5 Gifts of a Graceful Leader

Have you ever worked for a graceful leader, someone who is forgiving, dignified and inspirational?  What makes a leader graceful?  How does she develop the qualities that make her outstanding? In this post, I would like to offer my ideas on 5 gifts that all graceful leaders possess, but more importantly share with their followers. 

5 Gifts of a Graceful Leader

Generous

Graceful leaders are generous with their time, their talents, their assets, and most importantly their
understanding. The reason is simple. They are paying forward the generosity that was given to them and forgiveness that was granted by those who cared for them.

Real

In order to be a graceful leader, you must be authentic and approachable. Graceful leaders are abnormally human, and reveal their grace in how they accept and welcome all, especially those who are often overlooked or neglected. 

Accountable

Graceful leaders hold themselves to a high standard and they  openly display their accountability to that standard. With this  philosophy of supernatural honesty, they are able to inspire followers to hold themselves also to a higher standard. 

Commitment

A leader’s work is based on results, but a graceful leader’s work is unwavering discipline and commitment to continuous improvement. Graceful leaders commit to the journey, as well as the people who are a part of the trip, and celebrate progress along the way, while the ungrateful leader focuses on results is uncommitted to the people who achieve them.  

Eternal

Ordinary leaders give up when the going gets today.   Great leaders stop when the goal is accomplished, however the graceful leader is endless in support, constant in communication, persistent in their pursuit for the pinnacle of excellence, and always affirming everyone in the organization. The reason for their eternal effort as a leader is due to their selflessness as a person. 

The Graceful Leader's Super-Secret Gift - Purpose

Average leaders act out of selfishness. Great leaders act in order to see tangible results. The graceful leader however has no purpose to acquire earthly accolades or superficial results.  They realize that these trophies disappear in time, and the awards fade the minute they are bestowed. The graceful leader is in pursuit of something much more important than results, and that is fulfilling his or her God-given purpose and leveraging their talents in order to help everyone discover the purpose for which they have been created.   The graceful leader's legacy is found in the number of people that he has led to accept the grace that is waiting for them to accept.

The graceful leader is in pursuit of not what can be seen 

but that which cannot be seen. 

Your Education Association is your Lifeline

How has the medical profession made tremendous gains in health care over the last 100 years?  It’s simple. The medical profession has excelled thanks to medical associations that serve one purpose, improving the medical profession in order to improve the quality of life for the patients it serves. Without medical associations working in conjunction with practicing physicians who are constantly raising the bar, healthcare would not be anywhere close to where it is today.

So let’s apply this to school. Education organizations exist for one purpose and that is to improve the learning outcomes for all students by improving the effectiveness of the educators who work toward those outcomes.  In essence, they exist to improve the quality of life for the students it serves. 

Administrator organizations exist to teach administrators how to improve in their abilities to lead schools. Teacher organizations exist to support teachers and provide them new and improved ideas to strengthen instruction, and school board organzaitons exist to teach board members how to provide better oversight to the schools they’re responsible for.   

At the end of the day education organizations are lifelines for educators. They improve education, and they grow educators. The fact of the matter is this. If we care about being a lifeline for all kids, then we as educators must have our own personal lifeline. That personal lifeline is the education organization. We must not only join an organization, but we should be an active part of that organization. If you’re involved in learning from your organization, it’ll make you better at what you do, which in turn makes you better for the kids you serve. And that’ll make that organization a stronger lifeline for educators because you’re breathing life into the organization.