A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The Role of Leadership in Sustaining School Reform: Voices From the Field - July 1996

Chapter 3
Stories of Sustaining Leadership

Explaining the role of stories in professional education, Kathy Carter (1993, p. 6) wrote that ". . . story is a mode of knowing that captures in a special fashion the richness and the nuances of meaning in human affairs. . . This richness and nuance cannot be expressed in definitions, statements of fact, or abstract proposition. It can only be demonstrated or evoked through story. "She cites Martin's (1986, p. 7) text on narrative, which characterizes the story as a kind of "explanation necessary for life."

In her review of the literature about story telling and its potential contribution to professional development, Carter makes two points relevant to the experience of story telling in the leadership forums. First, stories string together collections of facts and events with a purpose and audience in mind. Their power lies more in making and communicating meaning than in portraying an object or occurrence in every detail. Second, to use Martin's words, "Narratives, no matter how peppered with generalizations, always provide more information or food for thought than they have digested" (1986, p. 187). The storytellers in this project have probably not themselves finished learning from their stories--nor, indeed, from their experiences--and the listeners and readers of this collection may find new lessons undreamed of by the authors. Stories, in their nature, capture the complexity of life in ways that defy singular interpretations.

In the invitations to most forums, we asked participants to bring with them a story about their experience that illustrated some aspect of sustaining leadership. During the forum, they had a period of 15 to 30 minutes to write down their example (if they hadn't already), followed by a longer period to share stories and consider their implications. This activity generated spirited discussion and clarified for many the interplay between what they see as the most important dimensions of leadership and the particular situation that frames their daily work. As the stories that follow demonstrate, how they made sense of their circumstances and what they construed as sustaining leadership behavior depended to some degree on a combination of the context, the collective goal, and individual resources. Their tales do not aim to tell others exactly how to act or what constitutes a "right" answer; instead, they show how these outstanding leaders use what Carter (1993) calls "well-remembered events" to extract lessons from challenging experiences governed by particular priorities and values.


-###-

[Chapter 2 References] [Table of Contents] [Stories of Partnership and Voice]