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The Leadership Challenge | Resources for the Leadership Development Professional

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What is the Leadership Challenge? The Leadership Challenge is a global campaign to liberate the leader in everyone. We believe that teams, businesses-and even the world-get better when ordinary people enable those around them to achieve extra-ordinary things.

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The Principal 50: Critical Leadership Questions for Inspiring Schoolwide Excellence

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Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge

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Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge

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Do Good Well:Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation

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Do Good Well:Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation

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Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge

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Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge

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Case Studies for Higher Education Leaders

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Case Studies for Higher Education Leaders

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The ASAP® course catalog has been published and includes information on all our standards-based ASAP® course modules, as well as the ASAP® assessments, workbooks, case studies and academies. Download the ASAP Catalog today!

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The ASAP® course catalog has been published and includes information on all our standards-based ASAP® course modules, as well as the ASAP® assessments, workbooks, case studies and academies. Download the ASAP Catalog today!

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Emotional Inteligence - A Minute With John Maxwell, Free Coaching Video

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In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. In others, it seems to be a detriment. And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil.

Some of the greatest moments in human history were fueled by emotional intelligence. When Martin Luther King, Jr. presented his dream, he chose language that would stir the hearts of his audience. "Instead of honoring this sacred obligation" to liberty, King thundered, "America has given the Negro people a bad check." He promised that a land "sweltering with the heat of oppression" could be "transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice," and envisioned a future in which "on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

Delivering this electrifying message required emotional intelligence-the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions. Dr. King demonstrated remarkable skill in managing his own emotions and in sparking emotions that moved his audience to action. As his speechwriter Clarence Jones reflected, King delivered "a perfectly balanced outcry of reason and emotion, of anger and hope. His tone of pained indignation matched that note for note."
Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side.
Recognizing the power of emotions, another one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century spent years studying the emotional effects of his body language. Practicing his hand gestures and analyzing images of his movements allowed him to become "an absolutely spellbinding public speaker," says the historian Roger Moorhouse-"it was something he worked very hard on." His name was Adolf Hitler.

Since the 1995 publication of Daniel Goleman's bestseller, emotional intelligence has been touted by leaders, policymakers, and educators as the solution to a wide range of social problems. If we can teach our children to manage emotions, the argument goes, we'll have less bullying and more cooperation. If we can cultivate emotional intelligence among leaders and doctors, we'll have more caring workplaces and more compassionate healthcare. As a result, emotional intelligence is now taught widely in secondary schools, business schools, and medical schools.

Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side. New evidence shows that when people hone their emotional skills, they become better at manipulating others. When you're good at controlling your own emotions, you can disguise your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can tug at their heartstrings and motivate them to act against their own best interests.

Social scientists have begun to document this dark side of emotional intelligence. In emerging research led by University of Cambridge professor Jochen Menges, when a leader gave an inspiring speech filled with emotion, the audience was less likely to scrutinize the message and remembered less of the content. Ironically, audience members were so moved by the speech that they claimed to recall more of it.

The authors call this the awestruck effect, but it might just as easily be described as the dumbstruck effect. One observer reflected that Hitler's persuasive impact came from his ability to strategically express emotions-he would "tear open his heart"-and these emotions affected his followers to the point that they would "stop thinking critically and just emote."
"Whenever we wanted to persuade our staff to support a particular project we always tried to break their hearts."
Leaders who master emotions can rob us of our capacities to reason. If their values are out of step with our own, the results can be devastating. New evidence suggests that when people have self-serving motives, emotional intelligence becomes a weapon for manipulating others. In a study led by the University of Toronto psychologist Stéphane Côté, university employees filled out a survey about their Machiavellian tendencies, and took a test measuring their knowledge about effective strategies for managing emotions. Then, Cote's team assessed how often the employees deliberately undermined their colleagues. The employees who engaged in the most harmful behaviors were Machiavellians with high emotional intelligence. They used their emotional skills to demean and embarrass their peers for personal gain. In one computer company studied by Tel-Aviv University professor Gideon Kunda, a manager admitted to telling a colleague "how excited we all are with what he is doing," but at the same time, "distancing my organization from the project," so "when it blows up," the company's founder would blame the colleague.

Shining a light on this dark side of emotional intelligence is one mission of a research team led by University College London professor Martin Kilduff. According to these experts, emotional intelligence helps people disguise one set of emotions while expressing another for personal gain. Emotionally intelligent people "intentionally shape their emotions to fabricate favorable impressions of themselves," Professor Kilduff's team writes. "The strategic disguise of one's own emotions and the manipulation of others' emotions for strategic ends are behaviors evident not only on Shakespeare's stage but also in the offices and corridors where power and influence are traded."

Of course, people aren't always using emotional intelligence for nefarious ends. More often than not, emotional skills are simply instrumental tools for goal accomplishment. In a study of emotions at the Body Shop, a research team led by Stanford professor Joanne Martin discovered that founder Anita Roddick leveraged emotions to inspire her employees to fundraise for charity. As Roddick explained, "Whenever we wanted to persuade our staff to support a particular project we always tried to break their hearts." However, Roddick also encouraged employees to be strategic in the timing of their emotion expressions. In one case, after noticing that an employee often "breaks down in tears with frustration," Roddick said it was acceptable to cry, but "I told her it has to be used. I said, 'Here, cry at this point in the ... meeting." When viewing Roddick as an exemplar of an emotionally intelligent leader, it becomes clear that there's a fine line between motivation and manipulation. Walking that tightrope is no easy task.
In jobs that required extensive attention to emotions, higher emotional intelligence translated into better performance. In jobs that involved fewer emotional demands, the results reversed.
In settings where emotions aren't running high, emotional intelligence may have hidden costs. Recently, psychologists Dana Joseph of the University of Central Florida and Daniel Newman of the University of Illinois comprehensively analyzed every study that has ever examined the link between emotional intelligence and job performance. Across hundreds of studies of thousands of employees in 191 different jobs, emotional intelligence wasn't consistently linked with better performance. In jobs that required extensive attention to emotions, higher emotional intelligence translated into better performance. Salespeople, real-estate agents, call-center representatives, and counselors all excelled at their jobs when they knew how to read and regulate emotions-they were able to deal more effectively with stressful situations and provide service with a smile.

