Anna Adams

May 1, 2009

Philosophy of Leadership and Ethics

Final Paper

Jack Newell
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Audience = Other faculty members across disciplines. I am speaking as

a faculty member in the department of education and faculty senate

President.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to

reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” This

famous quote was spoken by Eleanor Roosevelt. My fellow faculty senate

members, colleagues, friends and acquaintances, I stand before you today

not as your superior, manager, supervisor, boss, or chief, but as your

comrade. I strive to work alongside you, not in front of you. I don’t mind

taking the lead, but I expect you to stand beside me. I will not be your

decision-maker, but I will help you navigate your way through difficult

situations. In return, I challenge you to stretch the limits of my

understanding with your questions, knowledge, suggestions and ideas. I will

not be put off if you disagree with me. I only ask that when bringing me a

challenge, you also be prepared with a solution.

To help you understand who I am and what I stand for today, I would

like you to know where I came from. By the time I was finished with my

bachelor’s degree I had lived in eight different states, moved eighteen times

and attended eleven different schools. Yes, you might have guessed it, I was

an Army brat. Pulling up your roots every year or two can cause many issues

in a young child’s life. Finding new friends, meeting new teachers, adjusting

to different ways of life: these were all common occurrences during my

young life. Looking back, I am thankful for having experienced such a rich
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variety of environments. Throughout this tumultuous time, there was one

common thread: books. I loved to read. I still do. My favorite genre was

fiction; I loved reading about other children’s “normal” lives. I longed for a

sense of stability, roots, friends I had known since diapers. Even though

reading about this type of life never made it happen in mine, I was exposed

early on to the concept of change in life. I grasped at anything and

everything that I could keep control of. As you can imagine, in a world full of

change, this was rather difficult. During this realization that I had little

control over my environment, I turned to the one thing I could control,

reading and learning. I have no doubt that my passion for learning was

sparked at this time in my life. Other catalysts regarding my love of learning

were undoubtedly my family. They have always valued education higher

than anything else. Both of my parents have master’s degrees, my dad

having earned two. Education was an understood factor, expected. There

was never any question that I would go to college and earn at least a

master’s degree. I understand that this lifestyle was very privileged.

As a young child, I was also consumed with studying the art of dance.

Ballet specifically. Any of you who are familiar with the arts is aware of the

dedication, discipline and unwavering commitment that accompanies the art

form. I suppose this was another avenue I used to maintain consistency in

my otherwise inconsistent life. I loved to move; I felt an all-consuming sense

of enjoyment when rehearsing. The state was almost meditative; I become

so aware of the minute actions my body can make when studying dance
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from the age of four to nineteen. You get to know yourself more than

anything else around you. It was Socrates who insisted that one should

“know thyself.” I have found that this is the best advice a person could give

or be given. For without knowing yourself it is difficult to know what you

stand for and what you should defend. In my pursuit of this passion, I

thought I was well on my way to mastering the knowledge I had of my inner

self. It was later in my schooling that I realized I had only just begun to

discover who I really was.

Along this path to further self-discovery was the influence of multiple

role models. My role models were extremists. They were people who would

give everything they had in order to be able to continue the pursuit of their

art form. They would stop at nothing to achieve their dreams; in turn, they

wouldn’t let anything else stop them either. In her autobiographical account

Dancing on My Grave, former New York City Ballerina Gelsey Kirkland

mercilessly describes her ascent to the top. Despite her numerous romantic

relationships, drug use, drug recovery and obsession, Ms. Kirkland appeared

to be on top of the world. She had the dream spot in the dream company

every aspiring ballerina wishes for. However, when she revealed her daily

menu of four apple slices and a spoonful of cottage cheese, it made me

wonder how far one should go in pursuit of their dreams. “If you want

dessert, just skip dinner,” is another quote that comes to mind when

discussing a dancer’s diet. A well-meaning dance instructor I had as a

teenager spoke these words; you can only imagine the effect her words had
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on many young, impressionable minds. It seemed as though these dancers

would stop at nothing to achieve greatness. After all, isn’t that what

everyone wants, to achieve greatness? What would I stop at? I realized that I

had only just begun my life-long journey of self-discovery. I had to modify or

toss out all previously held beliefs and assumptions about the journey to the

top. The top of what? When you’re little, the adults never reveal what “the

top” is. You just know that you are supposed to get there in any way

possible. You are not to be distracted by temptations. These will only hinder

your path.

