Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Lessons from the lead dog-#1

Do you have what it takes?

“If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes”.  (Lewis Grizzard)

Isn’t that the truth?  As a principal of school, no two days are ever the same.  The scenery changes within minutes.  I have always found that element of the job energizing.

I have also found that the principal of a school or the leader of an organization share many of the same qualities to that of a lead sled dog.

Lee Iacocca, the automobile businessman and leadership guru once said, that “the speed of the boss is the speed of the team”.  The lead dog is the boss who not only sets the pace of the team but also sets the tone and culture of the organization.  The dog team must work as one.  If everyone did their own thing, there would be limited success.  The team must work together all pulling in the same direction.  The team will not be successful with only the lead dog acting alone. The second dog will continually nip at the heels of the lead dog to ensure that the lead dog is moving at the right speed.

If the lead dog is weak, the other dogs will look to replace him or her.  The same is true of a school principal.  At times it will seem as though everyone thinks that they can do your job better than you.

Any void in leadership will be filled by someone else.  And in the case of a principal it could be that anti-administration, anti-school influential teacher.

Successful lead dogs take responsibility and hold themselves accountable.  So do good principals.

Do you possess the following qualities and characteristics?  Buck, the lead dog in Jack London’s Call of the Wild did.

• The ability to think quickly and to think for him or herself.
• Adaptability.
• Ability to instill the spirit of team work and to make sure everyone is pulling in the right direction.
• Confidence in one’s ability.  The lead sled dog will disobey a command if he or she expects danger.
• Be a pacesetter.
• Possess a laser-like focus where nothing will deter you from your mission.

So, get going.  You have a tough journey ahead of you.  Watch the ice!