For some years now, I have called this Newsletter 'The Link' - a part of the KeyLinks company. It was a recent visit in Calgary with Stewart Homer, a Victoria principal that I decided to change the name. Stewart and I had met at a conference in Victoria some years ago. Seeing him in Calgary was a surprise and a pleasure. It reminded me that there are only 6 degrees of separation - and we never know when the gap will close and we find ourselves with colleagues and friends. Making connections between people and ideas is the key to the work I do - and the way I live.

Partnerships are a global phenomenon in education and in business. Dr. Sam Mitchell of the University of Calgary is editing a collection of articles and comments on how these partnerships are working. Dr. John Burger, Alberta Learning, and I are co-editors. The articles approved so far give insight into the rich and varied contacts between educational institutions. We want to expand the number of articles and I am enclosing the second call for papers with this Newsletter. We are also asking for commentators for each of the articles. I hope we hear from you!

It is interesting to look at the research and writings on leadership since the 1950’s. Different assumptions, research philosophies, and definitions of leadership inform the changing models of leadership. Aspects of behavioural research dominated the first wave of writing. The basic assumption was that if you understood the traits of leaders, then you could identify what makes leaders effective. Very little attention was paid to organizational culture, intentionality, etc. Leaders completed surveys and were fitted into categories. Categories such as promoters, controllers, etc. are among the terms used.

It was Hersey and Blanchard’s ‘Situational Leadership’ that acknowledged a wider context. First they affirmed that leadership style could – and should - change, depending upon what the ‘followers’ needed and secondly, that the situation also influenced how leaders react. This was a major breakthrough. They even went so far as to say that as individuals advance through the levels of a hierarchy, they experience fear, loss of confidence etc., and need to be nurtured.

‘In Search of Excellence’ was one of the next marker events. Peters and Waterman challenged audiences to think of leadership as a quest for excellence. The roles of leaders included mentoring and coaching as well as strategic planning and change. One of the researchers on their team was Alan Kennedy. His interest in anthropology and culture played a major role in ‘Corporate Culture’, which he co-authored with Terrence Deal. Together, they drew out similarities between culture as an anthropologist would define it, and the way that organizations create cultures.

Motivated by a similar perspective, Edgar Schein wrote on founders and their assumptions and how they built an organization. Indeed he said that leadership was embedding culture. These writings marked a significant move away from theories based on the traits of leaders. As a part of this changing perspective on leading, Bennis’ research showed that leaders fulfill four primary competencies: management of attention, of meaning, of trust, and of self. This is a long way from trait theory! Latterly with the work of Peter Senge and others, there is growing interest in how we know and ‘manage’ ourselves, our learning, and the learning of others.

This is a cursory look at leadership trends but it leads us to consider another understanding of leadership, namely that it cannot be done alone. This view of leadership draws strongly on the concepts of learning – it is done in community. It involves failure, which cannot be hidden from others. Failure tends to be a public event – something to be feared. Thus leadership is necessarily about fear, courage, and persistence.

When we listen to the talk on leadership and learning we see the paradox in which we all live. We still want leaders to know, to lead, and to be certain. And yet, if the ‘CEO’ does not have all the answers, then it is reasonable to assume that working with others will develop and provide the best possible leadership. Furthermore, sharing leadership develops a culture that seeks out diversity and thrives on working collaboratively.

Slowly but surely leaders are turning toward new ways of leading, new skills, and an inward gaze on the self as keys to ‘doing leadership differently’ (Sinclair 1998). She argues that we must rethink leadership and claim and shape it for ourselves. To close, it is Parker J. Palmer (1997) who says that…[leadership] like any truly human activity emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse”.

The purpose of this collection is to explore relationships between educational organizations and diverse initiatives and institutions.

The following chapters are accepted. Authors will reply to commentators:

• The Case of the Council on International Educational Exchange - Liudmila Mikhailova
• Teacher Education and Cross-Cultural Learning - Alan Wheeler and Sadruddin Parhan
• Stages in the Development of Partnerships Among Health Care Professionals - Walid El Ansari
• A Private Company Causes Problems for University Technological Training - Rick Ginsberg, Tim Davies, and Don Quick
• Evaluating Partnerships: International Corporations - Sheila Carruthers

• Scientific partnerships
• Museums and schools
• Rural Partnerships
• Technology and globalization
• Role of foundations
• Family readiness
• Professional openness
• Fine arts and festivals

An evaluation matrix is available to all others which includes questions, such as citing reputable research, relating to core objectives, moral concerns, currency of issues, engaging readers, and the relative weight to be given to each indicator. Chapters should be between 25 and 35 pages. APA style is required and because of the diversity among computers, no set program for paragraphing, indenting, bulleting or tables should be used.

This book is a follow-up to Effective Partnerships: Experts, Advocates, and Scouts (Praeger, 2001) edited by Samuel Mitchell. The current book is edited by Patricia Klinck, President, KeyLinks International Consulting; John Burger, Alberta Learning; and Samuel Mitchell, Professor and Coordinator, Graduate Division of Education, University of Calgary.

A paragraph explanation of reasons for commentating on a chapter is suggested. Two page descriptions for a chapter are required. Replies by commentators and authors are expected by April 30, 2002. Papers are to be completed by September 1, 2002 and publication is anticipated one year later.

Please forward all replies to Samuel Mitchell (smitchel@ucalgary.ca) or Fax: 403-282-3005 or Patricia Klinck (p_klinck@hotmail.com). Written material can be sent to Samuel Mitchell, Graduate Division of Educational Research, Faculty of Education, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr N.W., Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4.