Sustainable Leadership

Hargreaves and Fink take a deep look at school leadership. Charismatic leaders are not the answer. Building trust, focusing on learning, and developing distributed leadership at the site level are the elements presented which last. I was particularly pleased to see the issue of succession planning for leaders addressed.

Sustainable Leadership Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink are two highly credible authors and researchers of school leadership. "Sustainable Leadership" is an inspirational book that will add to their credibility among the school leaders who want practical and informed discussion about the day-to-day issues affecting schools. The concept of sustainable leadership in schools is topical because of the loss of the baby-boomer generation holding formal leadership positions and the failure to grow new leaders. The authors have proposed seven principles for sustainable leadership: 1. Depth 2. Length 3. Breadth 4. Justice 5. Diversity 6. Resourcefulness 7. Sustainability in Action. The principles were adapted from the research into ethical, sustainable companies. The structure of sustainable leadership provides a great vehicle to discuss contemporary educational change and leadership. As I read the book my pen was working over-time, marking points of agreement and fantastic quotes. This book is a great read in its own right, but it contains some of the best professional learning that school leaders could have. Neil MacNeill