Page 5 - Leadership 20-1

BY RICHARD STRAND

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams

What’s your favorite season of the year?
Polls reveal mixed results. In some cases, fall emerges as the seasonal When considering the richness of our theme/title we sought out authors
favorite — largely attributed to the colors and smells of the season, if for this edition who could enlighten our readers on those aspects of
not relief from the heat and humidity of summer. Personally, I’m going “us” that represent our very essence and thus do the most to shape us as
with those who list spring as their favorite, embodied by a feeling of leaders – ors that we bring to work each and every day. Our managing
renewal and growth; out with the old and in with the new, longer days editor, Rose Marie Ferretti did a masterful job, along with her team
and shorter nights, etc. of content editors, in expanding on our theme through the insightful
pieces ofered by Julie Straw, Richard Barrett, and Kyle Robinson. As
For those of us involved in education, spring represents the end
of our traditional academic year. We reserve the last days of it with each edition, we enrich our understanding of what leadership
to celebrate the advancement of our students in a time honored really means as well as how we develop our leadership skill and ability
ceremony – commencement – which when translated means the act of through the “Voices of Leadership.”
“commencing” or “beginning.” It represents a rite of passage for both It is spring, a time for shaking of winter’s cold grip, for embracing more
students and faculty: students who have strived and maybe struggled fully a world emerging from shades of white and gray, and welcoming
to achieve their goal, and faculty who have conveyed, explained, the rich cacophony of colors representative of the new season. I can
mentored, and cheered the progress they’ve witnessed. think of at least one other reason that spring might well be my favorite
season… fshing! In my neck of the wood, lake and stream fshing opens
From the perspective of the Chair Academy, our spring actually begins
with a celebration – our annual International Leadership Conference up the last weekend in April. I’ve lived a life that is full of memories
held this year in St Louis, Missouri – thus the theme for the conference connected to the great anticipation associated with opening day. My
and the title of our spring edition – Gateway to Leadership. Perhaps it’s guess is it’s the same sensation our graduates feel as they cross the stage
not very original, but certainly apropos to the setting. As is always the to claim their certifcates and degrees; eyes wide open, hearts flled with
case during our annual gathering, we took advantage of the opportunity hope, and a future flled with opportunity and high expectations.
to recognize leadership talent on a global scale, including the 37 post- As noted by our contributing authors, as leaders we are expected to live
secondary educators who were singled out by their colleagues for either and work to our strengths, our values, and bring our best behaviors
an individual or team award. to work each day to be a positive force for change and seek in all cases
to enrich and empower those around us to do likewise. One of my
Te Academy was particularly pleased to acknowledge the signifcant
contributions a chosen few have made to developing leadership talent, favorite books is titled Monday Morning Choices. In it, the author
each of whom is featured in this edition, beginning with the 2014 Elsner (Cottrell, 2007) suggests that on any given Monday, we get to make
Award recipients Lane Glenn and Anita Rios, two extraordinary three important choices that may well defne the direction our life will
individuals who have touched thousands of lives as leaders engaged take. We get to choose the values we intend to live by, the actions we
in making post-secondary education work at all levels; and Joan elect to take (or not) and the relationships to which we will be open
McArthur-Blair, a former Elsner honoree in her own right and the or closed. Our individual choices may be infuenced by others or a
newest member of the Academy’s prestigious Global Ambassadors particular situation we may be confronted with, but in the end, they
Circle; and last but not least, a dear Academy friend from “down are our choices. A question I frequently ask of our Academy Leadership
under,” Damira Lopes, this year’s recipient of the Director’s Award who program participants is, “Do you choose to be the leader in your life or
has facilitated the leadership journey of hundreds of her colleagues as let life lead you?” What choices will you be making on Monday? Tese
they aspire to be diference makers in their own right. choices may represent the Gateway to Your Future. Choose wisely!

LEADERSHIP Vol. 20.1 Spring/Summer 2014 3

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