Now, at this point you must be thinking that I had poor choice in role

models! Even though many were dancers, not all of them were extremists. I

also had numerous dance instructors who were more levelheaded. It was

working with these role models that I was able to develop a healthier sense

of balance in my life physically, emotionally and mentally. These teachers

would insist on our class taking breaks during winter holidays and the

summer months. They strongly believed that rest is the best motivator for

continued study later on. They knew something I didn’t at this point; life is a

marathon, not a sprint. However, like most young children, I didn’t

comprehend or care to understand this concept. It is something I believe we

all need continual reminding about.

Other role models throughout my life consisted mostly of teachers in

my schools. These teachers were not only educators, they were leaders. I

saw them as all-knowing beings. They seemed to have the answer to

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everything. Their life was methodical, it appeared; they had partners,

children, exciting stories and plans. I was unaware at the time, but after

spending time during my graduate studies I came to discover social justice

issues and their applicability to teaching methods. As a young child, I was a

conformist with respect to education. I became a master of memorizing and

regurgitating information. For this surely was the key to success. It hadn’t

crossed my mind yet to consider the way my teacher interacted with the

other students. I was most concerned with my own progress and

achievement scores. In retrospect, I can recognize moments when my

beloved teachers would treat students differently. It was subtle, with little

warning. Like blips on a radar screen; these blips would go off only at short

intervals. They were not at a high enough frequency to cause any real alarm.

For example, when my teacher would spend extra time with one student, I

thought this was normal. That student must be really smart or the teacher

wouldn’t be spending so much time correcting that student’s paper. What I

didn’t know was that the teacher’s behavior was an ethical consideration.

Why wasn’t my teacher spending this time with all of the students? Why did

she dismiss some students without a backward glance or encouraging word?

She was perpetuating a classroom environment that rewards students who

conform to the existing institution of education. Multicultural education

advocate Gary Howard reminds educators about the importance of the,

“need to reexamine everything we’re doing,” in his article Responding to

Changing Demographics (Howard, 2007). He stresses the need for educators

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to understand and adapt accordingly to their student population. This is a

good reminder for us all to take a step back and reflect on our actions

frequently.

In addition to observing several educators throughout my childhood, I

held traditional conceptions about the role of a leader in society. The one in

charge was clearly defined for us. This included the artistic director, teacher

or rehearsal assistant. As a dancer, you are not to question the authority

figure. You are to take direction impeccably. I learned to question internally

and perform externally. You begin to feel as though your mind has already

been made up for you, predetermined. One can easily lose a sense of control

over the outcome of the process. As a result, the artistic vision will be

fulfilled. You can imagine how difficult it is to find your own voice, let alone

your own vision when you are continually being told what it should entail. It

was not until the last year or two of my undergraduate psychology degree

that I discovered an internal sense of control on the outcomes of my actions.

I realized that even though there are other outside influences affecting my

position, it was up to me to largely determine my outcome. I would challenge

you all to find and articulate your inner sense of control. This will help you

innumerably in your professional as well as personal life.

Another aspect of my earlier experiences that contributed a great deal

to the way I approach life is the expectation of perfectionism. The

expectation of perfection is unparalleled in any other experience I have had

to this date. As dancers, most specifically ballet dancers, you strive for
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perfection fully knowing that you will never achieve that. You might wonder

how a person can continue day after day with this overhanging cloud of

expectation. It is only by maintaining a sense of passion that you were able

to survive. I have carried with me this same sense of passion for my work.

