As much progress as we’re making in so many ways as a populace and a planet, there are still some outdated assumptions that underlie any culture and shape a society’s mindset. Here in our country, it seems to be an accepted notion that helping professionals — all those therapists, counselors, teachers, health practitioners, social workers, social services personnel, and more out there — make the world a better place, but businesspeople run the world.
Although it’s indisputable that all the varying types of care workers and caregivers among us make an invaluable difference in the countless lives they touch and enrich our society beyond measure, I don’t buy — not for a second — that if you’re someone dedicated to doing good for your community, you can’t also be someone who does well in a top-tier management role and, in the process, does well for yourself professionally.
On the contrary, helpers are uncommonly well suited to lead organizations, equipped with specific training and a distinct set of skills and proclivities that apply wonderfully to positions of leadership. And when it comes to educators in particular, this holds doubly true. Why? Because at core, leadership is about motivating and inspiring others to their best performance. Not only is that what teachers do every day, all day. It’s what they do arguably better than any other group of professionals in the U.S. labor force.
An Untapped Pool of Leadership Talent
When contemplating who to hire for a high-level leadership position in a service-based organization, the inclination is to seek candidates with business backgrounds and degrees, like MBAs, finance and economics majors, operations specialists. But when hiring committees just assume that these sectors produce individuals preferable for managerial oversight, they’re ignoring the vast pool of incredibly capable and dedicated professionals from the helping fields who possess deep industry knowledge, organizational savvy, and exceptional people skills. Some of these professionals, in fact, are likely right under their noses, already on their team.
Take school districts, universities, training facilities, health care networks, charitable foundations, and state- or federal-level agencies, for example. Instead of thinking teachers belong in a classroom and hiring outside businesspeople for the boardroom, the powers that be would do well to view educators as extremely worthy of consideration to run departments, divisions, even whole companies for a multitude of reasons — all of which can enhance company culture, improve company morale, and increase company profits.
Let’s take a look at some of the areas in which educators excel, above and beyond the traditional profile of a “business leader”:
● A built-in servant leader’s mentality. Educators are hardwired to serve — it’s just in their DNA to put people first and guide them toward positive targeted outcomes. Servant leaders are intrinsically empathetic, persuasive, and collaborative. They’re adept communicators, highly attuned to the environments in which they interact, and committed to integrity. They’re internally guided by an egalitarian worldview founded on justness and fairness. These are characteristics of uplifting leaders.
● Firsthand experience balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders. Any type of educator anywhere will tell you that teaching is a juggling act that requires attending to the needs and fulfilling the expectations of students, parents, colleagues, supervisors, and regulatory requirements. All at the same time. With time limits in place. That’s what a business leader does, appealing to numerous cohorts, simultaneously responsible for achieving team directives, company benchmarks, budgetary metrics, and organizational goals.
● Thoughtful and informed decision-making in high-stress situations. Can you think of a more stressful atmosphere than a kindergarten classroom amid a birthday party (with cake)? Over time, teachers develop remarkable patience, mindfulness, and level-headedness; they customarily have a calming presence and discerning judgment. These are extremely advantageous assets when making important business decisions during times of tension.
● Expertise in defusing crises and formulating plans. Is there really much difference between refereeing a playground fight and mediating a workplace conflict? Between drafting an annual business plan and designing a year-long curriculum? Educators are not only long-term thinkers accustomed to step-by-step procedures that yield larger objectives, but their profession has exposed them to far more crisis situations than most, and in the process, they’ve learned how to deescalate them.
● Active listening mastery. A huge part of being a successful leader is really hearing the concerns of the people you work with and comprehending where they’re coming from. Helpers are trained to become active listeners with the people they serve, and perhaps no helpers practice this more skillfully than educators, as they have meaningful conversations and exchanges with their students that result in mutual understanding and authentic connection.
● Deep perception and insight into human behavior. Academic knowledge and a head for business will never get in the way of a leader’s progress. But having emotional intelligence will pave that path with so much more power, vision, and wisdom. Teachers are innately emotionally intelligent — they wouldn’t have gone into the field of education if they weren’t natural coaches imbued with adaptability and resiliency who are fueled by galvanizing others, an ambition made all the more potent by their above-average self-awareness. All of these EI attributes will serve them well in leadership roles.
● A solution-focused management approach that prioritizes the good of the many. The majority of educators teach class sizes, not one pupil at a time. As such, they’ve cultivated the aptitude to engage groups, consider diverse viewpoints, and reach people of all different ability levels, from all walks of life. As stewards of the greater good, they treat people with respect, incorporate differing perspectives into their thought processes, and have the foresight to see the bigger picture — all necessary qualities that qualify leaders.
● A level of warmth and compassion too often missing from today’s workplaces. Fundamentally, leaders lead real-life people, not inanimate entities and corporations. To lead people well, they need to feel welcomed, appreciated, supported, valued. Educators understand the importance of displaying kindness, benevolence, and sympathy in guiding individuals to their best selves. So many memorable leaders credit their teachers and mentors for shaping them. And that in itself is leadership.
Closing Thoughts
Look, I’m not saying that an educator is the perfect fit as CEO of a plant that manufactures plumbing parts. But I am saying that for organizations and companies that are service-oriented, educators have immense potential as truly effective, impactful leaders on the basis of both their formal education and their on-the-job training. They are already outward-directed as opposed to self-serving. They are already committed to an admirable mission and a worthy cause. And they are already intimately familiar with the services provided by helping organizations and the populations to whom they’re being provided.
You can read more about why educators have uncommon leadership potential and how they can apply it to pursue their career aspirations in my book, “Doing Good & Doing Well.” For now, I just want to give a shout-out to all my fellow education specialists and scream from the rooftops that you have the leadership acumen you need to go as far and climb as high as you want. As a champion of the amazing capacities of helping professionals, I believe in you. Everyone you’ve ever taught or mentored believes in you. Now it’s time for you to believe in yourself.
About the author
Michael L. Kaufman, MSW, PhD, is the author of "Doing Good & Doing Well: Inspiring Helping Professionals to Become Leaders in Their Organizations" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023). With the heart of a helping professional and the head of a business executive, he rose from being an in-the-field social worker to the CEO of one of the largest private education companies in the country. He currently runs the special education management and consulting company he founded, dedicated to effecting positive societal change and improving the future prospects of K–12+ students with exceptional needs.
