Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/growing-ourselves-as-leaders/5023846/
Persuasive leadership is a leader’s ability to move people from their current position to a position that they don’t currently hold. Persuasive leadership requires a leader to not only make rational arguments, but also frame ideas, approaches, and solutions in ways that appeal to diverse groups of people with basic human emotions.
Over the last few decades, our early childhood field has championed the importance of nurturing new leaders in our profession at the local and national level. Can you name people who inspired or mentored you into a commitment to early childhood? Do you consciously strive to do the same for others around you? With so much at stake for children, we shouldn’t be casual about developing leadership in ourselves and others. It’s time to clarify our intentions and aspirations. We need leaders determined to ensure children’s right to learn through play; leaders bold enough to question and revamp some habitual ways of thinking; and leaders strong enough to call out elephants in the room. Let’s grow leaders who are savvy negotiators and innovators.
Perhaps the real test of our identity as leaders is seen in whether or not we step up to challenges. Do we call out and work to ...