Regardless of the position, I vow to maintain my sense of passion. As soon as

that leaves, it is time to either renew or relocate; this I firmly believe for

people in all areas of work. How do I maintain a sense of passion you might

be wondering at this point? Friends, family, colleagues, reading, being

surrounded by nature. These are all valuable resources you should invest

your time in extensively.

A topic that goes hand in hand with passion for one’s area of study is

work-life balance. In my teenage years I had little balance between my work

and play. Extremist dedication was the only accepted way of life for a

dancer; it is all or nothing. As a dancer, every moment of your life is spent in

relentless pursuit of achieving perfection, the ultimate art form. Now,

whether or not this type of commitment is healthy is subjective. For all of

you, my friends, I expect dedication. I also expect you to renew. Whatever it

is that you need to become re-motivated, I strongly encourage you to

practice often. Life has a way of passing us by all too quickly to miss the

view. A great friend once said, “You can’t fill another person’s bucket unless

yours is full first.”

It was about this time, during high school, that I developed a

misunderstanding of human behavior. Untrustworthy. Lazy. Unmotivated.

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Doubtful. Cocky. These are words I started using to explain people’s actions.

Let me warn you, when you notice yourself falling into the trap of

categorizing a whole population, troubles will undoubtedly arise. Remember

this point and you will hardly ever go wrong: Every person has a story. With

those stories come understanding. You begin to realize that we are all put

here on this earth to co-exist. Our struggles, fears, joys, excitements,

accomplishments: they are all the same. I beg of you, try your hardest to

understand one another before you judge. This course of action will help you

as you take your journey down the path of human relationships. Matthew 7:1

reminds us to steer clear of hypocrisy and self-deception, “Do not judge so

that you will not be judged.”

It was not until my junior year in college when I started to change the

perceptions I had of people. At this point, I had decided to major in

Psychology and maintain ballet dancing as a hobby versus a career. I was

sitting in my Social Psychology class- my favorite one at the time. The

professor was discussing the difference between making situational versus

individual attributions. It hit me like a ton of bricks, it was clear as day. My

whole life I had been making individual attributions; I thought the reason

people acted the way they did was mostly due to their individual traits and

personality. I had disregarded the impact a situation can have on a person’s

actions and decision-making process. Wow! This was a revelation for me. My

view of human behavior changed. It softened. I found it easier to understand

and even forgive people for their actions. I realized that I too was in need of
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forgiveness of my own. I was now on the other end of the spectrum. What a

feeling?!

In graduate school my understanding of people was enhanced even

more during my College Student Development theory course. These theories

were able to shed light on the various stages of intellectual, ethical, moral

and spiritual development that traditional-aged college students progress

through. I was able to also have a deeper awareness of where I was myself

with respect to my own development. It’s funny isn’t it? Just when you think

you’re done learning or developing, you come off of that plateau and climb

again towards the next mountain. I learned that embracing this process is

ultimately easier than resisting it. But so difficult to accept at the time!

I must mention now the beginning of the development of my

leadership philosophy. What is leadership? There are so many definitions out

there that it is hard to keep track. Servant leadership, social change model

for leadership, pervasive leadership, situational leadership, autocratic

leadership, laissez fair leadership and the list goes on and on. The type of

leadership I most closely identify with is an informal leadership term

explained by Margaret Wheatley’s book Leadership and the New Science.

The term “roving leadership” was coined by Max De Pree, former CEO of

Herman Miller (1999). I like this leadership style because there is no focal

leader; all participants in a group or company take on leadership roles at

different times. This quote best summarizes roving leadership, “They emerge

from the group, not by self-assertion, but because they make sense, given
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what the group and individuals need so that they can survive and grow,”

(Wheatley, 1999). I have noticed this phenomenon throughout years of

working with groups for school projects and the like. It is rare that one

person will continually take charge of a given situation; if this is the case,

then more leadership opportunities need to be given to the other

participants.

