The Rule of One

I have been reflecting recently on the power of one person in a leadership role.  We have encountered this many times in schools.  The personality and style of one person on a leadership team or on the board can change the direction and outcome of a whole school.  Some years ago the Hay Group did a study about emotional intelligence in government schools in England.  They looked at the leadership of the classroom teacher and that of the Principal - Head of School equivalent.  What they discovered clearly was that the mood set by the principal set the mood for the next level down in the school. The mood set by the classroom teacher affected that of the children and the learning that occurred in the classroom.  

Instinctively this makes sense.  But what we have seen goes beyond mood into the ability of one person to change - for good or ill - the way a team does business, makes decisions, treats each other, and what ultimately they focus on.  Recently a number of examples demonstrated this again.  

In more than one school a board chair or very vocal and powerful trustee can hijack the agenda and the perspective of the board.  We have known of schools that have fired their competent and successful head because this one voice focused intently on a particular issue - a personality characteristic, a mistake that was remedied and relatively minor, a change initiative or decision that they thought should not have happened.  They are so vociferous and demanding and clear about what this means that their fellow board members do one of two things - back off and refuse to confront them for fear of conflict or jump on the bandwagon.  We are often told "we have to live with our fellow board members long after this head is gone."  With this one person pressing the issue, good heads lose their jobs.

Within schools we have encountered a similar phenomenon.  A division leader or assistant head of school has such a strong personality and style of decision-making, for instance, that the whole leadership team (head included) bow to that style and create a way of having meetings, making decisions and communicating which revolve around the preferences of that person.  All in the name of working well together and not making waves unless necessary.

We believe that conflict is healthy when done well.  Are you avoiding it to the detriment of your team?  Does one person wield too much influence?  Is there reasonable balance in your team?