The leaders of two Oak Cliff schools are finalists for Dallas ISD’s principal of the year award.
Lourdes Garduño
They are Lourdes Garduño of Winnetka Elementary School and Michele Broughton of the School of Business and Management at Townview Center.
Garduño has been principal at Winnetka for 10 years.
Earlier this year the school’s robotics team won a national competition.
Here is how Garduño describes leadership:
The leader doesn’t wear a title as a way to show who’s in charge, doesn’t think she’s better than everyone else, and acts in a way to care for others. She may, in fact, pick up the trash after a carnival or help clean up cafeteria tables, help the Robotics team carry boxes to the bus, open the building at 6 a.m. for the team to pick up their materials, mop when there is a spill, help a teacher set up bulletin boards, and even cook the turkey for the staff’s yearly pot luck. Setting an example of service, the servant leader understands that it is not about the leader, but about others.
Michele Broughton
Broughton has been a Dallas ISD principal for four years.
Here is her take:
A servant leader is one who understands her ethical responsibility to the greater society and is fully aware of the overall concept of growing people. The most prominent difference between a stereotypical leader and a servant leader is the fact that a leader realizes the need for a common goal and the plan to achieve that goal. A servant leader realizes the same viewpoint but is sensitive to how each facet of the plan is implemented, thinks about whether it is for the good of the order, and ultimately utilizes the gifts of each individual to achieve a positive outcome for all. One of the servant leader’s greatest charges is to skillfully match talent to purpose and then motivate a team of people to become change agents together.