This concept is a fairly new one. Prior to the 1980’s, leadership was

thought to be an innate tendency rather than a learned skill. I firmly believe

that in each and every person there lies a leader waiting to emerge. Kouzes

and Posner echo this feeling in their book The Leadership Challenge, “What

we’ve discovered is that people make extraordinary things happen by

liberating the leader within everyone,” (2002). When I first read this book in

the fall of 2007, I knew my life would never be the same. A spark was

ignited. I started to feel a sense of passion, excitement, fear, challenge and

commitment to pursuing bigger and greater things in my life. I was

challenged to become a leader; and not only a leader, but a great leader.

How could I even begin? I had never been a “leader” before. Never

participated in student government, never been in a lot of clubs, barely ever

raised my hand in class. Despite the lack of formal experience, I knew there

would be no turning back. I finally understood the amount of responsibility

that comes with knowledge. I had two choices: I could turn back and pretend

I had never read about this new way of life, or I could charge forward. Now,

don’t get me wrong. I have always been a somewhat shy, soft-spoken

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person, yet I never lacked courage. So, I decided that I had to try my best to

embrace my newfound knowledge and lead the world.

It was also at this point in my life when I began to experience cognitive

dissonance with respect to aligning my actions with my words; in other

terms, my credibility as a person and a leader. I began to examine the

consistency between these two. What I found was disappointing. I noticed

that when I actively reflected on what my true feelings were and how I acted

upon those feelings, they did not always align until I would put conscious

effort into synchronizing the two. For example, I used to love to sleep in on

weekends or days off. I still do. It’s a guilty pleasure. However, now, it’s

almost impossible to not feel guilty when doing so! I start to think of all the

things I could be accomplishing. Particularly after reading about the “right”

ways to manage your time, I became frustrated. How was I supposed to lead

a group of people if I couldn’t even lead myself? Throughout the next year or

so the light dawned on me; as long as I was staying true to my goals and

myself then that was the most important thing. I, or anyone out there, should

not be forced to conform to anyone else’s prescribed ways of life. You may

read and learn about suggestions from great leaders such as Mother

Theresa, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, yet remember: these are

just the practices that worked best for those individuals. “The thing that is

really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning

to work on becoming yourself,” was spoken by Anna Quindlen, a Pulitzer

Prize winner, journalist, author and former New York Times columnist. Her
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words are strikingly astute and concise, yet not simple or straightforward. If I

were to recommend one thing everyone could do to improve him or herself,

that would be it.

If I may, a few last remarks about leadership. I know there are many of

you out there who might feel hesitant about all of this leadership talk. You

might be skeptical of leaders. I know I was. They get a bad rap; the media in

this country does a great job at exposing just about everything, the good and

the bad. Particularly the bad. To them, that is what draws in attention.

Remember this, the world could not function with just leaders alone. Imagine

this, you are sitting in a room full of extroverted, out-spoken, brazen

individuals all discussing their views on education. What is happening?

There’s probably a whole lot of noise! Now, add another individual to that

room. Let your eyes travel to the corner where there is a quiet individual who

hasn’t spoken a word all night. This person has silently been patrolling the

room throughout the evening, observing and listening to everything else that

has been spoken. What do you think of this person? If you were one of the

extroverts, you probably wouldn’t even have noticed him or her. Picture this

now: you have been appointed to be the new Secretary of Education. Out of

all the people in that room, who are you most likely to listen to? The person

who has been shouting their opinions all night to anyone who would listen or

the person who had been silently milling about taking in to consideration all

perspectives? You take your pick, but I know who I’d want as my advisor.

Lastly, consider the yin and yang of the world. With every leader, there
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needs to be a follower. The world couldn’t operate with solely leaders now

could it! Not very well at least. Great leaders need great followers. The

followers should not be led blindly, they need to think for themselves and

challenge their leader. Only in this way will many things be accomplished.

