When the world says it’s hopeless—a leader dives in! When roadblocks and obstacles are at every turn—a leader steps up. Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman is such a leader.
In her talk at The Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition on February 24, 2022, Principal Linda shared insight that helped us listen for the pivot, discern clues to form strong leadership teams, and discover ways to navigate emotions when situations are volatile. She helped leaders find the conviction to ignite their team with the hope it needs to thrive.
Enjoy these official notes from Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s session on Unconventional Leadership.
Context: Strawberry Mansion High School
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- Excessive number of arrests
- Crimes against staff and students
- Crimes using guns, knives, and other weapons
- It was a merger of three different high schools
- Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman was chosen to be its 4th principal in four years
Unconventional Leadership
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- It’s unusual, unfamiliar, uncommon, and even bizarre.
- Being an unconventional leader has allowed me to achieve what others said was impossible.
- Principal Linda was tasked with finding a leader for the high school.
- She conducted a nationwide search and did not get one applicant.
- One principal out of 52 were thought to be able to run the school. She declined.
- Linda realized she was meant to be the leader and resigned as assistant superintendent to become the principal.
Establishing Rules and Consequences
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- Students were walking around believing they could do whatever they wanted to do.
- They asked students why they saw all the violence and thought it was funny.
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- It exists in their everyday life on the streets.
- The children were in a deep cycle of hopelessness.
- They had to restore hope in children that had lost all hope. Over five years:
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- They gained their respect and loved them every day.
- The school was removed from the persistently dangerous list.
Linda’s voice is needed.
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- Linda goes on a retreat, and asks herself, why did I have to leave my children?
- The voice came back and gave her the answer she needed, “I need your voice. My children are suffering, and I need your voice.”
- There are children suffering and we have to do something about that.
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- We need to give them hope.
- We have to show them love. If we do that, we will find success.
- Hope and love are wrapped up in unconventional leadership.
7 Principles of Unconventional Leadership
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- A step down may be an opportunity to step up.
- Understand the importance of securing unanticipated experts for support.
- Trust your instincts and don’t allow fear to cloud your judgement or course of action.
- Disregard the obvious.
- Honor timing. There is always a time and a season.
- Listen very closely to the voice of God and then heed his direction.
- Every single day remember it is a privilege to be chosen to lead and serve. With that understanding, use love as your motivator and Jesus as your source.
John F. Kennedy Speech at Rice University
He tried to convince the nation to support the space program. “We choose to go to the moon, not because it will be easy, but because it will be hard. That is the challenge we are willing to accept and not postpone.”
The Challenge
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- Choose unconventional leadership.
- Be willing to accept the challenge.
If you accept that challenge, your businesses will thrive, you will find peace in your work, and you will design a post-pandemic world the way that God designed it to be. We will all live together in peace.
Global Leadership Network
GLN Staff Writer | globalleadership.orgPrincipal Linda Cliatt-Wayman
CEO, Principal Wayman Consulting; Founder of CurrentlyTrending; AuthorGLS22 Special Edition Notes—Unconventional Leadership
Published February 24, 2022TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Change ManagementCollaborationCultureEducationEmotional IntelligenceExecutionLeading OrganizationsNorth AmericaPeople OperationsRelational IntelligenceServant LeadershipStrategyVisionWhen the world says it’s hopeless—a leader dives in! When roadblocks and obstacles are at every turn—a leader steps up. Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman is such a leader.
In her talk at The Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition on February 24, 2022, Principal Linda shared insight that helped us listen for the pivot, discern clues to form strong leadership teams, and discover ways to navigate emotions when situations are volatile. She helped leaders find the conviction to ignite their team with the hope it needs to thrive.
Enjoy these official notes from Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s session on Unconventional Leadership.
Context: Strawberry Mansion High School
Unconventional Leadership
Establishing Rules and Consequences
Linda’s voice is needed.
7 Principles of Unconventional Leadership
John F. Kennedy Speech at Rice University
He tried to convince the nation to support the space program. “We choose to go to the moon, not because it will be easy, but because it will be hard. That is the challenge we are willing to accept and not postpone.”
The Challenge
If you accept that challenge, your businesses will thrive, you will find peace in your work, and you will design a post-pandemic world the way that God designed it to be. We will all live together in peace.
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About the Author
Global Leadership Network
GLN Staff Writer
The Global Leadership Network is a community committed to learning from each other and using our influence to accomplish God’s purposes on earth. No matter where your influence is, when you commit to grow your leadership, everyone around you wins—businesses work for good, communities are transformed and churches thrive! Both global and diverse, our network includes partners in 1,400+ cities and 135+ countries. We are committed to deliver fresh, actionable and inspiring leadership content both at The Global Leadership Summit, and year-round through our digital platforms.
Principal Linda Cliatt-Wayman
CEO, Principal Wayman Consulting; Founder of CurrentlyTrending; Author
Principal Wayman’s career demonstrates how leadership with love can make lasting change, even in the toughest turnaround situations. A passionate education advocate with an unwavering belief in the potential of all children, Principal Wayman is CEO of Principal Wayman Consulting and founder and leader of CurrentlyTrending, a nonprofit that helps students escape poverty by providing them with direct coaching, resources and support to graduate high school and lead a life of purpose. Her highly acclaimed accomplishments as “the turnaround principal” of Strawberry Mansion High School in North Philadelphia drew Diane Sawyer and her team to spend an entire school year documenting Principal Wayman’s efforts, which were featured on both ABC World News Tonight and Nightline. Her 2015 TED Talk has been viewed over two million times and been transcribed in 31 different languages. Highlighting the intersection of strong visionary and strategic thinking with on-the-ground, day-to-day implementation, Linda tells the stories of real students and educators to show how clear principles and strong guidance can turn around your organization and the teams you serve. Principal Wayman’s book, Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard: Finding Your Purpose and Putting it To Work, shares steadfast leadership lessons that can overcome almost anything.