efficient management. - Thus, the model of leadership is one of
omnicompetence the skilled classroom
practitioner plus curriculum leader, plus
technical expert, plus all the manifestations
associated with being the figurehead. - It is no wonder that so many leaders in education
seek early retirement or suffer a range of
work-related illnesses.
5Its Time For a Change
- Being a successful leader is not about making
sure the busses run on time or managing teachers
students leadership is about relationships
service. - Most schools are essentially archaic in
organizational terms, resembling classic
bureaucracies which, by definition, lack
flexibility, adaptability, and the potential to
be transformed. (West-Burnham, 1997)
6Its Time For a Change
- The world is not linear, rather, complex and
chaotic. There is no predictability. - Likewise, each child in each class is a variable,
made up of a complex range of variables that
determine how they might learn.
7Its Time For a Change
- Equally, every school leader spends most of
his/her time managing unpredictability, yet this
is rarely reflected in role descriptions, the
deployment of time, organizational structures,
etc. - Schools are demanding places to work (for adults
and children) because individuals have to live in
a state of permanent tension between the
superficial simplicity of management and the deep
complexity of learning and leading. (Wheatley,
1992)
8Its Time For a Change
- The language of leadership must be changed to
reflect the unpredictable and chaotic world in
which leaders can lead and children can learn.
9A New Way to Lead
- Dad once looked down at an assembly line of women
and thought, These are all like my own mom
they have kids, homes to take care of, people who
need them. It motivated him to work hard to give
them a better life because he saw his mom in all
of them. Thats how it all begins with
fundamental respect and empathy. - Bob Galvin, CEO
- Speaking of his father, founder of Motorola
10Characteristics of Effective LeadersLeadership
Reconsidered (2000)
- Commitment
- Competence
- Self-knowledge
- Authenticity
- Empathy
- These characteristics become interrelated. When
we are not empathic leaders, others around us
stop being authentic, stop bringing talent and
energy into the workplace, and stop using
feelings to support personal work-related goals
(Cooper Sawaf, 1997).
46 of those who quit their jobs last year did so
because they felt unappreciated. U.S. Department
of Labor
11Importance of Being an Empathic Leader
- Many researchers agree that empathy is a key
ingredient in the success of a leader - Sperry (in NASSP Bulletin, 2000)
- Goleman (in Harvard Business Review, 1998)
- Ferri (in Innovative Leader, 1997)
- West-Burnham (in School Leadership Management,
1997) - Howard Gardner (known for his theory of multiple
intelligences
12A human being is part of the whole, called by us
the universe. He experiences himself, his
thoughts and feelings, as something separated
from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his
consciousness. This delusion is kind of a prison
for us, restricting us to our personal desires
and to affection for a few persons nearest us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this
prison by widening our circle of compassion to
embrace all living creatures and the whole of
nature in its beauty. Albert Einstein
13How do I Lead with Empathy?
- Adopt a new mind set Teachers dont work for
administrators, administrators work for teachers
and teachers work for students. - Understand that rationality and reason (the
archaic organization management tools) are no
more than structures, and structures best suit
those whose talents lie in manipulation. - Lets learn from the business world.
14The new model of business intelligence treats
people, markets, ideas, and organizations as
unique and alive, inherently capable of change,
interaction, synergy, and growth.
Leaders who are more attuned to intuitive
information (more empathic) will have more
influence than others who are not.
Why? The Bureaucratic Leader focuses on exerting
influence through the external pursuit of power
and control. The Empathic Leader is more inner
directed and can access a wider range of
competencies, thereby creating a form of
influence that is very powerful.
15If you look to lead, invest 40 of your time
managing yourself your ethics, character,
principles, purpose, motivation, and conduct.
Invest at least 30 managing those with authority
over you, and 15 managing your peers. Use the
remainder to induce those you work for to
understand and practice these principles. I use
the term work for advisedly, for if you dont
understand that you should be working for your
mislabeled subordinates, you havent understood
anything. Dee Hock, CEO VISA International
16Influence for Change
- We must fight the tendency to externalize our
problems insisting that it is others who need
to change. If we want to make change happen, we
must first change our self and others will change
along with us.