Now, a topic that goes hand-in-hand with my leadership philosophy is

time management. To most, time is a precious commodity that should not be

wasted; it is an unrenewable resource, you can never get it back. When

faced with a dilemma involving time and money, my dad would always

remind me of what was most important. Regardless of his advice, I was

stubborn and would often do what I thought was best, even if it cost me a

large amount of time. I am still learning to this day. However, I want to

emphasize the urgency of taking control of your time starting today. Life

goes by too quickly to be passive about the way we spend it. The only way I

can keep track of my time is to plan it out. Write it down, find a system that

works for you. Make daily, weekly, monthly and year task lists. We have all

heard the saying, “you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time.” It is

true. A goal you set for yourself five years from now may seem unreachable,

but if you break that into small, bite sized steps, you will find that you will

become more efficient and successful at achieving your goals. Now that

we’ve talked about the necessity of managing your time to aid you in

achieving your goals, let’s discuss time in the context of how it relates to

work. On February 12, 2009, Lou Cannon wrote an article in the New York

Times titled “100 Days: Starting the Job, From F.D.R. to Obama.” Cannon
 15

discusses the time habits of a few of the most influential United States

Presidents. Now, before I begin to tell you about them, let me ask you a few

questions. Do you have preconceived notions about how a President does

and should spend his time? Do you think that every President does and

should get up early and go to bed late every night due to their workload? I

know that I had definitive answers to these questions before I read this

article. It was really eye opening for me and I hope it will be for you too.

Cannon first relates the experiences of F.D.R. and Reagan. What did these

two Presidents have in common? They did not let the White House schedule

interfere with their own timetable. That’s right. These Presidents insisted on

keeping most of their life-long habits they had developed prior to be elected

to the Presidency. As an example, Reagan would not wake up as early as his

advisors wanted him to. Obama is the same. It has been reported that he

does not reach the Oval Office before nine a.m.! What do you think of that? I

think all of us would prefer to arrive at this time as well. He is said to read

the papers and watch the news in addition to seeing his daughters off to

school before he comes to work. Now, you truly have to admire his sense of

commitment. He knows where his priorities fall and he makes sure that he is

fulfilling those. It’s hard though, isn’t it? With all the outside, societal

expectations about how our time should be spent. In answer to this, I repeat

the same thing I mentioned before, you cannot conform to anyone else’s

schedule, agenda or life-style until you know what you stand for deep inside.

If you happen to match up with others then that’s great. But it should never
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be a requirement.

A common thread that’s been woven throughout these words so far

has emphasized the significance of knowing thyself. While I believe that this

is key, I should also like to remind you about maintaining a civically engaged

mindset. Being a part of a community, whether it’s small or large is

invaluable. In his New York Times bestseller, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy

reminds us of his father, Robert F. Kennedy’s vision, and thoughts on

community, “It is not more bigness that should be our goal. We must

attempt, rather, to bring people back to…the warmth of community, to the

worth of individual effort and responsibility…and of individuals working

together as a community, to better their lives and their children’s future,”

(Kennedy, 1998). Isn’t that what it’s all about? Creating a better place for our

future children to grow up in? To thrive in?

With respect to equality within a community, Marx was strong

advocate for what he considered to be the perfect economic situation: total

economic equality (Stevenson & Haberman, 2004). The take-away message

from Marx’s thoughts would be to remember how fortunate we all are to be

living in the richest country in the world, the one with the most resources.

Furthermore, how can we spread those resources further within our domestic

community in addition to our international community? What more can we

give? You might remember my earlier thoughts on time. It was Maya Angelou

who reminded us about the value of devoting our time to those in need.

“Since time is the one immaterial object that we cannot influence-neither

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speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish-it is an imponderably valuable

gift,” (Davis & Lynn, 2006, p. 190). Time can be one of the simplest and

hardest things to give. I know that in times of economic difficulty, which

there always are, time more than money, is one of the only things you are

able to give. Don’t underestimate how much a person will appreciate the

time you took to spend with them.