However, in jobs that involved fewer emotional demands, the results reversed. The more emotionally intelligent employees were, the lower their job performance. For mechanics, scientists, and accountants, emotional intelligence was a liability rather than an asset. Although more research is needed to unpack these results, one promising explanation is that these employees were paying attention to emotions when they should have been focusing on their tasks. If your job is to analyze data or repair cars, it can be quite distracting to read the facial expressions, vocal tones, and body languages of the people around you. In suggesting that emotional intelligence is critical in the workplace, perhaps we've put the cart before the horse.

Instead of assuming that emotional intelligence is always useful, we need to think more carefully about where and when it matters. In a recent study at a healthcare company, I asked employees to complete a test about managing and regulating emotions, and then asked managers to evaluate how much time employees spent helping their colleagues and customers. There was no relationship whatsoever between emotional intelligence and helping: Helping is driven by our motivations and values, not by our abilities to understand and manage emotions. However, emotional intelligence was consequential when examining a different behavior: challenging the status quo by speaking up with ideas and suggestions for improvement.

Emotionally intelligent employees spoke up more often and more effectively. When colleagues were treated unjustly, they felt the righteous indignation to speak up, but were able to keep their anger in check and reason with their colleagues. When they went out on a limb to advocate for gender equity, emotional intelligence helped them keep their fear at bay. When they brought ideas for innovation to senior leaders, their ability to express enthusiasm helped them avoid threatening leaders. On a much smaller scale, they were able to follow Martin Luther King Jr.'s lead in rocking the boat while keeping it steady.

More than two decades have passed since psychologists Peter Salovey at Yale and John Mayer at the University of New Hampshire introduced the concept of emotional intelligence in 1990. Why has it taken us so long to develop a more nuanced view? After Daniel Goleman popularized the idea in 1995, many researchers-perhaps awestruck themselves by enthusiasm for the concept of emotional intelligence-proceeded to conduct studies that were fatally flawed. As University of Lausanne professor John Antonakis observed, "practice and voodoo science is running way ahead of rigorous research."

One of the most persistent problems was the use of self-report measures, which asked employees to rate their own emotional abilities on items like "I can tell how people are feeling even if they never tell me" and "I am generally very good at calming someone down when he or she is upset." Abilities cannot be accurately measured with self-reports. As emotion experts Sigal Barsade of Wharton and Donald Gibson of Fairfield University lament, "One might compare this approach to assessing mathematical skills by asking respondents, 'How good are you at solving algebraic equations?' rather than asking the person to actually solve an algebraic equation."

Thanks to more rigorous research methods, there is growing recognition that emotional intelligence-like any skill-can be used for good or evil. So if we're going to teach emotional intelligence in schools and develop it at work, we need to consider the values that go along with it and where it's actually useful. As Professor Kilduff and colleagues put it, it is high time that emotional intelligence is "pried away from its association with desirable moral qualities."

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In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. In others, it seems to be a detriment. And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil. Some of the greatest moments in human history were fueled by emotional intelligence. When Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. It says the three main reasons for failure are difficulty in handling change, inability to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience. Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in "human engineering", personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. In other words people skills or skills highly related to emotional intelligence were crucial skills. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

People would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

To test out his findings, think of the last time you purchased a major item, a home, automobile, or large appliance where you had to dealings with a salesperson. Was the person someone who you liked and trusted? In my talks, I have found that whenever I asked that question, inevitably the entire audience answered that, yes, the person they bought a large item from was someone they liked and trusted. This theory about why salespeople with the right people skills do better than those who lack them is borne out by a study carried out by the Hay/McBer Research and Innovation Group in 1997. In a study carried out in a large national insurance company in 1997, they found that sales agents weak in emotional areas such as self-confidence, initiative, and empathy sold policies with an average premium of $54,000, while those strong in 5 of 8 emotional competencies sold policies on the average worth $114,000.

Much of the research that has been done on emotional intelligence has been at the executive leadership level. The higher up the organization, the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization. There have been some studies, however, that show impacts at all levels.

The higher up the organization the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization.

For example, a study by McClelland in 1999 showed that after supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better, lost-time accidents decreased by 50% and grievances went down from 15 per year to three. The plant itself exceeded productivity goals by $250,000.

The same principles apply in all areas of life, whether at work or in relationships. Everyone wants to work with people who are easy to get along with, supportive, likeable, and can be trusted. We want to be beside people that do not get upset easily and can keep their composure when things do not work out according to plan.

Self-awareness. The first thing that is essential for any degree of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. People with a high degree of self-awareness have a solid understanding of their own emotions, their strengths, weaknesses, and what drives them. Neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful, these people are honest with themselves and others. These people recognize how their feelings impact them, other people around them, and their performance at work. They have a good understanding of their values and goals and where they are going in life. They are confident as well as aware of their limitations and less likely to set themselves up for failure.

We can recognize self-aware people by their willingness to talk about themselves in a frank, non-defensive manner. A good interview question is to ask about a time that the interviewee got carried away by their emotions and did something they later regretted. The self-aware person will be open and frank with their answers. Self-deprecating humor is a good indicator of someone who has good self-awareness. Red flags are people who stall or try to avoid the question, seem irritated, or frustrated by the question.

Ability To Self-Regulate Emotions. We all have emotions which drive us and there is nothing we can do to avoid them. People who are good at self-regulation, however, are able to manage their emotions so that they do not control their words and actions. While they feel bad moods and impulses as much as anyone else, they do not act upon them. People who act upon their negative feelings create havoc, disruptions, and lasting bad feelings all around them. We feel before we think and people who constantly react from an emotional state never wait long enough to allow their thoughts to override their emotions.

