Identifying Leaders:

Collaborative Leadership

The leader cannot do the job alone but must seek the involvement of others in the leadership dynamic. Leaders are only leaders if there are followers, more appropriately called collaborators or partners in the collaborative leadership dynamic because collaborative leadership views leaders and partners as equals. Therefore, leadership resides not in the effort of one person alone but in the collective effort of the leadership dynamic to sustain a movement for change in the face of strong resistance.

Collaborative leadership is a multi-dimensional model, meaning that leaders can start at any place in an organizational structure to do leadership, top middle or bottom. In fact, leadership can be done by people not in the formal organizational structure but who are competent in their ability to foster the growth of a dynamic of people working toward a mutual purpose.

As with democracy, leadership belongs to those who “show up”, get involved and take on the struggle to make school environments safe. The point is simple! The job resides with you, the reader of this tutorial, if you so choose to take on the responsibility of leadership.

	America needs you and the children need you!

It is our goal to provide you with guides, tools and information to help you achieve the mission of creating a safe school environment. We hope you choose to take up the challenge to make school environments safe.

Children all over America need your involvement now, to establish and maintain safe schools where every child can learn and develop.