The Leadership Ambition Gap

My passion and the topic of the Ph.D. research is woman in leadership. This topic is close to my heart for many reasons... including the fact that I have two daughters in very male dominated careers (one has a degree in Industrial Engineering, the other has a degree in Criminal Justice). I have seen time and time again the obstacles they continue to face in their careers. Mistakenly, I thought it would be different in education, especially considering more than 80% of the people in education are females. However, if you look at top level leadership positions, the percentage of female leaders is not much higher than in most of other industries.

I could go on and on, however the purpose of this blog is to introduce some of the topics in Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In.  In her book, Sandberg talks about how she and other women of her generation grew up with the idealistic notion that she had endless opportunites open to her. At no point did she consider that someday she may be expected to have to balance career and family. She explained that "integrating professional and personal aspirations proved far more challenging than we had imagined."

Despite the fact that woman earn 57% of the undergraduate degrees, and 60% of the master's degrees, woman often find that in their attempt to "have it all" something has to give, and often that something is career. This reality has manifested itself in a narrowing pipeline with many qualified females entering the job market but by the time that pipeline is filling leadership positions the pool of woman has been significantly reduced due in part to what Sandberg calls the "Leadership Ambition Gap".
While many woman are as professionally ambitions as men, research shows that fewer woman seek  senior level jobs. Studies also show that woman "are less likely than their male peers to characterize themselves as leaders, visionaries, self-confident, and willing to take risks" (p. 16).  

With more men striving for leadership roles, it is not surprising that they far out number women, especially considering some of the challenges that women must still overcome.  According to Sandberg this pattern starts long before women enter the workforce, in fact researchers argue it starts as early as kindergarten, when girls overwhelming choose being a mommy over being the president. Society often supports this expectation. Professional ambition is expected of men where as it is often seen as optional for women. Moreover, when a women is seen as ambitious, it is often seen in a negative light... "She is very ambitious" is not a compliment in our culture. Professional accomplishments of men are celebrated, whereas, when women experience professional accomplishments, society will question the "cost" of those accomplishments. Society expects women to marry and raise a family and when professional accomplishments interfere with those societal expectations, the "cost" is seen as being too great.

For most men, ambition means that they achieve desired goals in their career. However ambition for women may include climbing the corporate ladder, raising children, seeking personal fulfillment, contributing to society, and improving the lives of others. I do not in any way mean to imply that men do not aspire to these same goals, rather that the cultural messages we send to our children are that society expects this more of women than of men. 

We need to reflect on the cultural messages we are sending to our children. Girls that assert themselves and take charge are often called "bossy," very seldom if ever would a boy be called bossy for assuming a leadership role. Girls are given dolls to practice their role as mothers whereas boys are given tools to practice doing jobs that they may have later in life. Boys are superheroes while girls are princesses. What messages do these gender-biased practices send to our girls?

Closing the Leadership Ambition Gap will not happen based on what women do today, rather to truly change, we need to look at the messages we, as a society, continue to send to our girls. We need to let our girls wear capes, not call them bossy when they are taking the lead, let them know it's OK to be ambitious, and most importantly when they do grow up to assume that leadership role, we need to stop calling them the "Head Bitch in Charge" because this not only hurts our girls, it hurts our society.

The Anticipation is Killing Me!!!

This has become my motto this summer as I patiently wait for what's to come. For the past two years I have undergone rigorous training to become a turn around leader. This training included both classwork and field work in one of our district's neediest schools. While completing the field work, I was able to initiate programs and procedures designed to strategically target the schools needs. I worked with the school's staff and leadership, and designed a plan to ensure that the program continued after my field work was completed. The programs worked... Moving the school up two letter grades on the state evaluation system. So now that I have finished my training, I wait to see where the road will take me, my next steps, believing that when the time is right I will move into a leadership position.  

Unfortunately, patience has never been one of my virtues. I was the kid that used to go searching under beds for holiday gifts, the one that has to show someone their gift as soon as I buy it and the one that believes in the saying "dessert first" after all who wants to wait for dinner when there is chocolate to be had!!!

