Synopses & Reviews
As any school principal or administrator can testify, the responsibilities of school leadership can take a leader from an inspired moment to crisis in an instant. How does a school leader with good intentions preserve a healthy sense of self in the face of a crisis that in the best of times challenges the self and in the worst of times leads to deep wounds of the heart? How can good leaders minimize the impact of these crises and remain open to learning and growing through difficult experiences?
These are the questions at the heart of the stories in The Wounded Leader. In these stories, leaders struggle to make sense of their wounding experiences. We meet a principal who felt undermined by a contentious staff, another whose early mistakes ignited rumors and discontent, a leader who felt shunned when she took a position at a failing school, and a superintendent at odds with the school board.
No one is immune to these kinds of wounds. They are an unwelcome but inescapable aspect of our lives. Yet the authors show how a leader may experience an epiphany when he or she realizes the paradox of wounding: we spend our lives avoiding and rejecting our vulnerability, only to find our true selves by working through that pain. The wound becomes the gateway to healing. This ultimately optimistic book is must reading for all who are or who aspire to be school leaders.
Review
"...brings to the foreground several very important ideas for the practice of school leadership..." (TCRecord.org, September 11, 2002)
“…A very thoughtful and considered book…”(The Occupational Psychologist, December 2002)
Review
"Not only is the book full of fresh ideas and new insights but it is fun to read. It is not the usual leadership book that reads much like the other leadership books but stands out as an original contribution...easily presented and scholarly without being pretentious." --Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Center for Educational Leadership at Trinity College, San Antonio, Texas
"All leaders incur wounds. The Wounded Leader enables us to understand our wounds, learn from them....and begin to heal." --Roland S. Barth, Founder of Harvard Principals' Center
"An honest and much needed account of how many of us in school leadership roles have weathered--for good and for ill --the wounds that go with the job. Shoving this stuff under the rug has not been healthy for the work of schools, and it was a great relief -- and useful--to have this discussed so thoughtfully in this book." --Deborah Meier, Principal, Mission Hill Elementary School, Boston, and Founder of Central Park East High School, NYC
"The wounds we suffer because we are human should not be sources of shame: they are openings to deeper self-knowledge, stronger relationships, and gratitude for our gifts. The Wounded Leader lifts up this hard-earned insight and applies it to the dilemmas of educational leadership with creative and life-giving results. Here is a rarity among books on education, a book with soul, a book that will help us bring our own souls to the work we do." --Parker J. Palmer, author, The Courage to Teach and Let Your Life Speak
Synopsis
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the best leaders have often been tested and refined by the fire of crisis. School leaders, who must lead in a highly charged political environment and juggle the demands of an often polarized community, are especially vulnerable, in danger of becoming walking wounded. How a leader responds to the wounds that come from professional disaster or from a personal or spiritual crisis often defines that person's leadership.
The Wounded Leader helps school leaders understand the experience of being wounded and the process of recovery so they can emerge from the crisis stronger and wiser. Through compelling stories that illustrate many of the common dilemmas faced by school leaders, the authors highlight the many paths to healing and show how even the most painful experience can be an opportunity for growth.
Synopsis
As any school principal or adminstrator can tell you, the responsibilities of school leadership can take a person from inspired moments to crisis in an instant. How does a school leader with good intentions preserve a healthy sense of self in the face of a crisis which in the best of times challenges the self, and in the worst of times can lead to deep wounds of the heart? How can good leaders minimize the impact of these crises and remain open to learn and grow from these difficult experiences? These are the questions at the heart of the stories contained in The Wounded Leader.
Through compelling stories that illustrate many of the common dilemmas faced by school leaders, the authors highlight the many paths to healing, and show how sometimes the most painful experience can be an opportunity for growth.
"All leaders incur wounds. The Wounded Leader enables us to understand our wounds, learn from them....and begin to heal." - Roland Barth, Founder of Harvard Principals' Center
"Not only is the book full of fresh ideas and new insights but it is a fun read. It is not the usual leadership book that reads much like the other leadership books but stands out as an original contribution...easily presented and scholarly without being pretentious." - Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Center for Educational Leadership at Trinity College, San Antonio, Texas
About the Author
Richard H. Ackerman is codirector of the International Network of Principals' Centers and professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Pat Maslin-Ostrowski is associate professor of educational leadership at Florida Atlantic University.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
The Authors.
Part One: Ironic Blessings.
1. To the Stars Through Adversity(Ad Astra per Aspera).
2. Anatomy of a Wound: Where Does It Hurt?
Part Two: Wounded Leaders.
3. Great Expectations.
4. Fragile Power.
5. Branded.
6. When the Bubble Bursts.
7. Trapped in a Cocoon.
8. The Trial.
9. Dancing on the Skillet.
Part Three: Looking for the Good Story.
10. Narrative Healing: Once Upon a Time.
11. What Wounding Teaches.
12. Seeking a Cure for Leadership.
Appendix A: Method of Inquiry.
Appendix B: Case Story.
References.
Index.