Capacity+to+Support+Innovation

What might have happened if Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile hadn't supported Columbus' innovative plan to sail West instead of East to reach Asia?
Much of the transformational leader involves story telling and the conscious us of metaphors (page 267). Leading transformational change is hard and demanding work (page 267). Transformation is threatening (page 266).

"Everything can look like failure in the middle" (Page 231).
It takes a great deal of courage and commitment for those who are associated with the change to ride through these rough spots. Such commitments are more likely to happen when the change has been introduced by leaders who know how to involve others in decisions, are strong enough to absorb failure on behalf of others, and are strong enough to give away success to others. Without such leaders, system change will not occur (Page 231).

Unless and until school [divisions] and schools develop the capacity to maintain direction and focus on the future, efforts to pursue a strategic course will yield little more than strategic "plans" that are abandoned almost before the print is dry or are discarded as soon as a new board, superintendent, or principal is appointed (Page 254).

"Rather than fight electronic networking, educators need to learn how to exploit these innovations for positive educational ends" (Page 18).


We need twenty-first-century schools if we are to provide an education for citizens of the twenty-first century. Schools based on structures created in the nineteenth century will not do what needs to be done. Schools need to be transformed into organizations capable of engaging the hearts as well as the minds of students (page 288).

Proceed as a learning leader rather than an expert leader (Page 237).
Like those they are leading, they will often be on the cutting edge of ignorance rather than on the cutting edge of knowledge, and they need to learn to be comfortable with this condition (Page 237).