As noted in the call for proposals, teachers are “no longer mere conveyors of static information, teachers are increasingly entrusted with the responsibility to foster and develop life skills in students. Fostering global citizenship calls for the development of leadership skills.” Such development will require a transformation of both pedagogy and content to develop leaders and the effective exercise of leadership. Unfortunately, attempts to create leaders have failed for a variety of reasons including lack of conceptual clarity (e.g., Bennis, 2012) and that while courses “might be useful in transmitting knowledge about leadership, they stop short at developing leadership per se” (Antonacopoulou & Bento, 2004, p. 81).
This interactive workshop is based on a model that gives students access to being leaders and exercising leadership effectively. Participants will engage in meaningful activities and discussions around the topic of being a leader and exercising leadership effectively. We will focus on the foundational skills of how leaders listen effectively. In this context, leadership depends on shugyo, or self-cultivation. Leaders cultivate the self in order to serve others better (Strozzi-Heckler, 2007). Effective leaders are always learning and they understand “the need for individuals to learn to take a mindful approach to understanding their own development needs, which will ensure a healthy relationship between leaders and their teams” (Rezek, 2012, p. 33). The development of that relationship depends on communication and is grounded in the abilities to distinguish what gets in the way of one’s listening and to provide relevant parties with an experience that their concerns have been heard.
Participants will distinguish between the concepts “already-always listening” and “authentic listening” and identify examples of each as they relate to their current educational roles and practices. They will also have the opportunity to demonstrate basic skills in authentic listening