Leadership in a Learning Organization Reaction Paper

To be modest and be known for personal humility means the person is "never boastful" and acts with "calm determination" (Collins, 142). Those who know the teaching and learning environments can fully appreciate how this personality type would be a good leader in a university, high school or elementary school as well.

The quiet professional leader in a learning setting channels his or her ambition into the school, and is preparing students for their own ability to be leaders. On page 142 Collins offers the "Yin and Yang" of level 5, and the leader in the "Personal Humility" side of this illustration is perfectly willing to take the blame for mistakes and is known for "…shunning public adulation." As for the professional will side of the illustration on page 142, while those characteristics match up for a business leader, they also apply to a person in an educational setting and would be very helpful for a Human Relations department when searching for a leader to hire, either as a teacher or an administrator.

Producing "superb results," never wavering from one's resolve to "…do whatever must be done" to bring about the most helpful results, and giving credit to others when success has been achieved -- these are leadership traits that would have resoundingly positive results in a learning situation as well as in a business environment (Collins, 142).

In conclusion, among the many analogies that Collins uses, the "mirror and window" example is probably the most poignant and appropriate for a learning environment. The leader looks into the mirror and lays blame on himself or herself when something goes wrong; but when there is success, he looks out the window at the others that helped make it a success. This is fully appropriate for a leadership position in a learning environment.

Works Cited

Collins, Jim. (2005). Level 5…