Including employees in goal setting and quality improvement is vital for long term success and sustainability. You can work with the entire team during a staff meeting, small groups of teachers working in committees, or with teaching teams. Individual situations will determine who should be involved in the collective leadership process.

In some cases, such as a disciplinary action, collective leadership is not appropriate. However, there are a number of opportunities to bring employees into the fold through collective leadership. Involving employees can help them feel more invested in the program and it reduces stress on directors, who often feel they need to do it all.  Consider the following options:

• The team develops the program’s vision and mission statements
• Teaching teams create vision and mission statements for their classroom
• The team engages in group problem-solving when issues arise – rather than being told how to solve the problem, employees generate their own solutions, create action plans, and are held responsible for the success or failure of those plans
• The team organizes family involvement events and celebrations
• The team identifies and executes a fundraiser
• The team shares responsibility for lobby displays and decorations
• The team determines how to meet quality improvement initiatives or accreditation standards
• The team plans their own professional development event

In each of these cases, different members of the team take on different responsibilities depending on their interests and strengths. Accountability is spread across multiple people rather than falling on the shoulders of just one person. The director’s role becomes one of a guide to help people with tasks along the way, instead of the person responsible for all of the tasks. It is also important that directors recognize successes and support staff through challenges or mistakes – treating them as opportunities to learn and build new skills.

For the main article Collective Leadership, CLICK HERE

For the article Benefits of Collective Leadership, CLICK HERE

For the article Collective Leadership with Children, CLICK HERE

For the article Collective Leadership with Families, CLICK HERE