People who self-regulate have the ability to wait until their emotions pass, allowing them to respond from a place of reason, rather than simply reacting to feelings. The signs of someone who is good at self-regulation are reflection, thoughtfulness, comfort with ambiguity, change, and not having all the answers. In an interview, look for people who take a little time to reflect and think before they answer.

Empathy. Empathy is another important aspect to look for when hiring. Someone who has empathy will have an awareness of the feelings of others and consider those feelings in their words and actions. This does not mean that they will tiptoe around or be unwilling to make tough decisions for fear of hurting someone's feelings. It simply means that they are aware of, and take into consideration the impact on others. They are willing to share their own worries and concerns and openly acknowledge other's emotions. A good way to look for empathy in an interview is to ask a candidate about a situation where a co-worker was angry with them and how they dealt with it. Look for a willingness to understand the source of the co-workers anger, even though they may not agree with the reasons for it.

Social skills. Social skill is another area of emotional intelligence that is highly important in the workplace. To have good social skills requires a high level of the other skills aforementioned as well as the ability to relate and find common ground with a wide range of people. It goes beyond just friendliness and the ability to get along with others.

People with social skills are excellent team players as they have the ability to move an agenda along and keep focus while at the same time remaining aware of the emotional climate of the group and possess the ability to respond to it. These people are excellent at making connections, networking, and bringing people together to work on projects. They are able to bring their emotional intelligence skills into play in a larger arena. To look for social skills in an interview, ask questions related to projects and difficulties encountered around varying agendas, temperaments, and getting people to buy in.

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Why Emotionally Intelligent People Are More Successful

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies.

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When most people imagine intelligence, they picture a mathematician solving equations, a novelist writing great works of literature or a philosopher expounding on wise principles.

But brilliance takes many forms, not least of which is the ability to comprehend and manage emotions. Known as emotional intelligence, this trait is often overlooked, yet crucial for success as a business leader.

Here's what having emotional intelligence provides you with:
Acute Awareness
One of the defining features of emotional intelligence is the ability to comprehend the effects of your feelings. This is crucial for making sound, objective decisions when your pride and self-esteem are at stake. All leaders must face situations where their emotions make a decision seem better than it is.

If you previously expressed support for a certain strategy, for example, your pride will be tied up with that strategy, making it harder to recognize if it isn't working. Leaders who have emotional intelligence are more likely to realize when pride and other emotions are influencing their thinking, allowing them to make more rational, impartial choices.
Impact Interpretation
In addition to reigning in your own feelings, emotional intelligence makes it easier to anticipate and respond to others' sentiments. As much as we may want for it to be objective, business is an emotional experience.

Bad news from work can shock or dismay your employees, while good news may make them unreasonably optimistic. Emotional intelligence means you can tell ahead of time how others will react and develop a strategy to keep them grounded.
Mental Health Management
Those with emotional intelligence have an easier time assessing the emotional and psychological state of their employees. This makes it easier to determine if someone is suffering from:

* Anxiety

* Depression

* Grief

* Trauma

* Eating disorders

By recognizing threats to your employees' mental health, you can provide them with the support and professional resources they need to recover. Not only is this good for their health but it promotes a more harmonious, productive workplace.
Cultivated Communication
Leaders with emotional intelligence have an improved ability to gauge others' responses to their words and actions. This makes it easier for you to tell if your employees really understand what you are saying or are confused but unwilling to say so. You can then refine your messages accordingly, developing reliable ways of communicating with everyone who works for you.

Emotional intelligence also makes it easier for you to listen to what other people are saying clearly and without judgment, ensuring that others can always give you the information you need.
Helpful Humor
Never underestimate the value of humor in business. A good joke or clever play on words can cheer up dismayed employees, win over skeptical customers and draw positive attention to your brand. If you have emotional intelligence, it will be easier to tell what people will find funny. You can also determine in which situations humor will be appropriate, finding the proper balance between serious work and lightheartedness.

While intelligence is important, emotional intelligence is a key to success in leadership and in being able to relate to others. When dealing with others, truly try to place yourself in their situation. It will help you choose the best method to solve problems and achieve your goals.

How has emotional intelligence helped you to make sound and informed decisions?

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Why Emotional Intelligence Is Indispensable For Leaders

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When most people imagine intelligence, they picture a mathematician solving equations, a novelist writing great works of literature or a philosopher expounding on wise principles. But brilliance takes many forms, not least of which is the ability to comprehend and manage emotions.

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Emotional Intelligence for Effective Leaders

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Emotional Intelligence for Effective Leaders

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Emotional Intelligence- Key Leadership Skill

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Emotional Intelligence- Key Leadership Skill

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Anyone trying to come up to speed on emotional intelligence would have a pretty easy time of it since the concept is remarkably recent, and its application to business newer still. The term was coined in 1990 in a research paper by two psychology professors, John D. Mayer of UNH and Peter Salovey of Yale. Some years later, Mayer defined it in HBR this way:

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How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill

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A reading list to bring you up to speed.

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The more that you, as a leader, manage each of these areas, the higher your emotional intelligence. So, let's look at each element in more detail and examine how you can grow as a leader.

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

1. Self-awareness

If you're self-aware, you always know how you feel, and you know how your emotions and your actions can affect the people around you. Being self-aware when you're in a leadership position also means having a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses, and it means behaving with humility.

So, what can you do to improve your self-awareness?

Keep a journal. Journals help you improve your self-awareness. If you spend just a few minutes each day writing down your thoughts, this can move you to a higher degree of self-awareness.

2. Self-regulation

Leaders who regulate themselves effectively rarely verbally attack others, make rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all about staying in control.

This element of emotional intelligence, according to Goleman, also covers a leader's flexibility and commitment to personal accountability.

So, how can you improve your ability to self-regulate?

