Sustainable Leadership

In Sustainable Leadership, Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink address one of the most important and often neglected aspects of leadership: sustainability. The authors set out a compelling and original framework of seven principles for sustainable leadership characterized by Depth of learning and real achievement rather than superficially tested performance; Length of impact over the long haul, beyond individual leaders, through effectively managed succession; Breadth of influence, where leadership becomes a distributed responsibility; Justice in ensuring that leadership actions do no harm to and actively benefit students in other schools; Diversity that replaces standardization and alignment with diversity and cohesion; Resourcefulness that conserves and renews leaders' energy and doesn't burn them out; and Conservation that builds on the best of the past to create an even better future.

This book is a volume in the Jossey-Bass Leadership Library in Education—a series designed to meet the demand for new ideas and insights about leadership in schools.

Acknowledgments ix

The Authors xi

Introduction Sustainability and Unsustainability 1
The Choices for Change

Principle 1 Depth 23
Learning and Integrity

Principle 2 Length 55
Endurance and Succession

Principle 3 Breadth 95
Distribution, Not Delegation

Principle 4 Justice 141
Others and Ourselves

Principle 5 Diversity 159
Complexity and Cohesion

Principle 6 Resourcefulness 191
Restraint and Renewal

Principle 7 Conservation 225
History and Legacy

Conclusion Sustainability in Action 251
A Meal, Not a Menu

Research Sources 275

Notes 277

Index 319

“highly recommended” (Times Educational Supplement, 6th January 2006)

"...a must read for educational leaders and for scholars of educational change..." (Journal of Educational Change, June 2006)

ANDY HARGREAVES is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. He is the author of numerous books including Learning to Change from Jossey-Bass.

DEAN FINK is an independent consultant with experience in more than thirty countries. A former teacher, principal, and superintendent, he is the author or coauthor of five books on leadership and educational change.

SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP

In Sustainable Leadership, Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink address one of the most important and often neglected aspects of leadership: sustainability. The authors set out a compelling and original framework of seven principles for sustainable leadership characterized by Depth of learning and real achievement rather than superficially tested performance; Length of impact over the long haul, beyond individual leaders, through effectively managed succession; Breadth of influence, where leadership becomes a distributed responsibility; Justice in ensuring that leadership actions do no harm to and actively benefit students in other schools; Diversity that replaces standardization and alignment with diversity and cohesion; Resourcefulness that conserves and renews leaders' energy and doesn't burn them out; and Conservation that builds on the best of the past to create an even better future.

This book is a volume in the Jossey-Bass Leadership Library in Education—a series designed to meet the demand for new ideas and insights about leadership in schools.

"What a pleasure it is to read a book that discusses education and schooling within the context of the natural and human environment that shapes them. In straightforward language, the authors teach us how to sustain educational renewal without sidestepping a powerful truth: things left ill- or unattended deteriorate."
—John I. Goodlad, president, Institute for Educational Inquiry, Seattle, Washington

"This book makes a deep impression because it is both timely and powerful. Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink write with clarity and passion about the need not only to develop leadership but to make it sustainable. This is leadership for the long term not just the immediate, for all schools not just for some."
—Steve Munby, executive director, UK National College for School Leadership

"What a pleasure it is to read a book that discusses education and schooling within the context of the natural and human environment that shapes them. In straightforward language, the authors teach us how to sustain educational renewal without sidestepping a powerful truth: things left ill- or unattended deteriorate."
—John I. Goodlad, president, Institute for Educational Inquiry, Seattle, Washington

"This book makes a deep impression because it is both timely and powerful. Andy Hargreaves and Dean Fink write with clarity and passion about the need not only to develop leadership but to make it sustainable. This is leadership for the long term not just the immediate, for all schools not just for some."
—Steve Munby, executive director, UK National College for School Leadership