Who is the leader?
In most early education and care services, there are leaders. There are Approved Providers, there are Nominated Supervisors, educational leaders, room leaders.
What if we could all be leaders? Now, you might be thinking "well if everyone leads, who follows?" but what if the point of leadership wasn't simply about following? Or at the very least, not about following just one person?
Perhaps we might not all be leaders today, but the "followers" today, could be the leaders tomorrow. Or perhaps, we might not be the leader all of the time, but when it comes to something that we are truly passionate about, we step into that leadership role, letting our knowledge and desire to share come forth.
A distributed model of leadership
Many years ago, while working as a centre Director, we introduced other types of leaders into our service. We gave everyone in the service the opportunity to "take the lead" in various ways. The educator who was passionate about the creative arts became the leader in that domain. The educator who championed outdoor play became the leader there.
This wasn't about making someone "in charge", but what it did was give everyone the opportunity to work on their leadership skills, in an area that felt natural and "right" for them. This was their opportunity to share their knowledge and passion and to drive change and forward thinking in this area.
Suddenly, rather than having 10 educators contemplating our committment to sustainable practice and taking four months to decide on a worm farm because everyone was busy thinking about 300 other things, we had someone who was dedicated to sustainable practice, who ensured that there was action. They weren't the one left to do everything, but they were recognised as a source of knowledge and became the "go-to" person. They drove change and an ongoing committment to growth and evolution of our practice.
Are there challenges with this type of model? Sure. Does everyone want to be a leader? Not necessarily. But is it a way of rethinking traditional leadership and drawing on the strengths of the individuals in your service? Absolutely.
Want to learn more about how leadership isn't just for one or two people? Join us in May for a live online session as part of our 2025 PD Pass Program, titled "Leadership for Everyone"
