#Leaders can be #heroes, but never #superheros. Being human is what lets us strive for greatness. #edchat #edu #QuoteADay #Day62 #BeHuman
There's a lot we can do. But, we have to be cognizant of the fact that we can't do everything. And that's okay.
We should strive to be heroes for students, parents, and the community, but we have to always remember that we are human. We can't be multiple places at once, nor can we operate at the speed of light. We have limitations and flaws, and that's what makes us real.
Being real is a key characteristic of leaders. Those we work with want to see that we are capable of making mistakes, that we have fears, that we love, and that we may even have aversions to certain things. This "reality check" breaks down barriers and shows that learners and leaders are really one and the same.
This thought popped into my head last evening as I was watching the Oscars. Normally this event always seems very "unhuman" to me in that celebrities and the like are paraded on stage, sit in chairs looking very stoic, and then have tremendously expensive parties afterwards. Even with the wit that comes with a truly great emcee, the event always seemed pretentious and, well, not real.
Last evening two events took place that made me reconsider, and actually smile at, an event I normally read (or "device") through. First, Ellen DeGeneres and the planning staff brought in a few pizza pies. It was a ridiculous event, with possibly a real delivery guy, but watching Martin Scorsese grab a slice while he sat for the awards was actually pretty interesting. I thought of him, and many of the other folks in the audience, calling up their local pizza place from time-to-time and ordering a delivery, just like me. Second, Ellen, with the help of Bradley Cooper, took a great "group selfie" (complete with photo-bombing Kevin Spacey), very similar to the type of group picture we would take with friends and colleagues.
Now, clearly, many of these folks aren't like you and me. But, as these two small moments show, in many ways they are. Being human is really all that's needed to build trust and to build relationships, something that any leader needs to make it through the day.
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