Although now, with things beyond my control, I need to have faith that when the time is right I will get there. They tell me to breathe, to relax, that they know I am ready and that my time is coming soon. They tell me to have patience. I'm trying! Boy, am I trying but the anticipation is killing me!!

Happy Fathers Day

This weekend was not only the first Father's day since my father passed away, it would have also been his 76 birthday. However, rather than mourning, we decided to spend the weekend doing something my dad would have loved. As a child, we would spend part of every summer at the beach. We would rise with the sun and head to the shore in search of the biggest shells we could find. Those mornings with dad were precious, we would chase crabs back to the sea and splash about in the waves for hours.Those are happy memories... perhaps the reason  that even to this day I find the beach to be my peaceful escape whenever I need a break. I feel blessed to have those happy memories... but I also can't help but wonder how many little girls were missing their daddies this Father's Day. How many of our nation's children were sending skype messages to their dads who are serving in our armed forces over seas? How many of our children are growing up without a "father" role model in their life? I am blessed to have had the opportunity to make memories with my dad and I will continue to hope that all children missing their dads on this fathers day will soon have their dads home with them. May God keep our military out of harms way, so that they can return home to make memories with their children.

Dedicated to our nation's Military Dads... Happy Father's Day.

Life-Changing Experiences Ahead

Well it is official... after two years, I have completed my specialized Turn-Around leadership training. The Principal Rapid Orientation and Preparation in Educational Leadership (PROPEL) program is designed to create leaders with the skills needed to work in my district's neediest schools. Our final course in Critical Urban Education was the end of a rigorous fast-paced program, during which I earned my degree in Educational Leadership along with both my Level 1 & Level 2 (Principal) credentials. So now that I am done....what's next?

Now the process begins....While I have my principal credentials, I will still need Assistant Principal experience before I am ready to take the helm of my own school. So my application for Assistant Principal positions is in the process of being "tweeked". Included is the extensive list of trainings with more than a dozen leadership trainings with the Center for Leadership and Learning, DDI training, SREB training, Marzano's Interrater Reliabilty Training, trainings in Data Teams and " Visible Learning". We studied Strategic Leadership, learned change theory, and all about 90-90-90 Schools. I understand how to build internal and external relationships, cultivate partnerships, and can develop a marketing plan that would rival an ad agency. More importantly, the PROPEL program was designed so that we gained real- world practical experience as learned about and applied the theories being taught in class. If you followed my blog over the past two years, you will see how these experiences have changed my thinking and ignited in me a desire to make a difference for a group of students that needs a leader with all the tools they can possible have!!

So... Its time to take the next step... to venture off in a new direction. This blog will continue to evolve as I transition into an official leadership role, and as I continue to learn and grow as a leader. As a life-long learner I have plans to continue on in school...working on my Ph.D.  All the classes I have taken this past year are part of that program, but I suspect it will take another 4 years to complete my Ph.D, so grad school will be in my future for a while! For now, I will begin applying for positions and hope that I will be placed wherever I can do the most good for children. Changes are in store, and I am looking forward to the ride!!!

Relationships and Leadership

Successful leaders need to be able to cultivate and nurture relationships. While this is true for leaders, it is equally true for us as individuals. On March 31st, the Huffington Post published an article called 8 Signs You're In The Right Relationship. According to the author, the 8 telling signs are designed to provide more concrete proof that you are with that special person. As I read the article, I reflected on a past relationship... Based on the fact that very few, if any, of the "signs" existed, it is no wonder that things worked out the way they did. On the other hand, almost all of the signs do exist in my current relationship, so if I view the information as truthful, I'm hopeful that I got it right this time around!!

Of course, as is often the case, when I reflect on what I have read, I relate it to all aspects of my life. This was no different. So taking a little creative liberty with the content of the article by rephrasing it to address leadership relationships, here are signs that you have a positive relationship with individuals in your work place:

1. You know what your staff needs to feel appreciated, even if those needs are different than yours. (Try reading  "The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace:Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People" by Gary Chapman and Paul White)

2. Conflicts are handled in a respectful and productive manner. Try reading "Working with Difficult People" by Muriel Soloman.

