87
Volume:
2019
,
September

A Uniquely Important Skill

Submitted By:
Andrew Bevan, New Canaan Country School, New Canaan, CT

How might approaching business through the lens of a teacher help leaders to create a culture that will thrive in an ever-changing and uncertain future? In their new book, Make Yourself Clear, Reshan Richards and Stephen J. Valentine analyze the ways in which applying teaching and learning practices can benefit leaders in business settings. While written as a guide for those outside the classroom, this book proves to be a meaningful reminder as well to those in the education world: teaching is a uniquely important skill. Richards and Valentine highlight the value of interpersonal communication in a world that is increasingly lacking personal connection. Using strategies essential to the classroom, they highlight the significance of connections rooted in three basic principles: authenticity, immediacy, and delight. Informed by years of classroom experience, this guide is useful to educators as it offers research on, and anecdotal examples of, how to use teacherly practices to improve communication in any setting. Make Yourself Clear celebrates the skillset of all teacher leaders and will give readers a fresh perspective on their roles in and out of the classroom.

Categories
Teaching Practice
Leadership Practice