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Insight

How to identify a collective definition of leadership for a district

By The Holdsworth Center|June 28, 2018
Photo of Southwest ISD leader on campus.
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Have you ever had an experience at work where someone is promoted and no one can figure out why?

It’s likely because the organization did not have a clear definition of leadership that was transparent to everyone. We may assume everyone knows what a leader looks like, but more often we find as many different opinions on the matter as there are employees in the organization.

Crafting and communicating a clear definition of leadership is critical to building a culture where everyone feels they have the opportunity to grow and move up in the organization. When people can see the end goal, they not only realize the steps they need to take to get there, but why others may have been promoted sooner or at a younger age.

As part of Southwest ISD’s work with Holdsworth, Superintendent Dr. Lloyd Verstuyft and his team have drafted a collective definition of leadership for their district, which they plan to unveil soon.

Instead of working from different bases, they came to a shared perspective on the characteristics of a leader. Dr. Verstuyft and his team hope their collective definition will inspire district faculty and staff to elevate and challenge themselves by creating a clear pathway to leadership within the district.

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