Hold yourself accountable. If you tend to blame others when something goes wrong, stop. Make a commitment to admit to your mistakes and to face the consequences, whatever they are. You'll probably sleep better at night, and you'll quickly earn the respect of those around you.

Practice being calm. The next time you're in a challenging situation, be very aware of how you act. Do you relieve your stress by shouting at someone else? Practice deep-breathing exercises to calm yourself. Also, try to write down all of the negative things you want to say, and then rip it up and throw it away. Expressing these emotions on paper (and not showing them to anyone!) is better than speaking them aloud to your team. What's more, this helps you challenge your reactions to ensure that they're fair!

3. Motivation

Self-motivated leaders work consistently toward their goals, and they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work.

How can you improve your motivation?

Re-examine why you're doing your job. It's easy to forget what you really love about your career. So, take some time to remember why you wanted this job. If you're unhappy in your role and you're struggling to remember why you wanted it, try the Five Whys technique to find the root of the problem. Starting at the root often helps you look at your situation in a new way. And make sure that your goal statements are fresh and energizing. For more on this, see our article on Goal Setting.

4. Empathy

For leaders, having empathy is critical to managing a successful team or organization. Leaders with empathy have the ability to put themselves in someone else's situation. They help develop the people on their team, challenge others who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those who need it.

If you want to earn the respect and loyalty of your team, then show them you care by being empathic.

How can you improve your empathy?

Respond to feelings. You ask your assistant to work late - again. And although he agrees, you can hear the disappointment in his voice. So, respond by addressing his feelings. Tell him you appreciate how willing he is to work extra hours, and that you're just as frustrated about working late. If possible, figure out a way for future late nights to be less of an issue (for example, give him Monday mornings off).

5. Social Skills

Leaders who do well in the social skills element of emotional intelligence are great communicators. They're just as open to hearing bad news as good news, and they're experts at getting their team to support them and be excited about a new mission or project.

Leaders who have good social skills are also good at managing change and resolving conflicts diplomatically. They're rarely satisfied with leaving things as they are, but they don't sit back and make everyone else do the work: they set an example with their own behavior.

So, how can you build social skills?

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Emotional Intelligence in Leadership - Learning How to Be More Aware

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Relating to others is vital in today's workplace. Learn how to build your emotional intelligence (EI) with this article.

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Featured Content

From Brené

A primer for navigating the progression of my written work.

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From Brené

I'm not here to make people comfortable or to be liked. My purpose is to know and experience love. This means excavating the unsaid. In the world and in me.

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Cultivating meaningful connection is a daring and vulnerable practice-and one that isn't possible without being a good steward of the stories we tell and the stories we hear.

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Conversations with leaders, change-makers, and those who help unlock the deeply human part of who we are.

Books by Brené

Looking to dive deep into reading and resources? Check out the hubs.

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Brené Brown is a researcher and storyteller who's spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.

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Pat is the founder of The Table Group and the author of 11 books which have sold over 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The Wall Street Journal called him "one of the most in demand speakers in America."

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The Leadership Challenge | Resources for the Leadership Development Professional

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What is the Leadership Challenge? The Leadership Challenge is a global campaign to liberate the leader in everyone. We believe that teams, businesses-and even the world-get better when ordinary people enable those around them to achieve extra-ordinary things.

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Daniel Goleman - Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, Ecological Intelligence

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Welcome to the website and blog of psychologist Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., author of the New York Times bestseller Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships. Dr. Goleman is an internationally known psychologist who lectures frequently to professional groups, business audiences, and on college campuses.

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Change is so rapid today that leaders must do much more than stay the course to be successful. If they aren't nimble and ready to adapt, they won't survive. The key is to learn how to leadershift.

In Leadershift, John C. Maxwell helps leaders gain the ability and willingness to make leadership changes that will positively enhance their organizational and personal growth. He does this by sharing the eleven shifts he made over the course of his long and successful leadership career. Each shift changed his trajectory and set him up for new and exciting achievements, ultimately strengthening and sustaining his leadership abilities and making him the admired leadership expert he is today.
Access a free chapter of Leadershift now!

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Change is so rapid today that leaders must do much more than stay the course to be successful. If they aren't nimble and ready to adapt, they won't survive. The key is to learn how to leadershift. In Leadershift, John C.

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Career strategies for rising women of influence | Be Leaderly

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Be Leaderly offers workshops, webinars, and coaching programs for emerging women leaders, consulting and research to elevate women's voices at work, and keynotes by Jo Miller and Selena Rezvani.

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Sometimes 140 characters is all we have time to digest. Twitter has transformed the education debate, allowing everyone to weigh in. Have a question for Michelle Rhee? Tweet her. Want Diane Ravitch to read an article? Tag her. While there's no promise they will respond, the platform provides a better opportunity to become part of the discussion.

More importantly, following others on Twitter helps you stay informed and better form your own opinions. Below is a list of 12 education thought leaders who come from all corners of the education arena. Instead of sticking to people who think like you, try branching out -​ you never know what you may learn.

1. Audrey Watters

Watters is an education technology writer who posts frequently on her blog, Hack Education. From MOOCs to the latest in the Los Angeles iPad saga, Watters has something to say. If you want commentary on the latest ed tech trends, as well as great analysis on what isn't working so well, Watters is the girl to follow.

2. Joy Resmovits

Resmovits is an education reporter at The Huffington Post and a 2014-15 Spencer Fellow. Resmovits is an even-handed, fair reporter who gives less opinion and more facts - which can be refreshing in an era when subjective-blogger has become synonymous with journalist. It is also clear she has some good sources in the ed world. Resmovits was first to break the news that Michelle Rhee was stepping down from her post as head chief of Students First. She is currently beginning her residency as a Spencer Fellow, which is a joint program through Columbia's Teacher College and School of Journalism. According to Resmovits' bio on the Spencer Fellows page, she intends to write about accommodations for students with disabilities. Perhaps as her studies continue, we can expect to see more tweets on this topic.

