Aren't We All Leaders

I posted on my posterous blog a response of sorts to an article that I read entitled “The Four Capacities Every Leader Needs ( and very Few Have) BY FC EXPERT BLOGGER TONY SCHWARTZFri Oct 15, 2010 http://www.fastcompany.com/1695382/the-four-capacities-every-great-leader-needs-and-very-few-have?partner=rss
The focus of that blog was aimed at administrators and how they deal with their teachers. Here is a link to the original post: http://akevy613.posterous.com/a-must-for-educational-leaders.
Today I saw the following on Twitter from @LeadToday “Anyone that cares about people can lead and anyone that doesn't care about people can't.” This got me thinking that in reality this quote applies to teachers as well and therefore we are all leaders, and would all benefit these four capacities.
Therefore I have amen ended my original post to give you my two cents how these four ideas play an important role in the lives of educators.
1. Great leaders recognize strengths in us that we don't always yet fully see in ourselves- Educators need to realize that each student is unique and has special talents. It is our job to see those talents and recognize the strengths of each student so that they can succeed and learn.
2. Rather than simply trying to get more out of us, great leaders seek to understand and meet our needs, above all a compelling mission beyond our immediate self-interest, or theirs. - I saw a blog post/article that said that the classroom belongs to the students it is theirs not ours (the teachers) and therefore is the needs of the students that come first. We need to motivate them and engage them but it needs to be student driven.
3. Great leaders take the time to clearly define what success looks like, and then empower and trust us to figure out the best way to achieve it.- Students need to be given the tools to be successful in the 21st Century. They need to be empowered to become independent learns and apply what they have learned to real life situations.
4. The best of all leaders--a tiny fraction--have the capacity to embrace their own opposites, most notably vulnerability alongside strength, and confidence balanced by humility.- The classroom needs to be a safe place for our students a place they feel comfortable taking risks and a place where failure is seen a teachable moment which will lead to growth. That can only happen if the teacher is willing to give up some control and be willing to try new things even if they (the teacher) makes a mistake as well.

Remember we are more than teachers, more than educators, we are leaders and we are leading the future leaders of our society.

My 2 cents worth
Akevy