Leadership as an Act of Love: Leading in Dangerous Times

Abstract

This essay is an invitation to engage in a heart-whole thought experiment around the possibilities and potential of framing leadership as an act of love. The current school context is defined by increasing pressures and demands that undermines the humanity of leaders, children and educators. In this context, leaders must find other ways to lead. The authors propose a framework offered to help leaders to reconnect with their love of children and education. They define the "habits of the heart" as harmony, courage, wisdom, and imagination. It is the combination of these habits that allow leadership with and through love. By defining these habits of heart, leaders can recognize them in their existing practice and find ways to enact new practices that create schools of learning and belonging.

Toward a Just Leadership Learning Ecology: A CHAT-IT Analysis of the Highlander Idea

“…Over the past 20 years, scholars of educational leadership have engaged in a more sustained inquiry concerning questions of power, politics, and justice (Anderson, 2009; Black & Murtadha, 2007; Marshall & Oliva, 2010; Murtadha & Watts, 2005). It is no longer an anomaly to read studies that name the root causes of achievement disparities (e.g., structural inequities in health, housing, employment, and nutrition) or demand attention to inequities beyond the school (Bertrand & Rodela, 2018; Byrne-Jiménez & Yoon, 2018; Dantley & Tillman, 2006; Green, 2015, 2017; Horsford, 2018; Khalifa, 2018). Recent scholarship has also advanced more participatory understandings of educational leadership that build toward community-driven and community-defined school transformations (Awaachia; okaate; & Chang, 2020; Horsford et al, 2019; Ishimaru, 2019; Lac & Mansfield, 2018; Warren et al, 2009).…”

It has to be the fabric: practicing district-level equity-minded leadership in a predominantly white high school

“…In other words, equity-minded leadership is both internal (reflective) and external (relationship-building). The implications of the word "integrity" are key in connecting equity-minded leadership to a leader's strong internal compass, sense of her own values, and grounding foundational beliefs (Byrne-Jiménez & Yoon, 2019). In this way, effective equity-minded leaders infuse themselves and their school buildings with strong internal and external relationships (Kim & Maudlin, 2022;Wang, 2018).…”

“…Successful leaders of equity initiatives understand the beliefs and values of the community in which they serve (Calabrese, 2002). Relationship building is a necessary component for creating and developing an understanding of the environments needed for human development as well as social and cognitive learning (Boyes-Watson & Pranis, 2015;Byrne-Jiménez & Yoon, 2019). Added to this, collaboration is necessary for the development of a shared anti-racist vision (Kishimoto, 2018).…”

“…On the other hand, it should be noted that some of the literature points to the inadequacy of claiming that systemic changes for equity take time (Byrne-Jiménez & Yoon, 2019;Gorski et. al, 2022;Reeves & Eaker, 2023).…”

“…al, 2022). Along the lines of taking a quicker pace, other researchers point out that other aspects of modern life are, in fact, moving at lightning speed (Byrne-Jiménez & Yoon, 2019;Reeves & Eaker, 2023). Put simply, in a world of going viral and instantaneous access to other's lives through social media, why are educational leaders so quick to be accepting of changes for equity happening at a snail's pace (Byrne-Jiménez & Yoon, 2019)?…”