Video: Modeling The Way

In their classic book, the Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner describe five practices of exemplary leadership. One of those practices in Modeling the Way. According to the authors, effective leaders set high standards and then lead by example. Good parents also understand the power their actions have on how their children behave. This point is driven home, in a VERY effective way, by a video developed by the anti-child abuse organization NAPCAN. How do your actions influence those around you? Especially those who are still learning their way in life? Are our actions the ultimate indication of our values, and thus more true than any claim we could ever make?

The Girl Effect

I stumbled upon this video thanks to the Made to Stick blog. The message is powerful, concrete, and clear. My takeaway from watching is that by putting the right people into situations where they can lead (i.e., a girl in a male-dominated culture), momentous change can happen.

The part that impacted me the most was the description of the girl gaining respect, getting into the leadership circle of the village, and once inside, convincing the males that girls can be extraordinary contributors and leaders as well.

Uniform Policies

I saw a news report from Richmond, Indiana, which I found compelling. The school system there has started requiring uniforms for their students. I'm sure this is happening all over the country. Administrators are trying to curb inappropriate clothing in their schools, and uniforms are their answer. I was struck by how angry the parents in this news piece were. Since I view everything through the prism of leadership, here are some observations:

• Might school uniforms inhibit creative expression and encourage conformity? I couldn't locate any research on this question (please post if you know of anything). Conformity to shared values can be a good thing - but so are self-expression and wild creativity.
  
• Without uniforms, some students will wear inappropriate clothing - that's a fact. However, wouldn't those be opportunities to teach valuable lessons, including accountability?
• Is a lack of parental leadership the root cause?

Here is the video: