When I first entered the TED site, I simply searched "Leadership" not realizing that Dr. Skipper had already listed the TED Talks topic areas on pages 14-18. I clicked the TED talk by Patrick Awuah on Educating Leaders only because the title caught my eye and quickly became engaged. Everything that Patrick Awuah spoke about with regard to true leaders and how to teach students to become leaders made perfect sense. Imagine my surprise when turning through our packet that this TED talk was actually one of our choices!
A little background knowledge...
Awuah is from Ghana and was amid the government corruption during his teenage years. He left Ghana to attend college in the United States. He was employed by Microsoft for almost ten years before returning to Ghana to help to confound a small liberal arts college with the intention of training Africa's next generation of leaders. He states at the very beginning of his TED talk that Africa can only be transformed to enlighten leaders.
During his years at Microsoft, Awuah learned valuable leadership skills and continues to use them today in his teachings today.
What makes a leader? His "lessons" of leadership include...
Leaders must be...
- hard-working
- persistent
- empowered with good work ethics
- a passion for what he/she is doing
- the ability to confront complex problems
- ability to tackle problems haven't seen before
- the ability to ask the right questions and come up with workable solutions
Leadership is an art that must be developed as a craft. Leadership skills can be taught but in order to be an effective leader, one must continually develop his/her leadership skills. Leaders can be taught these skills but it is how that person develops those skills in order for him/her to become an effective leader. I believe an effective leader leads by example and continuously inspires others to follow. An effective leader must have the confidence to make decisions but also be willing to admit mistakes. An effective leader should be constantly learning and improving the skills necessary to lead others in the right direction.
Chris Dardar - Comment on A. Keller - Patrick Awuah on Educating Leaders
ReplyDeleteI also believe that being a leader is a skill that is continual. An effective leader empowers others through inspiration and example. Awauh's example of the ineffective leaders of Ghana not being problem solvers has been my same experience when encountering a poor leader/administrator. As a leader you must have a vision and understanding of your own personal goals.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding. I agree with your statement with regard to a leader's skill must be continual. I, too, have had experiences when administrators in my school have not been effective due to their lack of problem solving skills.