Lao-Tzu, a noted Chinese philosopher said:

“In pursuit of knowledge everyday something is acquired,In pursuit of wisdom everyday something is dropped.”

A leader has to be sensitive to changes. He should be aware of the dynamics of knowledge and should have the curiosity to be familiar with and competent enough in the current knowledge. He should also be shedding the load of irrelevant knowledge. Thus, an effective leader should have the power of discrimination – to differentiate between what is needed and futuristic, and what is outdated.

That really doesn’t mean that all that is old is outdated and irrelevant. The ability to hold on to the tacit knowledge, the ability to preserve the heritage, the ability to enrich culture are some traits of great leaders.

In Academic leadership, continuous acquisition of knowledge is important. An academic leader not only acquires knowledge but creates an environment for others for acquisition of knowledge. He should ensure that his associates are a part of the team in the discovery of new knowledge. In the process of acquisition of new knowledge if we travel alone, either we are lost or our team members lose the way. You have a great team with you. Have your thought of empowering them so that they can be, possibly, better than you? Can you spend a few moments in finding ways to include them as members in your expedition of knowledge?

Very often we feel challenged when our colleagues are more informed and better skilled. We find ways and means of silencing or de-motivating them.

A self-made millionaire John M. Huntsman writes in his book “Winners never cheat" - “Life is not a game of solitaire. People depend on one another. When one does well, the others are lifted. When one stumbles others also are impacted. There are no-one man teams -either by definition or natural law. Success is a cooperative effort: It's dependent on those who stand by you."

Hold on for a minute, just think - how many times have you attributed your success to the members of your team than to your own 'leadership'?

We need to believe that people around have enormous energy and they can perform sometimes better than ourselves - both teachers and students. Why not allow them to make a try, to perform, to excel, to reveal themselves? Do we stop it sometimes because 'the ego' of our leadership is hurt?

Osho in his book "Creativity- unleashing the forces within observes: "Nature gives everybody energy which is creative. It becomes destructive only when it is obstructed, when no natural flow is allowed." Can we allow our team members to let their creative energy manifest? Can we bring those creative artists together to design our flagship- the school - sail to new territories of knowledge?

In a book titled “In a Treasure chest” Ralph W. Sockman writes:

“There are parts of a ship which, taken by themselves, would sink. The engine would sink. The propeller would sink. But when the parts of a ship are built together, they float”

Image courtesy :humanresourcesonline.net/the-four-x-factors-of-exceptional-leaders/