Although I have been in numerous leadership roles, my earliest recollection of ‘Being A Leader’ has to be when I was a 6th grader at Richard L. Brown, then a kindergarten and 6th grade center. I don’t remember how many students there were or the exact classes, but I do remember my teacher, Mrs. Frazier. She was a beautiful young lady who was very encouraging and caring. The most anticipated event of the year next to ‘Play Day’ was Student Government Day, when students became teachers and administrators. Those students who were privileged enough to participate, dressed like their faculty member and performed the required duties of that position. I am not sure how these substitutions were selected; however, I was the Principal for that day. I would be Mr. Ken Manuel, a handsome black man who wore a full beard and was very respected in the educational community. I say respected because he would always have noteworthy people appear to speak with us and they all spoke very highly of him.
I remember the day I went home from school and that evening telling my mother that I would be representing Mr. Manuel on Student Government Day. My mother was extremely proud and excited, probably more than I was. My sister overheard the conversation and immediately asked “Why do you think, of all those students, that you should be the principal?” I wasn’t sure and didn’t really give it much thought, before I knew it I blurted out “Who else would or could be Mr. Manuel”. After thinking more about what she said, I realized that I should be the principal based on all of the other students that I was unconsciously comparing myself to. Not only did I feel this way but other students automatically assumed that I would be Mr. Manuel as well.
The morning of Student Government Day I woke up earlier than normal excited about the experience. I wore a dark blue suit, red tie, and black shoes because that’s what came to mind when I thought of Mr. Manuel. I lived down the street and walked to school earlier than I usually do to show off my professional attire. When I got there, approximately 45 minutes before school started, Mr. Manuel was already there and appeared to have been for a while. He was walking around the school and when I finally caught up with him, we hurried to greet the students that were getting off of the buses. Afterwards we went to the main office where he sat me down to discuss how we would approach the day. He had an itinerary printed out for me to follow; it was very detailed down to the minute. At first glance I was amazed at how many things he was responsible for throughout the day. The first item was morning announcements. I loved to talk but wasn’t very keen on speaking in front of people, especially the entire school. He recognized this and suggested that we rehearse a little before my big debut. We did and I even surprised myself with the performance.
The entire day was filled with frequent and different circumstances dealing with faculty, students, parents, staff, and even administrators from the district. I immediately gained an elevated level of respect for Mr. Manuel and now understood why everyone always reveled in his presence. It was as if he were omniscient, every situation that we encountered he was able to easily navigate to a resolve as if the exact incident had happened before. He was a smart and articulate professional who had a knack for communicating with others. Mr. Manuel truly exemplified the principles, virtues, and values of the ultimate leader. Being principal for the day helped structure my ideology of leadership in two ways: 1) It helped me realize that not only did I think I was a leader, but my peers did as well. 2) It gave me a direct view of leadership from the top down; a perception of the expertise, obligation, and responsibility that comes with leadership.
I often think about Mr. Manuel and that Student Government Day experience as it relates to my professional career. Having spent 10 years in education, 4 of those as a Vice Principal, I directly attribute my leadership style to Mr. Manuel. During my transition out of education and into Corporate America, I realized that the same behaviors apply to learning and leading. I have worked with start-ups, Fortune 50 companies, and now am an Entrepreneur and the common denominator in leadership has been behavior that encompasses a distinct skill set and mind set. My earliest recollection of ‘Being a Leader’ continues to affect my view of what a leader is. And does. Thank you Mr. Manuel.
(Inspired by Dr. Joyce Jones & EDA 7190 The Evolving Idea of the Educational Leader)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment