The document discusses exploring strengths as a new academy leader. It emphasizes that the leader's role is to motivate and collaborate with the principal and crew to gel the career academy into a cohesive community. The leader should think of a past leadership success, what made it successful, and characteristics of effective leadership. The leader is then prompted to set a leadership goal for the semester and identify an ally to discuss progress.

2. EXPLORING YOUR STRENGTHS
AS A NEW ACADEMY LEADER
SUSAN KATZMAN
PAST-PRESIDENT
NATIONAL CAREER ACADEMY COALITION
(314) 640-1639
susan314@charter.net
(over 40 years experience in education, career academies,
business collaboration, CTE and management)

3. #nafnext
THE FACT THAT THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP CAN CLEARLY SEE THE
PORT IS OF NO USE IF THE CREW CONTINUES TO PADDLE IN
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. –Author anonymous
Your role is to be the interpreter and the motivator
between the captain and the crew. Your principal is the
captain. While that individual is the key leader,
collaborative leadership has to happen. You provide the
leadership for your career academy. How your team gels
as a cohesive, nurturing, professional community depends
very much on your skills and abilities.

4. #nafnext
LET’S LOOK AT LEADERSHIP
 Think about a time in your life when you had a
leadership success—when something happened that
never would have occurred without your leadership. It
can be in high school or college, at work or on an
athletic team, in a community or church or
neighborhood group.
 Think about what made the leadership successful.
Why were you proud of yourself as a leader?
 What are the characteristics of effective leadership?

5. #nafnext
The definitions of “leadership” generally state that
leaders are people who motivate one or more other
people to do a specific thing. This involves teaching
those other people to see the desirability of reaching
that specific goal and helping them get there. It may
involve helping them change a mindset.
Set one leadership goal for yourself for first semester
2013-14.
Identify an ally. Commit to communicating with your
ally by September 15 to discuss how your leadership goal
is progressing.