3. The relationship bolsters each person's self-esteem.

4. You are different enough to bring new perspectives, but on the same page where it matters most.

5. You are willing to put "we" before "me." There is a commitment to the greater good.

6. There is a genuine concern and emotional response when the person is not around.

Obviously, some if the signs in the article are NOT appropriate for the workplace, but the desire to put the people and the relationships with the people we work with in the forefront is essential if we hope to develop the relationships that can transform our schools.This focus on the development and well being of others and the desire to serve is consistent  with a model of leadership known as Servant leadership.

 Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership is an organization designed to share information about aspects of Servant Leadership. They offer a multitude of training materials, have a wide selection of books and even host an annual conference. Building effective relationships is crucial for all leaders, but for leaders in "Turn-Around" schools relationships are even more important.

What defines me?

This was the question that inspired another project for my Critical Urban Ed class, which has turned out to be more of an exploration of self-discovery than anything else. I suppose we need to know how to relate and connect with our own culture before we can expect to connect with anothers. Anyway this week we were to create a "Culture Chest." The outside was to reflect how the world perceives us and the inside was to include items that reflected who we really are as a person. Figuring out what to put in my box that would define who I am was challenging except for one thing... My girls. They mean the world to me... One thing that defines me is the fact that I am their mother. Rather than putting a ton of pictures, I created this video... It focuses on their time participating in band activities since I was a band mom, not just for my own kids but also for the hundreds of kids they marched with over the years. We spent more than 10 years being involved in band programs, including the years my girls spent marching with the world class Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corp.

My Culture & My Father are leading me to become a Turn-Around Leader

The broad definition of culture has to do with the beliefs and behaviors of a group based on an individual’s race, religion, or age. My culture is deeply rooted in my religious upbringing and the beliefs that my family engrained in me throughout my entire life. So how is my culture leading me to become a Turn Around Leader? Let me explain...

I am currently taking a course at FAU called Critical Urban Education. An amazing class for anyone working with students in an urban environment. Actually, I think it is a class that every educator should take. The class is forcing us to examine our own culture and beliefs in order to examine how personal bias impacts our professional practice. One of the assignments for the course has us writing an Epistemology which is forcing us to examine who we are and how our experiences impact our thinking and belief systems. It has been an emotionally challenging assignment, as I recall experiences of my youth that I have not considered for years. I was forced to recall experiences with discrimination that my family and I have faced. Events of my past that have shaped me as a person and experiences with my father that I realize now have influenced my desire to become a turn-around leader. These stories have been hard to recall because it makes me realize how much I wish I would have had this realization while my father was still alive. I wish I would have had the opportunity to share this with him before he died. Perhaps in sharing with you, it is my way of putting the words out in the universe in hopes that somehow they will reach him and he will know what a positive influence he has been in my life.

  How my culture and my father are leading me to become a turn-around leader... My story:      

         I grew up in a traditional middle-class neighborhood even though we were the only Jewish family on my block; the neighbors never seemed to treat us any different. They did wonder why we had no Christmas tree or Christmas lights. I remember feeling like there was something wrong with us that we didn’t celebrate Christmas. So my father let us put up stockings on Christmas Eve and told us that “Hanukkah Hank” would visit all the Jewish children to leave us candy and “gelt” in our stockings. I guess this was his way of trying to help us feel like we fit in. He also made sure that everyone joined in for our celebration of Hanukkah. We would host huge Hanukkah parties. There would be 80-90 people in the house, the yard, everywhere. He would buy dreidels and chocolate gelt for everyone, and my mother would peel 50 pounds of potatoes to make latkes. They would have gifts for all the children too. Everyone loved our parties. I remember that all my friends would tell me how they were glad that they had a Jewish friend because they got to celebrate more holidays with us. It was important to my dad that we felt comfortable with our roots, so he welcomed everyone that wanted to be part of our celebrations.
          My earliest memories of my childhood always included large gatherings of family and friends throughout the year. Around our table always sat members of our extended family, neighborhood friends and sometimes people my father welcomed into our home for a family meal. I remember my father telling us that it is a blessing to share what we have with others. He would give the shirt off his back, if there was someone that needed it more than he did. So if he met someone that he believed could use a good meal, he would invite them to our house. We were told to welcome these guests as family, so we did. These strangers were called aunt or uncle and were often very different from any of our real relatives, and yet they joined in our meal and festivities and enjoyed their time at our family dinners. Over the years, our table often included some regular guests, our “uncles” that had joined our family for meals so many times they had truly become part of the family. We were also welcome to bring our friends to join our family meal, so the family dinner table regularly included 10-12 people. Considering there were only five of us, there were a lot of extra mouths my mother was feeding each week. She seemed to enjoy it though.

