Defining Leadership

One of the best aspects of being a search consultant is meeting and interacting with school leaders of all personalities and temperaments, experience and skills. Located all over the world, leaders come to their work with a fascinating set of varied paths with an equally varied set of challenges they’ve encountered.

Consultant advice: Always be ready to explain why you left one job for another!

That said, one of the most dismaying aspects of being a search consultant has been encountering fledgling and even experienced school leaders who do not know how to define leadership or how to articulate their leadership strengths. 

Consultant advice: You must know how to do this!

So here goes with some ways to look at leadership, a few resources, and a strong admonition to spend some thinking time on this topic. One simple, yet clear definition of leadership comes from the research of Judith Kleinfeld who studied Alaska native communities and noticed that the most effective teachers were “warm in relationships, firm in expectations.” In short, a “warm demander.” Later researchers expanded the efficacy of these attributes to describe effective leaders: able to build warm relationships and able to move an individual or a group forward with backbone and strength. “Warmth” alone makes everyone feel happy, but nothing gets done. “Demand” alone produces fear and dysfunction. The sweet spot for effective leadership: the warm demander.

Consultant advice: Are you a warm demander? And how do you know?

Warm demander leadership relies on building great relationships with those you are leading and developing those relationships through presence, visibility, empathy, and great listening skills. It also relies on finding the right “stretch” for employees and building in accountability. Those you lead must know that you, too, are reliable and competent, and what you expect of them is what you expect of yourself.

There are various ways to get more insight into your own leadership strengths. The Clifton Strengths Finder is a valuable resource. Or consider the VIA Character Strengths Survey from VIA Institute on Character. And some resources on defining what great leaders do: Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage, both by Patrick Lencioni. Also, a classic: Leadership on the Line or Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change by Heifetz and Linsky. And if you’re concerned that your meetings are not productive, pick up Lencioni’s Death by Meeting . It’s a must!

Happy holidays from the RG175 team. See you in 2026!