If you keep to one corner and neglect the myriad
aspects of the totality, if you take one thing
and discard the rest, then what you attain will
be little and what you master will be
shallow. Lao Tzu 6th Century B.C.
17A leaders true power is not the capacity to
destroy but the ability to influence others. John
Kotter Professor of Leadership, Harvard
University
The Empathic Leader acknowledges the other
persons competence and value, thereby creating
an atmosphere of reciprocal giving. When people
feel they give more to a relationship than they
get in return, they feel distress and typically
either reduce inputs (come in late, miss
meetings, gossip, careless work), increase
complaints (ask for transfers or better working
conditions), or end the relationship.
1810 Attributes of the Empathic Leader(or
Executive Emotional Intelligence Ryback, 1998)
- Nonjudgmental attitude
- Perceptiveness
- Sincerity
- Presence
- Relevance
- Expressiveness
- Supportiveness
- Boldness
- Zeal
- Self-assurance
- See handout for a detailed description of each
attribute
19Characteristics of a Successful Learner(Jones,
1990)
- Knowledge
- Critical and creative
- Motivation
- To learn and confidence in themselves as learners
- Tools and strategies
- For acquiring, evaluating, and applying knowledge
- Empathy
- Insight into the motives, feelings, and behavior
of others, and the ability to communicate this
understanding
20Why is it Important for Students to Possess
Empathy?
- Empathy is the underlying foundation of social
intelligence (Mead, 1934) - Empathy was found to be significantly related to
self-esteem (Davis, 1983)
21Why is it Important for Students to Possess
Empathy?
- Many juvenile offenders have been found to lack
empathy skills. - A component of emotional intelligence, EQ is more
important than IQ in predicting job success
(Goleman, 1995)
22Why is it Important for Students to Possess
Empathy?
- Empathy seems to be related to developmental
maturity, that is, cognitive, social, and moral
development (Atkins, 1999 Bowman Reeves, 1987
Eisenberg et al., 1991 Eisenberg-Berg Mussen,
1978 Kurdek, 1981) - Scores on measures of empathic understanding were
found to be significantly related to GPA (Bonner
Aspy, 1984)
23Why is it Important for Students to Possess
Empathy?
- Schools that have programs designed to increase
empathy have higher scores than comparison school
on measures of higher-order reading comprehension
(Kohn, 1991)
24So, Can We Create Empathic Learners in My
School?Sure you can!
- Talk to the students about acts of caring that
you have seen. - Ask students to reach out to others that are
having an extremely hard time. - Use storytelling to teach significant values of
caring.
25So, Can We Create Empathic Learners in My
School?Sure you can!
- Engage in service projects allow the students
to decide the nature and implementation of the
projects that are linked to curriculum (this
creates the sense of activism, the power to
make life better for others) - Pin paper leaves to a big tree in the hall, each
acknowledging an act of kindness
26So, Can We Create Empathic Learners in My
School?Sure you can!
- Work through problem solving process of conflicts
talk about what happened, why, how it felt to
the other person, how to do it differently next
time, and what the restitution should be. - Tell students to let you know if you say
something that humiliates or hurts them in any
way.
27Does it Work?
- When children feel safe, cared about, and relaxed
they will learn more, not less. Our children are
able to grapple with higher-order thinking
questions because they dont face the petty
disturbances that arise in mainstream schools. We
resolve conflicts as they come up, thereby
reducing the childrens distractions. - Schlossman, Principal
28Here's the Catch
Do As I Do, Not Just As I Say
Research indicates that when educators model
desired empathic behaviors, children are more
likely to adopt these behaviors themselves than
when they are merely told to behave in a certain
manner.
29Every man must decide whether he will walk in the
light of creative altruism or in the darkness of
destructive selfishness. Lifes most persistent
and urgent question is, What are you doing for
others? Martin Luther King, Jr.