L3—Effective Leadership Requires a Cubed Approach

By Marshall M. Stewart, Ed.S., NBPTS

         Leaders and leadership styles come packaged in many different forms. There’s a soft-spoken Gerry Brooks style, a demanding General George Patton approach, a reasoning leadership style such as Steve Spurrier, the visionary greatness of a Jeff Bezos, John C. Maxwell and his belief in the power of influence and teamwork, and the charismatic and transformational leadership of Sir Winston Churchill. All are, or were, great leaders, but each came with a different wrapping paper. Their styles and approaches may have differed, but what they, and the leaders of today, teach us, is that true leadership must come from three key areas. It is these three key areas that I refer to as L3—or as per the realm of mathematics—L “cubed.” The three pillars of effective leaders in L3 are Listen, Learn, and Lead.

         Listening is the foundation to all learning. As leaders, in classrooms, schools, or at district levels, listening is the first step to leading. Leaders must learn about those whom they lead, their histories, the communities from which they come, their thoughts, their complaints, their suggestions, their dreams. By listening, leaders develop an understanding of not only whom they lead, but also as to what they need leadership for, and how best to direct all efforts and energy. Failure to listen is a wide and bottomless chasm to failure for any leader. Of course, as leaders, and especially new leaders, we tend to put our energy into shaping our visions of what the organization should be, and rightly so; however, forgetting to listen to those we lead and to those we serve only results in quickly draining our initial drive (or eager energy as I call it) and leading us into corners, dead ends, and feeling burned out. This, in turn, compels leaders to begin blaming others for failures, stagnates our leadership drive, and “comatoses” our progress. When leaders listen, those under them will come to them with suggestions, they will let out the tension that is building from stress, and they will gain a deeper for respect for he/she who leads. It is often hard to listen to complaints and concerns about how we lead, but by understanding that critical feedback provides essential elements that both held us grow and lead the organization better, we become better leaders, there is less stress on our subordinates, and the organization grows. Listening goes beyond the oral stage as well; we must listen to memos, emails, text messages, anonymous notes, online chatter, newspaper articles, or simply the looks on peoples’ faces. All of these are critical areas that demand close listening. Without listening, leaders can never advance to the second leg of L3.

         Learning (especially from what we take from listening) is what shapes our leadership. For example, a principal moving from a rural setting to an inner-city school must listen closely and learn quickly, the different norms, expectations, culture, and climate of her new school. Failure to do so and leading the school based on the rural experience will lead to a myriad collection of problems, challenges, and pushback. We learn early in education that each child is different, and that various approaches to our students and classes exist. We work on mastering when to use each approach. The same is true to the adults in the building. By listening, an effective leader will know which tools he can use and when, and what new tools need to be learned in order to lead in this new environment. I consider myself a lifelong learner of life—not just education. As such, I’m always open to listening and learning. Learning is key to living and growing daily. I look for opportunities to learn and to grow, but sometimes learning require a curve, and sometimes some pain. No leader really likes shots to their egos; each wants to portray the fact that she is in control and knows what is best, but every leader must be ready for the reality check that learning sometimes brings us. Take, for example, the lessons of the recent pandemic. Leaders at all levels have never been challenged to recreate—and do so overnight—how their organizations run. From restaurants closing and selling online, over the phone, and curbside, to schools and classrooms going virtual and feeding the communities they serve free lunches, leaders have had a challenging, and often painful, period since March of 2021. Classroom leaders fought to learn new online platforms such as Canvas, and administrators had to reformulate how students would be assessed or attendance counted. Those challenges remain as students return face-to-face, and cleanliness and a set of new social expectations put in place. This learning led to stress, many fears and tears, but it also made our organizations, and especially education, stronger. It proved that our educational system was not as stagnant as perceived, but that it could turn on a dime to serve students when the impossible happened.

         Lastly, effective leaders must take that listening and learning and LEAD. Great is the number or people who want to lead, but few are those who understand what it takes to get there, and what will be demanded of them. Some fight against the listening stage, others seem to never learn from what they hear or experience, and so fall by the wayside. What is needed now more than ever are those who can step forward and lead. Leadership often times is thrust upon us, but if we are listeners and learners, then we can step up to that challenge. We lead though example, with passion, with pride, with perseverance, with compassion, with empathy, and with a clear eye on the goal. We, as leaders, know that this clear vision comes through listening and learning, and that without one, the other, or both, the ship we command will quickly go adrift, her crew in utter chaos, and mutiny the fear of its leader. Stepping forward to lead means accepting a mantle that brings with it congratulations, respect, and pride, but so too does it bring the envy, skepticism, and blame for when things go wrong. Leaders cannot hide from this fact, nor should they fear them. It is what sets the effective leader apart from others. Great leaders know their limitations, and they never forget that they are human, and as such, understand that they will make mistakes, encounter failures, and subject to the entire spectrum of human experiences. What sets him or her apart, though, is a desire to persevere. . . a desire with strong roots grounded in listening and learning.

         Becoming and remaining an effective leader is a journey with many rewards. By listening and learning, leaders of today and tomorrow will be better prepared to wear the mantle of leadership. The listening and learning stages mentioned above are on-going, never-ending best practices that not only make leaders effective, but the keep leaders effective—thus, L3 leaders. By listening and learning, true leaders can readily take that step forward to lead students, teachers, schools, and districts to a successful tomorrow.         –Marshall M. Stewart, April 14, 2021