Implementing change as a leader is often a difficult task because I know people may not always buy into it, especially if they do not see how, it benefits them. However, I recognize that it is vital for me to understand my audience and clearly communicate the goal, showing how it benefits both of them and the organization. I believe the first step is to understand the hearts and emotions of the people who will be responsible for carrying out the change. Why is it important for me to understand emotions? Neubert (2023) suggests that leading with heart builds trust and fosters genuine connection with a team, showing them that I’m not just a boss but someone who understands their challenges, aspirations, and feelings. For me, being a self-differentiated leader means empathizing with emotions while guiding others through change.

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Why?

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Before I can become a self-differentiated leader, I need to understand what is my why.  The why is because I believe all students need to been and represented in their curriculum to make real-world connections. What is the purpose and the goal for the innovation implementation plan?

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Emotional Intelligence & Resilience:

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Becoming a self-differentiated leader means staying calm under pressure, managing emotions, and focusing on priorities. What this means to me is to have the ability and understanding to separate emotions from professional responsibilities and keep attention on what matters most, such as increasing the diversity of demographics in student’s curriculum. By building emotional resilience, trust can be built within the team which can in turn ensure that topics and conversations remain focused and effective.  

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Vision:

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Leaders must know and understand what the vision is for themselves and for the team. Once they understand the vision then it should be easy to convey and explain the vision with the end goal.  I believe if the stakeholders can feel the passion and understanding from the leader then they will possibly have more buy-in. For example, if I was under leadership where they voiced that they were not interested in a certain change then as a stakeholder I would not care what the leader would have to say.

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People Engagement:

Ultimately it takes a team collaboration to effectively implement change. Ensuring that everyone is heard and respected builds trust and community which will encourage collaboration to get to the end goal.