3. Conor P. Williams

Williams is a senior researcher with the New America Foundation, which means he is not only sifting through a lot of data, but has a lot of opinions as well. From Talking Points Memo to The Daily Beast, Williams' opinions seem to be all over the net. Given the large amount of work he is producing, there is constantly something new to read. Williams also appears to be pretty accessible, often engaging with other twitter users and followers about the content he writes.

4. Michelle Rhee

Whether or not you agree with the StudentsFirst founder's politics, you should follow her. Rhee, also the former chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, has enormous clout in the education arena, so knowing what she is up to is a definite asset. Most of her posts are re-tweets of StudentsFirst comments and articles about accountability, but you never know when something more personalized will sneak into the feed.

5. Diane Ravitch

The infamous and often praised NYU education historian and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education is an avid Twitter user. Not only does she tweet her own daily blog posts, but she re-posts other important education stories. Ravitch, who is revered - and perhaps hated, depending on the education circles you mingle with - uses Twitter to connect with supporters and engage her adversaries. We'll put it this way, it's never boring following Ravitch's feed.

6. Michael Petrilli

Petrilli is the current president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and an editor of Education Next. He is a frequent poster and seems to be in the know about many of the education comings and goings. His feed is a good resource if you want to read some interesting articles on education, or if you want to know about the latest education debate (he recently spoke in favor of the Common Core at a "Embrace the Common Core" debate sponsored by Intelligence Squared U.S. -- would you be surprised if we told you Ravitch then blogged about it?)

7. Alexander Russo

A former educator, and a staffer under California Sen. Diane Feinstein, Russo has his thumb on education trends. He is constantly updating his feed with interesting ed reads, and as the founder of Scholastic's This Week In Education, he is never short of content. Something to appreciate about Russo's feed is he never seems to push one agenda, but rather curates an interesting selection of must-reads.

8. Linda Darling-Hammond

The Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, Darling-Hammond was considered a highly-regarded candidate for President Obama's Secretary of Education before Arne Duncan landed the job. As you might expect, someone who almost became our nation's top education official has plenty of important ideas. Getting an opportunity to see what she deems tweet-worthy is definitely helpful when trying to understand the larger concerns in education.

9. Beth Fertig

Fertig is an education reporter for New York's WNYC. While her target audience may be quite specific, that doesn't mean her tweets are. Since New York's education policy often sets a tone for the rest of the nation, many of the stories Fertig covers have broader implications.

10. Badass Teachers Association

According to its Twitter bio, the Bad Ass Teacher's Association is for "teachers who do not accept the blame for the failure of our society to erase poverty." The feed frequently tweets in line with the group's mission, shedding light on the more questionable domains of the education world. As we mentioned in the intro, exposing oneself to an array of opinions is important -- so even if you do not agree, we recommend seeing what the group has to say. You never know what you may learn.

11. Ilana Horn

Professor Horn teaches math education to students at Vanderbilt's School of Education. Her feed is thoughtful and deals with molding well-rounded students. She also respectfully questions the current dynamics inside schools. One example of this is a recent post in which she stated, "A classroom's resources should not depend on the social capital of the teacher and the material capital of their social networks," in reference to teachers being forced to either buy their own supplies or rely on crowdfunding sites like Donors Choose.

12. Anya Kamenetz

Kamenetz is an education writer for NPR, and her tweets are as solid as her journalistic work. Her stories run the gamut from the cloud and data security to school reform, like when she asked New Orleans students about the changes they are seeing in their city. Kamenetz also has a book set for release in 2015 titled "The Test: Why Our Schools Are Obsessed With Standardized Testing - But You Don't Have To Be," so if you follow her, it would probably be a safe bet that you will learn more about that, as well.

Top image credit: Dollar Photo Club, modified by Education Dive

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12 education thought leaders you should follow on Twitter

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Sometimes 140 characters is all we have time to digest. Twitter has transformed the education debate, allowing everyone to weigh in. Have a question for Michelle Rhee? Tweet her. Want Diane Ravitch to read an article? Tag her. While there's no promise they will respond, the platform provides a better opportunity to become part of the discussion.

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30 Most Innovative People in Education Alive Today

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30 Most Innovative People in Education Alive Today

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By Kelsey Fox
Posted November, 2014

With Common Core on its way to implementation in all 50 states, the number of charter and classical schools increasing by unprecedented numbers, and home school participation at an all-time high, exciting things are happening on all fronts of education in America. From public and private classrooms, to the Department of Education, innovative people are seeking to better the country one student at a time. Though there are certainly more than thirty deserving people in the world of modern education, the men and women on this list were chosen and ranked based upon the following guidelines:

1. Leadership - Each of the people on this list are leaders in their field, and most have either founded or run a school or education program of some kind.

2. Applicability - While most of the ideas and programs credited to the people on this list apply to various parts of the population, those who have directly improved the education of large numbers of American children were given higher priority when it came to ordering this list.

3. Awards & Recognition - Many of the people on this list have been recognized by various groups for their contributions to education.

4. Other - Those individuals with other notable accomplishments such as personal circumstances or educational background were also considered.

30. Sir Kenneth Robinson

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Though Sir Kenneth Robinson is an English citizen, the former professor has made quite the impact on American education. Robinson spent twelve years as a professor of education at the University of Warwick, where he developed his philosophy that Western education ignores creativity to a harmful extent, an idea that has become more and more relevant in America as schools continue to cut programs such as art, music, and drama. Most recently, Robinson has appeared on a number of TED talks, most of which have received upwards of 12 million views each.

29. Clara Hemphill

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When Clara Hemphill, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, began looking for a New York City public school for her son, she became frustrated by the lack of available information. She decided to found InsideSchools.org, a website meant to empower parents by offering information on each of the city's 1500 public schools. Each school profile contains information on admissions, test scores, culture, teaching styles, homework, and discipline. And Hemphill doesn't hold back; her profiles are as honest as possible. A school is just as likely to be called out for their barren library than they are for their great principal.

