21st Century Educational Technology Leadership

Below are some of the traits of technology leaders in the 21st Century. Click on the word for more information.

Commitment Curiosity Discernment Effective Communicator Emotional Intelligence Energetic Flexibility Fosters Collaboration Realistically Optimistic Respectful of Diversity Takes Calculated Risks
References

Glossary
Commitment A strong sense of purpose with the intention of achieving a goal (Schwartz, n.d.); working toward that goal with consistency (Weisman, 2010). Educational leaders demonstrate their commitment to goals by fostering an envirionment in which teachers, students, and other stake holders understand the importnace of achieving the goals. Their commitment is demonstrated by consistency, courage and compassion. Curiosity Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly, Arnold Edinborough. Curiosity itself is a desire to know more (Edelman). This desire for knowledge enables leaders to seek out new and better ways to achieve their goals. Discernment "Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other. It embraces judgment, discernment, and comprehension. It is a gestalt or oneness, and integrated wholeness, Stephen R. Covey. Discernment enables us to observe, understand, evaluate without being influenced by biases, and to make decisions for the greater good (denBok, 2012). Effective Communicator Good leaders are described as effective communicators. Books, courses and seminars on how to communicate effectively abound, but each breaks down the act of communication into a series of steps. Yet, communication is understood to be a two-way process between the sender and receiver which includes feedback and clarification, if necessary.

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Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of emotion and their relationships and to reason and problem-solve on the basis of them. Emotional intelligence is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings (Mayer). Leaders need to develop the ability to recognize and understand how emotions affect peoples attitudes, behaviors and reactions in order to maintain a cohesive relationship. Energetic Energy and lethargy are antonyms. What kind of leader to you want to be seen as; one who is vibrant and full of life or someone who can barely drag himself out of bed and to school? The choice is clear, but some days are better than others for everyone, and those days require more effort to remain active and get things accomplished. Flexibility Many things happen to disrupt plans. Leaders must possess the ability to navigate through all the lifes changes and disruptions while maintaining goal-oriented and keeping people in mind (Levey, 2002) That reminds me of the motto of one of the military units in which I served, Mission First; People Always. Fosters Collaboration Collaboration isnt about being best friends, or even necessarily liking everyone youre working with. It is about putting all and any baggage aside, bringing your best self to the table, and focusing on the common goal, (Biro, 2013). Fostering collaboration is like growing a garden, but instead of deciding what you want to grow; preparing the soil, planting seeds, pulling weeds and watering, leaders must create a working environment where collaboration will grow. Trust, valuing contributions, recognizing contributors, and adapting leadership styles may all be part of the process of fostering collaboration (Pixton). Realistically Optimistic A hybrid of realism and optimism, the realistic optimist sees the world for what it really is, warts and all. The realistically optimistic leader works toward a positive outcome from a situation that may be imperfect.
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Respectful of Diversity Respect for diversity goes way beyond respecting the differences in people who are members of this multicultural world we live in (Mayhew). To respect diversity, one must recognize the value that diverse backgrounds bring in order to build safe relationships that encourage increase collaboration, teamwork and achievement (Ireland, 2013).

Takes Calculated Risks "Lets define a calculated risk as a decision point where you have a pretty good idea of both the potential benefit and negative impact and the end result could go either way; although one is more probable than the other," (Carringer, 2011). For change to occur risk has to happen. Calculating the risk is an examination of the variables that give leaders insights into if the change they want is worth the risk.
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References: Biro, M. (2013, March 3). Smart leaders and the power of Collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2013/03/03/smart-leaders-and-the-power-of-collaboration/ Carringer, C. (2011, April 27). Leadership: Calculated risks. Retrieved from http://www.chuckcarringer.com/2011/04/leadership-calculated-risks/ denBok, T. (2012, January 11). Leadership central: Key leadership qualities - discernment. Retrieved from http://tdbok-leadershipcentral.blogspot.com/2012/01/key-leadership-qualities-discernment.html Edelman, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/explore.htm Ireland, K. (2013, August 16). How to respect diversity in the workplace. Livestrong.com. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/247145-how-to-respect-diversity-in-the-workplace/ Levy, L. (2002, September). The importance of being flexible - articles - aesources - ASAE. Retrieved from http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/articledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=13316 Mayer, J. D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unh.edu/emotional_intelligence/ei What is EI/ei definition.htm Mayhew, R. (n.d.). What is a leader's role in an organization with respect to diversity? Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/leaders-role-organization-respectdiversity-22404.html Pixton, P. (n.d.). Collaborative leadership: An overview. Retrieved from http://www.leadit.us/itbusiness-management/Collaborative-Leadership-An-Overview Schwartz, M. (n.d.). What do we mean by commitment? | Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shift-mind/200910/what-do-we-meancommitment Weisman, S. (2010, February 14). Leadership traits of a champ #: Commitment [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/NnlYUfC5_BE