Lessons of Leadership

What does it take to drive a big vision of change — at the legislative level, the policy level, or even at the local school level? In a recent Facebook Live interview with Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, former Republican candidate for president, and chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education reflected on his own experiences. He argued that the essential characteristics of effective leadership are similar in government and in education — at all levels.

In a wide-ranging conversation, in which Bush spoke of an urgent need for “dramatic change in how we educate,” he outlined five broad takeaways for leaders in both sectors:

Five Leadership Essentials for Education and Policy 

• You must have a clear vision.
• You must be doggedly determined.
• You have to listen.
• You must have humility.
• You have to stick with it. Once a bill is passed or a reform is enacted, at any level, you must keep fighting to make sure change happens.

Watch the entire interview with Jeb Bush.

Read about Bush's appointment as a visiting fellow in the the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard Kennedy School.

And watch the livestreamed or archived version of a conversation with Jeb Bush, part of the Askwith Forums at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The conversation will take place on Thursday, October 13, 2016, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.