LESSONS LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE

Over 500 selected educational leaders (superintendents, district leaders, principals, assistant principals, and teacher leaders) involved in our various leadership development projects were requested to record, in their own unique ways, leadership lessons that they had learned while carrying out their job responsibilities. As a result, hundreds of statements were analyzed to determine whether a few basic leadership lessons could be logically derived because of the frequency in which they were mentioned and/or the compelling manner in which they were presented. The total number of recordings was initially sorted on the basis of content into 21 different lesson categories. Following additional reviews and analysis, the categories were reduced to the 12 basic categories, along with the corollaries that are presented in this program session. This session will provide facilitated opportunities for participants to learn from their own experiences and from the experiences of others who face similar challenges.