28. Diane Ravitch

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After decades of experience and two key education policy positions under two different presidents, Diane Ravitch shocked many in the education world by drastically changing her opinions on a number of major policy topics. Once a supporter of school choice and school accountability, Ravitch began to feel disillusioned when No Child Left Behind was debuted as a near-instant disaster. Ravitch is now an outspoken opponent of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, and test-based accountability. Her book, "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools" was released last year.

27. Randi Weingarten

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Randi Weingarten is a former high school history teacher and the current president of the United Federation of Teachers, which represents upwards of 140,000 active and retired teachers. Weingarten has made waves opposing recent changes made by the New York Board of Education. In recent years, she has fought head to head with NYC Mayor Bloomberg, successfully negotiating higher pay for teachers, and opposing principal autonomy, private school tax credits, and the increased focus on standardized testing.

26. Conrad Wolfram

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Conrad Wolfram, along with his brother Stephen, is best known for creating the popular TED talks. Wolfram has spent a decade developing various forms of tech-based education, among them the Mathematica software and Wolfram Alpha. Driven by the belief that if math could be made more practical, and less mechanical, it would become more appealing to students, Wolfram has become a major advocate for the use of computers and calculators in k-12 classrooms.

25. Anant Agarwal

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Anant Agarwal is a professor of electrical engineering at MIT, though he is best known as the founder of edX, an online program that offers free course material from world-class institutions such as MIT and Harvard. So far, edX has proven a massive success. People hungry for education have logged into edX from hundreds of different countries around the world. Though edX is still relatively new, Agarwal is confident that his program is poised for a major impact as more and more large universities are beginning to make content available.

24. Jose Ferreira

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Jose Ferreira is the founder and CEO of Knewton, a groundbreaking online education program that allows schools, publishers, and content developers to easily and inexpensively provide personalized educational content in the form of lessons and targeted practice. Focusing especially on test prep for the ACT, SAT, and GRE, Knewton is mostly used by those in k-12 schools. Ferreira, however, is quick to point out that Knewton has the potential for application in any number of settings. For example, Arizona State University has already begun to offer blended courses that implement Knewton, and as a result have seen pass rates in these classes increase by 10%.

23. Anthony Cody

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Anthony Cody, a former Oakland, California teacher is a blogger for Education Week and the co-founder of Network for Public Education (NPE), a national advocacy group aiming to protect and strengthen the U.S. public school system. Through NPE, Cody has actively come out against the Common Core, accusing the corporate textbook manufacturer McGraw Hill as pushing for the nationalized curriculum, and Bill Gates for creating a national marketplace for education and testing products.

22. Sebastian Thrun

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As a professor at Stanford University, Sebastian Thrun was frustrated that he could only reach 200 carefully selected students per semester. To reach a wider audience, Thrun decided to start Udacity, an open-education tool that offers free courses to the general public. Udacity received over 160,000 sign-ups in its first two months and has barely slowed down since. Udacity now offers an elite education at no cost to any person, from any background, located anywhere in the world. Thrun, whose program already has a few colleges rattled, has publicly predicted that his program could cause a major shift in the future of education.

21. Robert Hughes

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Robert Hughes is the President of New Visions for Public Schools, a multi-year, multi-million dollar project spurred by Joel Klein of the New York Department of Education. Hughes has led the creation of more than 112 small middle and high schools throughout New York City. It is Hughes' belief that these small schools will keep kids from getting lost in the system and help them to learn that school can be engaging. Already, these schools seem to be a success, as graduation rates have reportedly increased by upwards of 30%.

20. Kevin Johnson

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This former NBA player has been making waves in one of California's largest school districts. As mayor of Sacramento, Johnson founded a successful network of charter schools that have spurred major reform among the city's education system. In recognition of his success, Johnson was appointed Chair of the Mayors' Task Force on Public Schools at the United States Conference of Mayors. Johnson's wife, Michelle Rhee, is also active in education reform and has written a number of books on the topic.

19. Arun Alagappan

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Though he started out as a lawyer at the prestigious Sullivan and Cromwell, the Harvard and Princeton-educated Arun Alagappan decided to leave the world of law to found Advantage Testing, Inc., a boutique tutoring service for college-bound students. The New York-based Advantage Testing now employs 100 tutors to assist over 2,000 students per year with SAT prep, essay writing, and core subjects. Students and their families shell out upwards of $650 for a 50-minute session, and a year's wait for Alagappan himself is not uncommon. Not surprisingly, Alagappan's success has incited a number of imitation companies throughout the country.

18. Larry Arnn

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Larry Arnn is best known as the president of Hillsdale College, a top-ranked liberal arts university located in rural Michigan. In the last few years, Hillsdale College has teamed up with the Barney Charter School Initiative to launch a number of charter schools throughout the country. Like the College, these charter schools seek to "train the minds and improve the hearts" of students through a rigorous, classical education. Arnn and the initiative work specifically with school founding groups who are interested in the association with Hillsdale College. Currently, Hillsdale has opened charter schools in Texas, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Nevada, with a number more planned for the near future.

17. David Coleman

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According to the Huffington Post, David Coleman is the "most influential education figure you've never heard of." Coleman, the son of a university president, is the current president of College Board, the national organization responsible for creating, distributing, and scoring the SATs. In fact, Coleman helped to design College Board, and was directly responsible for its re-organization of the SATs into a test of 2400 possible points (an increase from 1600). Though he himself has never been a teacher, there is no doubt that Coleman continues to have a major impact on the world of education.

