Kaser, Joyce; Mundry, Susan; Stiles, Katherine E.; & Loucks-Horsley, Susan. (2002). Leading Every Day: 124 Actions for Effective Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
xix + 275 pages
$29.95 (Paper) ISBN 0-7619-4513-X
Reviewed by Rodney Muth
University of Colorado at Denver
March 12, 2003
I began this book with clear prejudice. When I received it from Education Review, I immediately viewed it as one of Corwin Press's "how to" books or inspirational guides for K-12 educators. I fully expected it to be like many of Corwin's current publications—such as Bacall (2002), Dunklee (2000), Hoyle (2002), and Streshly, Walsh, and Frase (2002)—that provide focused, but often simplistic, answers to plaguing questions that legitimately concern school people. "Read me, and I'll solve your problems," proclaim the titles. In many ways, my biases were affirmed, but I also learned something very important: such "how to" books can be lively, engaging, and well researched. They can share sound, valuable practices embedded in experience that are of considerable import to a wide range of readers. I recommend this book not only to practitioners who want to increase their understanding of leadership and the challenges to leaders and schools but also to those who seek broader and deeper understanding of the issues that leaders face in the day-to-day world of work in schools. The content of this book comes straight from successful practice.
The authors—Kaser, Mundry, Stiles, and Loucks-Horsley (who died before the book appeared and is honored by her colleagues in a brief tribute on pages xv-xvi)—worked at or with WestED, Tucson, Arizona, on the National Academy for Science and Mathematics Education Leadership. Leading Every Day is one product of these experiences and stems from the Academy's curriculum.
Leading Every Day is divided into four "books," each focusing on an important aspect of leadership—Book One: Leadership Every Day, Book Two: Leading Change, Book Three: Leading Learning, and Book Four: Leading Effective Groups. Each book is further divided into thirty-one sections, or "contemplations," one for each day of the month. Each section begins with an epigraph, usually short, followed by a few paragraphs focused on the topic, some reflections (usually questions or a scenario), and a space for notes. The topic focus paragraphs often contain relevant anecdotes and citations, grounding the advice in both practice and research.
Book One runs for thirty-one days, while Books Two, Three, and Four are subdivided into parts with the days following consecutively across the parts. For example, Part III in Book Two is "Responsibilities in Directing Change" (14 days), Part IV in Book Three is "Designing Learning Experiences" (9 days), and Part I in Book Four is "Developing a Community Environment" (12 days). Each Book ends with an up-to-date, relevant bibliography.
As the authors point out, readers may read the contemplations in order (recommended for first reading), pursue them randomly, or concentrate on a particular concern. An alternative might be to read four sections, one from each Book, in one day, allowing one to complete the book in thirty-one days. Doing so, however, may give short shrift to the authors' enjoinder that reading might best occur in "an environment that is conducive to reflection" so that the reflective questions can be considered and responses thoughtfully organized and written in the notes section (or elsewhere).
Let me illustrate some of the days, albeit briefly. Day 4: Vision Building in the first Book, begins with the following epigraph:
The test of a vision is not in the statement, but in the directional force it gives the organization.—From The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, Peter Senge et al. [1994]. (p. 8)
The contemplation for this day begins with a question—"Vision! What is your reaction to this word?" (p. 8)—and continues by asking whether the reader's response is negative. The authors then build a rationale and process for visioning, suggesting that shared visions are built on clear personal visions. They caution that vision not be confused with mission: "Vision is knowing where you want to be or what you want to become . . . . Mission is your reason for being . . . [and] guides your actions to achieve what you envision . . ." (p. 8).
In the reflection for this same day, the authors ask whether the reader's organization has a vision and mission that constitute the organization and motivate its actions. They personalize the questions as well.
