From the Chair: Four Leading Questions

The widely regarded pioneer of the field of contemporary leadership, Warren G. Bennis, defined leadership as, “knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential.” While school counselors may not be considered the building leader within the school, we do have a professional responsibility that outweighs the idea of leadership as a role but instead as a set of goals that have an impact on school culture and student achievement. Here are four questions school counselors should ask themselves every morning to instill a leadership mindset within their program and school.

1. “Is my ‘why’ at the forefront of what I plan to do?”
The end of my first week at my current school, I told a sixth-grade student leaving for the day, “Have a great weekend!” The student paused, stared and turned back around to give me a hug and replied, “I’m going to miss you!” Obviously, this was more than motivating. I felt excitement to get back to school the following Monday to continue working with my students. Although every Friday may not end this way, it is imperative that we examine and plan proactive goals to ensure we are meeting our “why” every day.

2. “Am I prepared to view the challenges I might face as learning opportunities?”
Leading is being aware that there will be many challenges. These may come in the form of a difficult parent phone call, administrative decisions that impede program implementation or simply the daily struggles of encouraging student learning.

One of the elementary-to-middle transition activities I implement each year is to have students complete a short survey so I might learn something about them before they enter middle school. One student said he would be BFWAC. A month later at the fifth-grade parent night, I approached the student and asked him what BFWAC stood for. He looked up at me and said, “Best friends with a counselor.” While my heart melted, I began to watch him the rest of the night as he jumped on tables, knocked down a few chairs and ran around the library. Working with students and advocating for them can be challenging, but I realized he was right. He was definitely going to be BFWAC. The following year, I learned so much from that student. His challenges provided me opportunities for growth and learning that helped me understand how to best work with him and my future BFWAC’s.

3. “What actions or risks do I need to take to ensure I have more direct contact with students to meet their needs?”
Advocacy within school counseling is an essential leadership skill. When you advocate for your role as a school counselor, you are advocating for students. This might also include you using collaborative leadership, data and a little persuasion to ultimately lead to systemic changes for programming. The outcomes will be worth the risks and students will benefit the most.

4. Finally, ask yourself, “What is one small thing I can do to care for myself?”
Being selfish by practicing self-care throughout the day results in one selfless leader. This act of “selfishness” will enable you as a leader to have more energy to meet your goals, face those guaranteed challenges and take those necessary risks. Begin to plug in blocks of time for play that complement the blocks of time you plan for counseling activities. As you begin to take action and apply a few of these questions each day, I am optimistic that you will realize your own leadership potential as Warren G. Bennis defined it.

Contact Matt Berry, chair of the Board of Directors, Missouri School Counselor Association, at onewildcounselor@gmail.com.