What is Evolutionary Leadership?

Leadership is not a place; it is a process. 

J.Kouzes & B.Posner

A Leader has many roles: Accountant, Data Analyst, Observer, Feedback and Accountability Provider, Planner, Professional Development Specialist, Culture Creator, and Manager of Teams. An effective leader is not the omniscient. Instead, she is a person who is able to see, extract, and grow others' unique contributions to the organization. 

Harvard Professor Rosabeth Ross says, "leadership is the art of mastering change...the ability to mobilize others' efforts in new directions" (D. Kolzow). Whether an organization is a business, non-profit, or otherwise; humans are literally central to the each system. Individual strengths must be awakened and developed for the health and longevity of the entire community. 

As Scientists we observe with awe as the world around us changes.  Rivers I swam in as a child are now dry. The once-rich farmland I roamed is now filled with apartments and businesses. Evolutionary Leadership demands that we, as leaders, evolve alongside our surroundings. I have been in the field of education my entire life. From daycare as a young child to Master of Education 30 years later. From a mother with children in K-12 schools, to an administrator and educator in a variety of school settings. The changes I have experienced in this organization are evidence that there is always something or someone to learn from. 

A leader is able to stoke the natural curiosity and passions within every contributor. We know the "one-size-fits-all" mentality doesn't work for human bodies, let alone human spirits. Additionally,  no one person can hold all of the knowledge or skills for the types of communities we are growing. We must see each person as a valuable asset to the capacity of which they are presently and potentially capable of, and help them work in conjunction with others' skillsets to achieve the best possible outcomes for an organization. 

"Evolutionary leadership has less to do with what you do, and more to do with what you believe in and value." says Lorri Freifeldin her 2013 article titled, Evolutionary Leadership  In my mind, Evolutionary Leadership involves these key actions alongside basic daily operations and fiscal oversight;

• Building relationships with infinitely different personalities and skill sets.
• Providing an encouraging community in which each person is valued for their individual contributions. 
• Maintaining an environment of collaboration, respect, and problem solving through modeling and coaching. 
• Organizing, communicating, and maintaining the direction of all contributors toward the shared vision. 

A leader who can lead diverse groups of people and their skills in different directions and still toward the same end goal requires significant consideration, communication, and drive.  In John Seaman Garns words,  “leaders are just ordinary people with extraordinary determination”(D. Kolzow). To evolve means to develop gradually. Evolutionary leaders continually reflect and develop themselves alongside those they lead.