Being an Effective Leader Starts with a Nudge of the Heart

A school counselor who had worked at a high school for several years became concerned that none of his district’s strategies to address the increase in chronically absent students were particularly innovative or effective. He typically waited for changes in institutional practices to come as a district office directive, but he did not feel confident that a promising directive would be forthcoming in time to impact the 17 percent of the students who fit the category.

Routinely, the district approached absenteeism somewhat mechanically: robocalls home, letters from the attendance office full of warnings; then when those interventions did not work, the School Attendance Review Board process began. The school counselor felt a duty to actively address this growing issue. His search of the latest research revealed that early interventions and counseling support have a profound effect on many of these students. In leadership terms, he began to own the problem, which meant that he felt that he had to do something about it. He recognized that his decision would increase his responsibility despite his high caseload. He hoped to garner support from the other counselors in his department.

Many of you have been in similar situations. A growing awareness that nudges at your heart compels you to take the lead. John Coleman in a 2012 Harvard Business Review article on leadership asserted that leadership requires psychological ownership and that action is precipitated by a readiness to be responsible, take initiative, be decisive and solve problems. It always starts with our hearts.

School counselors may have questions about their roles as leaders. They might ask: Are we born leaders or are we made leaders through life experiences? Some relish in leadership opportunities while others see it as a means to achieve the desired outcomes. Whether introverted or extroverted, each leader has a unique style and strategy. While styles of leadership vary, leaders often have qualities in common: awareness, decisiveness, empathy, focus, honesty, inspiration and optimism, to name a few. And worth noting – these personal qualities often correspond to qualities associated with school counseling professionals. We see many school counselor leaders who are compelled by justice, fairness and a deep calling to right institutional wrongs and support historically disadvantaged students.

The importance of leadership in education differs from leadership in business. Although some may measure success and failure in education in terms of dollars, more important are the lives saved or lost, achievement versus school failure, and ultimately a student’s ability to transition into a viable member of our society. It is about leadership and advocacy for social justice in education.

As leaders in school counseling, we often chat about how we might develop and inspire new leaders and the challenges of leadership development because leadership is so circumstantial. School counseling inclusion of leadership as a skill set comes from a sideline position, not directly from the formal institutional leader. Two other Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) credential providers, school psychologist and school social worker, have no standard for leadership development. Only school counselors have a standard devoted to leadership!

School counselors are the schools' first responders. They are continuously aware of what is going on with their students. They know the pitfalls, the potholes and the trends and must be decisive when needed. They are often the catalyst. They also understand that youth need more than academic and occasional counseling sessions. They are well positioned to make a difference. Like the aforementioned high school counselor addressing attendance, school counselors know that institutional change is hard and fraught with challenges that can breed hesitation. School counselor leadership is not for the faint of heart.

Consequently, the “so what” of this article is about courage and balancing work with the heart and disposition of a leader. We recently became acquainted with a new leadership book, Dichotomy of Leadership by Willink and Babin. The authors summarize leadership as: Balancing People, Balancing the Mission, and Balancing Yourself. The first is the one school counselors typically do best. The others may need a little work.

When a school counselor owns a problem with a sense of urgency and responsibility, they are likely to see their place in influencing a change in institutional attitude and practice. The very process of leading contributes to one’s leadership development. The more one leads, the more one becomes more decisive. And the more one self-reflects on leadership behavior, the more leadership skills are integrated into daily practice. This process promotes balancing others, the mission to which the counselor commits, and oneself.

Joyce A. DeVoss, Ph.D., is a professor at Northern Arizona University and coordinator of the M.Ed. School Counseling Program in Tucson. She is co-chair of the Arizona School Counselor Association Research Committee. She is lead author of the book “School Counselors as Educational Leaders” (2006).

Loretta Whitson, Ed.D., is executive director of CASC and has focused her life’s work on advancing the school counseling profession. She works with education leaders, legislators and journalists to clarify complex educational issues and champions policies of interest to the school counseling profession. She has written numerous articles and often provides testimony at both the Senate and Assembly Education Committees.