16. Salman Khan

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At first, Salman Khan simply wanted to help his cousin with his algebra homework by creating a few YouTube videos. Those initial videos have since expanded into the Khan Academy, a free, online program that has made its way into thousands of homes and classrooms. With more than three thousand lessons for students to progress through at their own pace, the Khan Academy is now being used in a number of pilot schools in California, where it is rapidly gaining momentum. Recently, Khan was named by Time Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

15. Clark Durant

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Detroit is looking a little brighter thanks to Clark Durant. In 1991, Durant, himself a Detroit native, co-founded the Cornerstone School to bring a quality, Christo-centric education to inner-city kids. Durant's first Cornerstone School was so successful that in 1995, he was named by the state of Michigan as the Michiganian of the Year for his work in education. Since then, Durant has increased Detroit children's access to education by establishing a network of Cornerstone charter schools. Each year, the Detroit Tigers host Be a Tiger for Kids, a charity event which has raised over $2million dollars for Cornerstone.

14. Arne Duncan

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Arne Duncan, the son of a University of Chicago father and a tutor mother, has climbed to the top of the American education system. In the 1990s, Duncan was named director of the Ariel Education Initiative, a program which aims to help inner-city Chicago kids fund their college educations. In 2001, he was named CEO of the Chicago Public School system, a position which directly prepared him for appointment as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama.

13. Cami Anderson

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Like many superintendents around the nation, Cami Anderson has made it her life's work to prove that students can succeed at the highest levels, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born. But unlike most of her counterparts, Anderson has remained under the national microscope since her district received a $100 million donation from Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg. Prior to her work in Newark, Anderson successful raised achievement and graduation rates in NYC's infamous District 79, but so far has been unable to replicate her success in New Jersey, where an incredible $25,000 is being spent on each student. If Anderson succeeds in turning Newark schools around, her district will surely become a model for other struggling schools to emulate.

12. Linda Darling-Hammond

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Linda Darling-Hammond has been a force in the world of education for more than two decades. She is a strong believer in the idea that teachers, not bureaucrats, should reform education. As a professor at Stanford University, she redesigned the teacher education program, adding more opportunities for teachers to work with students of diverse backgrounds. She also served as the Executive Director of the National Commission of Teaching and America's Future, and is the author of a number of works, including the influential "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future."

11. Joel Klein

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As Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, Joel Klein has brought a corporate ethos to the city's public schools. Believing that social justice, urban planning, and sports management form a fulcrum for learning, Klein has made sweeping changes that include a universal curriculum for elementary schools, the abolishment of social promotion, greater autonomy for principals, and higher pay for teachers. Though it is too early to tell whether Klein's reforms will have a lasting effect, many agree that his leadership has restored a sense of hope to the city's public education system.

10. Michael Bloomberg

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Education has been a centerpiece of Michael Bloomberg's agenda throughout his three terms as mayor of New York City. Almost immediately, Mayor Bloomberg dismantled individual Boards of Education and consolidated power under the New York Department of Education, a move considered controversial by many and bold by just about everyone. Throughout his time in office, Mayor Bloomberg has continued to increase the number of charter schools and has taken action to make teachers more accountable for their students' performances through test scores and frequent evaluation. Though his time in office will end in November 2014, Bloomberg's mayoral legacy is sure to live on.

9. Wendy Kopp

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As an undergraduate student at Princeton, Wendy Kopp came up with an idea. Though she wasn't an education major herself, Kopp wanted to set up a program in which recent graduates and other professionals could teach disadvantaged youth. She made this dream a reality when she founded Teach For America, one of the most successful teaching programs in the history of U.S. education. The program has helped thousands of teachers and disadvantaged youth alike. To piggyback off the success of Teach For America, Kopp recently founded Teach For All to place teachers throughout the world.

8. Bill Gates

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Though he has never stepped foot in the classroom as a teacher, Bill Gates has influenced modern education in ways that few people are capable. The founder of Microsoft has contributed over $1.2 billion as part of his efforts to introduce more technology into American high schools, and has been an outspoken advocate for the Common Core, donating over $30 billion over the course of its development and implementation. As early as 2010, the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center named Gates the most influential person in education policy. He may not be a teacher, but Gates is bound to remain a major player in education for years to come.

7. Don Shalvey

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Don Shalvey is a long-time public school educator who teamed up with Silicon Valley entrepreneur Reed Hastings to start Aspire Public Schools, one of the first charter management organizations of its kind in the United States. Aspire's mission statement is to "grow the public charter school movement by opening and operating small, high-quality charter schools in low-income neighborhoods." Fifteen years after first opening its doors, the 37 Aspire schools throughout California and in Memphis, Tennessee are some of the highest performing schools in the country. In the last four years, 100% of Aspire's graduating seniors have been accepted into 4-year colleges and universities.

6. Reed Hastings

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Considering the success of Don Shalvey and Aspire Public Schools, it's only right that Shalvey's business partner, Reed Hastings, also make the list. Hastings is best known as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the founder of Netflix, but the Aspire network of charter schools will almost certainly cement him a spot in the history of education as well. Aspire is one of the highest-performing and most well-respected charter organizations in the country, and Hastings is looking to add to the 37 campuses in the near future.

5. Jason Bernal

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YES Prep Schools may just be the most successful charter school organization in the country, and much of that success is because of Jason Bernal. After starting as a teacher at the original YES campus, Bernal has climbed his way up the ladder to School Director, then Head of Schools, then V.P. of Operations, and now President. YES Prep Schools, nearly all of which are located in low-income areas, are consistently ranked in the top 100 public schools by U.S. News & World Report, and have won a number of competitive awards including the Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. YES now has thirteen campuses, 1,000 employees, and over 9,000 students.

4. Geoffrey Canada

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As a poor boy in South Bronx, Geoffrey Canada's life was changed when a teacher took an interest in him. Now, Canada is returning the favor as the founder and CEO of the Promise Academy, a Department of Education-approved charter school in Harlem. Dedicated to keeping at-risk kids on the right path, Promise has a school day that is an hour longer, and a school year that is a month and a half longer, than other New York City public schools. The school, which admits students by lottery, has proven itself a huge success. In 2004, just 11% of Promise's kindergarteners were testing above grade level. Today, that number hovers around 80%.

