A Message from our Department Host

Dr. Nicholas J. Pace
Department Host & Professor of Educational Leadership

Several months ago, I felt incredibly fortunate to be selected to participate in the Provost's Leadership Academy at UNI. The group brought together an amazing group of faculty and staff from across the University to engage in a process of reflecting on the meaning and purpose of their work and build capacity to make differences in the lives of others.

We've met as a large group a couple times, in addition to some smaller group activities that explore issues and ideas on a deeper level. We've read, discussed, and reflected on a wide range of topics, from the leadership art of asking effective questions, to the way bureaucracies can limit growth, to effective mentoring and the role of higher education in an increasingly diverse, complex world. We've explored authenticity, power, time, and life balance. I'm beyond impressed by the talent and passion in the group.

We recently read an article published by Margaret J. Wheatley entitled Leadership in the Age of Complexity: From Hero to Host. The piece appears on her website and was also published in the Winter 2011 issue of Resurgence Magazine.

Wheatley asks why we’re drawn to heroes. She says we believe heroes have the answers and know what to do. She notes that people often like to be told what to do and that it can be easier to submit to the will of a heroic leader than stepping forward ourselves. When we step forward into the arena, we own both the potential for failure and the vulnerability that comes with it.

She further argues that in our complex world, it’s fantasy to expect heroic leaders to grab ahold of our complex and interconnected problems and do much with them. Because the answers are almost never simple, well-intentioned leaders often wind up generating even more chaos. Sometimes that comes from a lack of buy-in from those impacted by the heroes' attempt to solve problems. Wheatley argues for shifting the view of the leader from hero to host, and it’s squarely in line with one of our program’s core values--Leader of Service.

Her description of the hero was not unfamiliar. I remember anxiously serving as a young principal, intent on demonstrating that I was up to the myriad tasks that came my way. I was (and am) well acquainted with the Mask of Confidence new leaders put on in new roles. Many times I've asked students how they distinguish between that mask and another--the Mask of Competence, as we assume new roles when the stakes are high.

Wheatley writes, “Many of us can get caught up in acting like heroes, not from power drives, but from our good intentions and desires to help” and offers some quick ways to self-check. I invite you to take a look.

You’re acting as a hero when you believe that if you just work harder, you’ll fix things; that if you just get smarter or learn a new technique, you’ll be able to solve problems for others. You’re acting as a hero if you take on more and more projects and have less time for projects and causes and have less time for relationships. You’re playing the hero if you believe that you can save the situation, the person, the world.

The description fit me perfectly as a young principal. Truth be told, it still applies more than I might like to admit, despite knowing better.

I’ve revisited Wheatley’s test several times recently and am working to apply her wisdom to my current role as department head. As a visual reminder, I asked our graduate assistant to change the name card on my office door from Department Head to Department Host. I hope the change will serve as a symbolic and visual reminder.

If I fall into the hero’s trap, I’m not building capacity in others, I’m stifling it. If I’m so determined to learn new techniques that I fail to nurture relationships, I’m neglecting them. If I arrogantly think I can save the project, person or world…well, I’m just wrong.

I invite you to consider your own situation and practice as it relates to the difference between hero and host.

Perhaps you’ll find the questions useful. In the meantime, keep striving, dreaming and reflecting. That constant process reminds me of guidance from another wise woman, my mom, who likes to invoke the Dutch Proverb, “We are too soon old and too late smart.”

Happy hosting.