So it turns out writing my own blog has led to me reading other peoples blogs. In a lot of cases I find them a little too academic to engage me. I guess when I’m reading a blog I want the language to be casual and engaging, as well as being thought provoking and interesting. Lori’s blog posts are like this. Lori being one of my tutors for ETL504. Her weekly blog posts are both a round up and an almost practical application of the weekly concepts.
This week Lori’s blog post Leading from the middle: An environmental scan, looked at how the TL can be a leader even if that is not in their job description. How a TL can lead from the middle. Lori reflects on the influence that a TL can have in their role and delves into the importance of scanning the environment a TL inhabits. This environmental scan allows someone to look at the big picture they find themselves in, and what they impact or ‘influence’, including both internal and external influences. This scan can result in a TL identifying areas or gaps, such as professional development or service provisions. I can see myself attempting to do my own environmental scan using the coogle software.
I’m not sure I lead from the middle very well yet. While I do try to lead by example and be a force for change (Gottlieb, 2012). I don’t think I make enough effort at that. I think I try to fly under the radar a little too often so as not to create waves and not allow room for error. Maybe I need to trust myself more. Perhaps the further into this degree I get, I might generate a bit more courage.
References
Gottlieb, H. (2012, October 30). Leading from the middle: Bringing out the best in everyone [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://creatingthefuture.org/leading-from-the-middle-bringing-out-the-best-in-everyone/
My Teacher Librarian life 