Why Leadership Matters: Belling the Cat!

Photo adapted from americanliterature.com

When I think of leadership, I often recall the Aesop fable, “Belling the Cat”.

In this fable, the mice living throughout the house called a meeting to discuss their greatest health and wellbeing concern. Their most significant challenge as a group came to be purging themselves of the horror awakened by the cat who also resided inside the house.

You see, the mice were terrified to roam their home freely because they feared being captured and eaten by the cat. The mice met to discuss the fate of their future. Many plans were debated, but none of them were deemed good enough to save them from the treacherous cat. Finally, one mouse announced she had a plan she KNEW could be successful.

“All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

This was such a good plan. In fact, all of the other mice were surprised they had not thought of this brilliant idea before. The mice begin rejoicing and celebrating until one brave mouse chimed in the conversation. "I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?"

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When I think of leadership, I find myself asking the same question: But who will bell the Cat? Who will take the lead? The great state of Ohio has no lack of potential in leadership. Ohio boasts of some of the best colleges and universities and has some of the fastest-growing cities with young and diverse city-centered leadership. The state has avid education advocates rooting for access to high-quality learning opportunities for children and school improvement plans galore! But, what does that mean for actual implementation? Who will be the leaders to initiate a positive, sustainable impact on the academic achievement of their students? How will those leaders get the support they need to implement good plans? Who will bell the cat?

Let us help you! Leadership is hard and can often feel lonely. We’ve created a small network of education leaders spanning from classroom to boardroom leadership to help you bear the load and make progress on your most significant challenges. Join us as a Legacy Leadership Fellow.

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