3. Cheryl Lowe

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When Cheryl Lowe's two sons began returning home from school with what she considered nothing more than "busy work," she decided to supplement their education with timeless subjects such as Latin and classical studies. The problem: she couldn't find a Latin book appropriate for children's learning. So she wrote one. Lowe's single Latin book has turned into an educational publishing company, Memoria Press, and Highlands Latin School, a top-ranked private classical school in Louisville, Kentucky. Lowe and her now-grown son run the k-12 school, which has become a model to a rapidly growing number of similar institutions around the world.

2. Governor Bobby Jindal

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Though most of the country knows him as an "is he or isn't he?" Republican presidential candidate, those in the state of Louisiana know Bobby Jindal as the sweeping reformist who has incited the Southern state's slow climb to improvement. Most notably, Jindal expanded Louisiana's award voucher and school choice programs for lower-income students. As a result, more than half of the state's 380,000 students are now eligible for an additional $8,500 "scholarship" for the public, private, or charter school of their parents' choice. Jindal was recently praised by the Wall Street Journal for his efforts to hold teachers accountable and improve education.

1. E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

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E.D. Hirsch, Jr., the longtime advocate for education reform, has been in the news a lot lately as the founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation, the group largely responsible for developing and implementing the national Common Core. Hirsch's education philosophies stem from the belief that background knowledge, and not just general readability, will influence a student's ability and desire to understand material. Though it is too early to tell just how successful the Common Core will be, Hirsch's curriculum has proven increasingly controversial, with many states suing over the right to refuse to implement it into their public schools.

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The 30 Most Innovative People in Education Alive Today

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By Kelsey Fox Posted November, 2014 With Common Core on its way to implementation in all 50 states, the number of charter and classical schools increasing by unprecedented numbers, and home school participation at an all-time high, exciting things are happening on all fronts of education in America.

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If you want to become a team leader or manager, you'll have to demonstrate that you can lead without having an official role to point to. Here's how you do that, from organizational psychologist David Burkus PhD.

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If you want to become a team leader or manager, you'll have to demonstrate that you can lead without having an official role to point to. Here's how you do that, from organizational psychologist David Burkus PhD.

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10 Big Leadership Ideas for 2017

Leadership in the 21st Century, also known as school leadership 2.0, is complex. Dealing with our fast-changing world and the demands for speed, agility and innovation is challenging.

I hope you've made the time to have a few quiet, reflective days between Christmas and the end of 2016.

It's summer down under so I'm camping in the Australian bush with friends, family, kangaroos, emus, rosellas and corellas. After a few days of catching up on sleep I've started to think enthusiastically about the possibilities, opportunities and challenges that the New Year will bring.

How about you? Have you made some time as the New Year begins to think ahead, dream and plan to make your life better in some way? I hope you have.

Here's my 10 BIG ideas to make 2017 your best year yet! I hope you feel inspired...

BIG IDEA #1. Remember that you always have a choice. Choose actions that will make you a better person. Actions that are aligned to your values and reflect what you love to do.

BIG IDEA # 2. A Growth Mindset will set you up as a learner and ensure ongoing success in life. Yes, there will be tough times but a Growth Mindset ensures strategies to keep learning and growing. A Fixed Mindset will stall your growth and development. Ultimately a Fixed Mindset will affect your self-belief and railroad your self-talk telling you that you are a failure. BIG IDEA: You can choose your mindset. For some assistance read Mindset - Changing the way you think to fulfill your potential. If you would like to take it to the next level, you could attend one of my educational leadership programs or look at a courses for school administrators, if more appropriate.

BIG IDEA # 3. Effort, hard work, determination and resilience will make you smarter and more talented. Yes! Ongoing effort and hard work will make your life amazing! Persistence also means never stop learning and you won't regret doing some extra research on topics specific to your situation, such as private school leadership and international school leadership. Why not give yourself the best shot at success?

BIG IDEA # 4. Seek out challenges, possibilities and opportunities. Believe in yourself. Be courageous, apply BIG IDEA # 3 and always reflect on what you have learnt. You will thrive!

BIG IDEA # 5. It's your future and that's important but it's not always about you! It's about what you can do to help others grow and develop. School administrator leadership styles vary from school to school, and principal to principal, but be sure to empower others to make a positive difference too. It's not just a one man show, and you will feel less exhausted by delegating.

BIG IDEA # 6. Stretch yourself beyond your current capabilities. You only live once (YOLO) and self-improvement rocks.

BIG IDEA # 7. Always focus on learning. Even when things get tough focus on what you are learning and how you can improve. You'll be surprised at how this motivates you to continue to grow.

BIG IDEA # 8. Link your challenges and possibilities to what you love to do. Take some time to unlock your passion/s and start planning how to maximize them.

BIG IDEA # 9. Seek constructive feedback. Be open to the messages that life sends your way. Reflect on them and learn from them. Be brave and seek out those you trust and ask them what your blind spot may be. Consider carefully what you choose to do with the feedback. My tip: Choose the path that keeps you learning.

BIG IDEA # 10. Always look for better strategies to learn more and to work your way through obstacles. Never give up. NEVER! You will surprise yourself at the person you will become.

Like to learn more about 21 st Century Leadership? Join me at NIST International School in Bangkok on 25 & 26 March 2017 for an "amazing" 2-day workshop OR sign up to a self-paced, personalized online 21st Century Leadership Course. Take 2 months or 2 years to complete; it's up to you.

More questions? Ask Maxine

Download "Top 3 Challenges Facing School Leaders in 2018" and learn how to overcome them.
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10 Big Leadership Ideas for 2017 - Think Strategic for Schools

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Leadership in the 21st Century, also known as school leadership 2.0, is complex. Dealing with our fast-changing world and the demands for speed, agility and innovation is challenging. I hope you've made the time to have a few quiet, reflective days between Christmas and the end...

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Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership 

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Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership 

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Dr. Jim Dittmar explains the key differences between transactional vs. tranformational leadership. He covers the "4 I's" of transformational leadership.

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The 4 I's of Transformational Leadership

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The 4 I's of Transformational Leadership