You may be wondering at this point where I stand in terms of morals.

Where do I draw the moral line? Family always comes first, each person

should be treated with dignity and respect and equal rights belong to

everyone. These are a few of the morals I value most strongly. Keeping these

in mind, I do try to take each individual situation as it comes. I take into

consideration information from as many sources as possible before

determining the best course of action. I strive to maintain what is most

important in our lives, each other. Robert F. Kennedy, when discussing

morals in America, reminds us that, “The paramount interest in oneself, for

money, for material goods, for security, must be replaced by an interest in

one another,” (Kennedy, 1998, p.27). I sincerely agree. It is difficult in our

culture to be tempted into adopting morals and practices you believe to be

held by the common population. Do not be fooled. Marketing can be an

extremely effective yet dangerous tool at the same time. Do not let anyone

else tell you what you should value, wear, buy, think about, believe, etc.

Make up your own mind. Think for yourself. Determine what it is you stand

for and then stick to it.

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We have talked about many things in our gathering here today.

Leadership, time management, education, human rights, equality and

morals. These are some of the most important aspects of my personal and

professional life. We have only touched on these briefly.

In conclusion, I’d like to share my life creed with you all. I hope that it

will give you further insight in to me as a human being. I will post this on my

office door at work and at home. I encourage you all to write one for

yourselves. That way, when you are ever in doubt about how to handle a

situation, you can refer back to your creed for guidance. I sincerely thank

you for your time.

My Life Creed

1. Maintain a sense of passion about my work. When I lose that, it’s

time to relocate or start a new project.

2. Take time to renew myself physically, emotionally and mentally.

3. Treat others as they want to be treated; not how I want them to be

treated.

4. I will only work in an office, department, institution or organization

that has values similar to my own. I will uphold an organization’s values if,
and only if they do not interfere with mine.
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5. I will do all I can to keep knowledgeable about current happenings in

my field through extensive reading and talking with colleagues.

6. I will not jump to conclusions; I may not be able to always have a

quick answer but after thorough investigation I will respond with what I
would hope is a well-thought out response having taken in to consideration
as many sides of an issue as possible.

7. My mind will remain open to new ideas throughout my lifetime. I

hope to never be so sure of something that I lose all of my curiosity.

8. I will continue to be a life-long learner and critical thinker.

9. I will make myself available to students, colleagues, family and

friends when in need of consultation.

10. I will never underestimate a person due to their age, ability, race,
gender, or any other difference. I can learn something from everyone.

Reference List

The Bible. Matthew 7:1.

Cannon, Lou (2009). 100 Days: Starting the job, from F.D.R. to Obama.

Retrieved on 12 February 2009, from

http://100days.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/get-out-of-the-white-

house/?pagemonde=print.
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Davis, A. & Lynn, E. (2006). The civically engaged reader. The great books

foundation. Chicago: Illinois.

Howard, G. R. (2007). Responding to changing demographics. Association for

supervision and curriculum development. (64), 6, 16-22.

Kennedy, M.T. (1998). Make gentle the life of this world: The vision of Robert

F. Kennedy. Harcourt Brace and Company: New York.

Kirkland, Gelsey (1986). Dancing on my grave. Doubleday and company:

New York.

Kouzes, Posner. (2002). The leadership challenge. Jossey-Bass: San

Francisco.

Quindlen, Anna. Retrieved on 24 April 2009 from

http://www.annaquindlen.com/bio.html.

Roosevelt, Eleanor. Retrieved on 24 April 2009 from

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Eleanor_Roosevelt.

Stevenson, L. & Haberman, D.L. (2004). Ten theories of human nature.

Oxford University Press. New York: New York.

Wheatley, Margaret (1999). Leadership and the new science. Berrett-Koehler

Publishers: San Francisco.