Is Criticism Leadership?

Recently, a political ad proclaimed, "Criticism is not leadership," a statement that caused some controversy. As someone who was in a leadership position until my recent retirement, I reflected on my beliefs and my experiences as I thought about this statement.

There are lots of books, articles, research, and blogs about leadership, and I’ve read my share of them. Yet I believe that I learned best from those around me. I observed leaders in action and reflected on what made them successful or why they might be having difficulty. I believe that everyone can be a leader. In a classroom, all students can be leaders if given the opportunity. In a school or business, every staff member has strengths that can be maximized to benefit the organization. It takes a culture where ideas are valued and people feel confident that they will be listened to.

It is important to know the history, culture, and the relationships in order to understand the challenges and how to address them. Coming from the outside and having never been a principal was a barrier for me when I was first appointed, one I knew I would have to overcome. It would be my actions that would determine whether the school community would accept me as their leader and decide to join in the conversation about what we might keep and what we might change. I found that listening to the conversations, building relationships, and  asking questions really helped me to understand the strengths and the challenges at our school and how we could continue to improve.

In my over fifteen years as the principal, our school community initiated the discussions that led to changes that eventually were implemented school-wide. Some examples are: co-teaching, inclusive classrooms; blended learning classroom environments where students have daily access to technology to explore, discover, create, and share; project-based learning where students are actively engaged and empowered to make a difference in their world; professional learning communities based on teacher interest; and school community meetings held virtually via social media.

An environment of trust is essential when a new idea is proposed. At our school, we agreed that once an idea is put on the table, we no longer "own" it. It is now open for discussion and questions, and changes to the initial idea may be necessary. Sometimes, decisions can be agreed on quickly; other times, it takes longer or the team decides to put the idea on-hold until later; and at other times, teachers agree to try out their proposal and share their progress with the rest of the team.

Not all ideas will work. And some ideas will be started in one administration and continue - and hopefully improve - under the next administration. Leadership is about recognizing that a win-win can be achieved by working together and being mindful of others’ ideas as well as any concerns that need to be addressed.

What is criticism and does it lead to better results? Criticism, according to dictionary.com is “the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.” When someone criticizes another person’s ideas, especially without offering proposals of their own, discussion ceases or people begin to take sides. When it's the leader criticizing, staff will lose trust and the willingness to share ideas. The culture of collaboratively seeking solutions and an environment of trust will need to be rebuilt, if that is possible.

Too often in today’s world, we fail to listen to other people’s concerns and viewpoints. Empathy for others is necessary if we are to resolve our problems, not just for today, but for future generations. Rather than criticizing others’ ideas or actions, effective leaders know how to engage our communities respectfully so we can all be part of the solution.