The Wounded Leader: How Real Leadership Emerges in Times of Crisis - Hardcover

by Richard H. Ackerman (Author), Pat Maslin-Ostrowski (Author)

As any school principal or adminstrator can tell you, theresponsibilities of school leadership can take a person frominspired moments to crisis in an instant. How does a school leaderwith good intentions preserve a healthy sense of self in the faceof a crisis which in the best of times challenges the self, and inthe worst of times can lead to deep wounds of the heart? How cangood leaders minimize the impact of these crises and remain open tolearn and grow from these difficult experiences? These are thequestions at the heart of the stories contained in The WoundedLeader.

Through compelling stories that illustrate many of the commondilemmas faced by school leaders, the authors highlight the manypaths to healing, and show how sometimes the most painfulexperience can be an opportunity for growth.

"All leaders incur wounds. The Wounded Leader enables us tounderstand our wounds, learn from them....and begin to heal." -Roland Barth, Founder of Harvard Principals' Center

"Not only is the book full of fresh ideas and new insights but itis a fun read. It is not the usual leadership book that reads muchlike the other leadership books but stands out as an originalcontribution...easily presented and scholarly without beingpretentious." - Thomas J. Sergiovanni, Center for EducationalLeadership at Trinity College, San Antonio, Texas

Front Jacket

As any school principal or administrator can testify, the responsibilities of school leadership can take a leader from an inspired moment to crisis in an instant. How does a school leader with good intentions preserve a healthy sense of self in the face of a crisis that in the best of times challenges the self and in the worst of times leads to deep wounds of the heart? How can good leaders minimize the impact of these crises and remain open to learning and growing through difficult experiences?
These are the questions at the heart of the stories in The Wounded Leader. In these stories, leaders struggle to make sense of their wounding experiences. We meet a principal who felt undermined by a contentious staff, another whose early mistakes ignited rumors and discontent, a leader who felt shunned when she took a position at a failing school, and a superintendent at odds with the school board.
No one is immune to these kinds of wounds. They are an unwelcome but inescapable aspect of our lives. Yet the authors show how a leader may experience an epiphany when he or she realizes the paradox of wounding: we spend our lives avoiding and rejecting our vulnerability, only to find our true selves by working through that pain. The wound becomes the gateway to healing. This ultimately optimistic book is must reading for all who are or who aspire to be school leaders.

Back Jacket

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the best leaders have often been tested and refined by the fire of crisis. School leaders, who must lead in a highly charged political environment and juggle the demands of an often polarized community, are especially vulnerable, in danger of becoming walking wounded. How a leader responds to the wounds that come from professional disaster or from a personal or spiritual crisis often defines that person's leadership.

The Wounded Leader helps school leaders understand the experience of being wounded and the process of recovery so they can emerge from the crisis stronger and wiser. Through compelling stories that illustrate many of the common dilemmas faced by school leaders, the authors highlight the many paths to healing and show how even the most painful experience can be an opportunity for growth.

Author Biography

Richard H. Ackerman is codirector of the International Network ofPrincipals' Centers and professor of education at the University ofMassachusetts Lowell.

Pat Maslin-Ostrowski is associate professor of educationalleadership at Florida Atlantic University.