As a result of my parent’s efforts to share our traditions with our friends and neighbors, I was able to embrace our culture. I am not sure if this was something my parents would have done anyway, or if it was the result of our early encounters with extreme prejudice that made my parents so intent on making sure others understood our traditions. Either way, my parents helped us accept who we are and made sure that we understood that it was ok to embrace our culture. They would remind of us frequently of our heritage and insist we not forget because doing so would mean that others might forget… And according to my parents’ teachings it was our responsibility to ensure that we never let anyone forget the cruelty our ancestors faced in the hands of their oppressors.

When I was a child, my father ran the poverty program for the City of Miami. I am not sure what department he worked with other than to say it was the poverty program. His department was responsible for funding community programs and services. The liaisons in his office worked with various organizations and he often visited these agencies to discuss funding needs. I remember going with my father to the courthouse in down town Miami during the summer when we were off from school. The big city, with all the tall skyscrapers was my first exposure to what I would call an urban environment. My brother and I would fly paper airplanes from the top of courthouse building and go with my father when he visited agencies and projects in the downtown area. I remember thinking how cool it was that artist decorated the buildings (the graffiti art). The people we would meet were always nice to my father, and I often recognized the people my father would invite to our home on Friday nights. I remember the strange looks we would get when we called them “uncle” and gave them hugs.

            My early understanding of the need that existed in these urban areas was one in which I recognized that despite need, there was still a sense of pride and family commitment. My father would tell us that we were lucky that we had enough to share, that not everyone did. He also stressed that if you have enough to share, that it is our moral responsibility to do so. He would tell us how fortunate he felt to have a job that would allow him to help people that needed a little help. He always made sure we understood that everyone we met deserved respect, that just because these people were struggling a little or a lot did not mean that they did not deserve our respect. His favorite speech always started with “there for the grace of god go I” and usually ended with “as long as I have enough to share with those in need I will and I expect you to do the same.” This is so deeply engrained in me that I have always believed that all people, no matter their circumstances deserve to be treated with respect and that those that have been faced with the greatest challenges may need that respect even more than others. My father would remind us that the discrimination some people face today is not unlike the discrimination that my people have faced in the past. He would tell us that if we allow others to believe it OK to discriminate against people based of race, religion, or whatever makes them different, then we are sending the message that this behavior is acceptable and justified. My people, my ancestors, members of my own family were killed in the witness of those that stood by and did nothing. 

             My understanding of the word “urban” and the people that live in urban environments is based on these early experiences with my father. The belief that all individuals, regardless of their circumstances deserve our respect and help if we are in a position to offer it also comes from my early experiences with my father. While, I have always felt a passion to work with those that need my help the most, it is only now, after doing the personal reflection required for this assignment that I truly understand my deep inner motivation to become a turn-around leader. You could say, I was bred to be a turn-around leader. That it is who I was brought up to be, and it is what my father would expect of me. I only wish I had this realization before my father passed away this past October, I think it would have made him very proud to know that my desire to be a turn-around leader is based on what I learned from him.

 


                              In loving memory of my father Paul Kussner