Commitment: #2 C in ECE Leadership

Commitment to the Field
First, we are specifically talking about the field of Early Care and Education. As a well-rounded, educated adult, and a professed leader, this means we need to be wise about a number of things; however, our leadership expertise is focused on the needs and expectations of ensuring high quality early care and education programs for young children. This is certainly true regarding the rules and regulations connected to the management of a program, but it also means we are committed to continuing our education and knowledge of the trends and issues that impact our staff members. The further we are removed from the day-to-day classroom experience, the easier it is to forget how important it is to stay tuned-in to the joys, frustrations, and needs required of an empathetic leader. You may not be the most knowledgeable person about working with a three-year-old, but sharing a new study, book, article, cartoon, or video with a staff member who is working with that age group says you are an aware, connected, and a caring leader.

Commitment to Leadership
Your continuing education endeavors must include staying relevant, knowledgeable, and credible as a leader. Therefore, a commitment to focus on increasing your leadership expertise is of equal importance. Trying to be an expert leader in all areas dilutes the true benefit you bring to others. Using the ICE Method[1] to identify the greatest value you bring to your staff allows you to build your leadership team around other strengths, especially those that may balance your weaknesses. Understanding your strength as a leader, identifying your specific areas of influence, uncovering your dislikes and weaknesses, require a process and a commitment to creating a personal leadership statement and action plan that will guide and enhance your influence as a leader.

Commitment to a “Season” or Position
Throughout our career, we go though a variety of “Seasons”. These might be the length of time we spend in different positions as we climb the proverbial corporate ladder. Whenever we agree to an employment position, we are making a commitment. The commitment may be connected to a length of time, the completion of a project, or other marker agreed upon by you and your employer. During this “Season”, there are implied commitments one needs to be aware of too. While varied depending on the specific expectations, many times implied commitments include attending meetings or reaching deadlines, as well as other stated and unstated expected outcomes. What is often forgotten is the commitment a leader must make to the process of completing the requirements of the position. The need to create and/or follow a process is one of the most undervalued commitments required of leaders.

A position is a title that helps define the work lane we currently fill. A “Season” is more of the time we spend developing our expertise in a position, area, or for future endeavors. For instance, an emerging leader may be a classroom teacher who is excited about a new ECE trend that has the backing of the program leadership. She is so excited about the results she has had with her class that she now wants to encourage other teachers and inspire them to try it too. She starts with showing and teaching her peers, decides she likes training others and searches for additional ways to do so effectively. As time goes by, she is tapped to lead a department, becomes an assistant director, and eventually a director in her own right. Sound familiar? This is the path many ECE leaders have traveled during their career.

Once a person has set forth a path to intentionally lead others, they have made a commitment. The reality is that you can’t teach what you don’t know, but more importantly, much of leadership is caught as much as taught and you can’t teach what you don’t show! Leadership is all about authentically committing to people, processes, preparations, and promises!

[1] ICE Method© Seasonal Pathways