360 Leadership

I am a 360 leader. I value building capacity throughout the school so that children can grow, develop and contribute to our world. I visualize leadership like climbing around a spherical jungle gym- you know the one playground apparatus that every child ran for at recess time. I also loved the gigantic tractor tire that also became a clubhouse during recess- but that is maybe a different story for a different thought.

John Maxwell has a book dedicated to the topic that I think my spherical jungle gym visual supports well. Maxwell writes about three key principles to help leaders bring value and influence to and from every level of the organization: 1. Lead-Up: Leading up is the process of influencing a leader. This process includes lightening the leader’s load by being willing to do what others won’t, while knowing when to push forward and when to back off. 2. Lead-Across: Leaders in the middle of an organization are leaders of leaders. These leaders help peers achieve positive results, let the best idea win, and garner mutual respect. These leaders must develop and maintain credibility, and continually exert influence. 3. Lead-Down: Leaders at the top who lead down help people realize their potential, become a strong role model, and encourage others to become part of a higher purpose. This involves walking through the halls, transferring the vision, and rewarding for results.

I believe that you can lead from all parts of an organization and as principal it is my mission to cultivate the gifts and talents so that leaders will grow in all different capacities within the school.

Thanks for visiting my webpage.  Please connect with me and share your story.

-Naida Grussing-Neitzel, Ed.S.