Returning to the same theme, Day 19, Book Two, Part III, focuses on "Shared Vision." The epigraph from Father Theodore Hesburgh defines the essence of "leadership" as vision. The contemplation indicates that vision is not imposed, but evolves as a synergistic and dynamic force. The authors reiterate from Day 4, Part I, that "shared vision starts with individuals crafting their person visions" (p. 99). A leader assists others in creating their vision and integrating them with the organization's vision and mission. Leaders are asked to reflect on how they will help others achieve this goal.
The next day, 20, carries the theme further, focusing on "Missions and Goals." Even with shared vision, organizations with unclear missions—"who they are and what their purpose is" (p. 101)—may have difficulty succeeding and addressing needed change. Rather, "shared vision, clear vision, and specific goals" (p. 101) are necessary to manage change and effective organizational activity, providing a shared frame for all members of the organization to do their work professionally. Effective communication by leaders is critical to aligning vision, mission, and goals.
Day 18, Book Three, Part IV is titled "Incorporating Reflexive Practice." The epigraph is from a professional development workshop participant who says that "It was one of the worst workshops I ever attended. He lectured for three hours on how to use media in presentations" (p. 168). In contrast, "reflexive" professional development is "true to itself" and "internally consistent in its content and process" (p. 168). A sound, reflexive learning process may also include a reflective component in which participants take time to examine their learning, its pertinence, and future growth. The section on reflections details three strategies for professional development and asks the reader to imagine how such practices might be reflexive.
In Book Four, Part I, Day 12 focuses on "Dialogue as Reflective Learning Process." Reflective leaning, according to the authors, involves dialogue in which "people seek to understand each other's viewpoints and deeply held assumptions by talking together to deepen their collective understanding" (p. 228; emphasis added). Instead of judgment, reflective learning involves openness to what others say, think, feel, and believe. Increasing understanding among group members helps resolve conflicts, build consensus, and develop community. Readers are asked to assess the facility with which a group turns to dialogue and how they can help the group learn to use this process.
One criticism of the book is the order of some elements. It may be, for example, that "Examining Your Beliefs," Book One (p. 48), should come earlier because it would be difficult, according to the authors, to develop vision (Book One, p. 4) without such introspection. Further, "Self-assessment as a Change Leader" (Book Two, Day 27, p. 115) might appear earlier in Book Two to assist the leader in thinking about integrity, credibility, and personal mastery. These elements, it seems, should be known to a leader before he or she seeks to motivate others (Book Two, Day 14, p. 88), apply personal mastery (Day 17, pp. 95-96), or develop vision (Day 19, pp. 97-98) and mission and goals (Day 20, pp. 99-100). Other problems of logical ordering exist, but this is only a small criticism of an otherwise well-conceived and organized book.
In the end, while the book contains few surprises, it is organized in useful ways, imparts very useful advice, and has useful reflective exercises. Further, its heuristic value lies in the areas for study inherent throughout. For professional developers concerned about rethinking leadership and its consequences with those who want to be empowered to lead school reforms, this is a very helpful book by very sensitive and caring authors. In fact, by its organization, the book suggests at least 124 workshops that could be developed to assist teachers and administrators work together effectively, share leadership and responsibilities, and develop coordinated and collaborative strategies for change and school improvement.
Finally, at the back of the book, Corwin Press explains its logo—"a raven striding across an open book"—as representing the "happy union of courage and learning" and its motto as "Success for All Learners." Leading Every Day has fulfilled this promise admirably.
References
Bacall, A. (2002). The lighter side of educational leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Dunklee, D. R. (2000). If you want to lead, not just manage: A primer for principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Hoyle, J. R. (2002). Leadership and the force of love: Six keys to motivating with love. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R. B., Roth, G., & Smith, B. J. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York: Doubleday.
Streshly, W. A., Walsh, J., & Frase, L. E. (2002). Avoiding legal hassles: What school administrators really need to know (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
About the Reviewer
Rodney Muth is a professor of educational administration at the University of Colorado at Denver where he helps students learn about leadership and the management of schools through project-based and problem-based learning. His current research interests include professional preparation, leadership and power, and policy analysis.
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