Teaching and Leading
This topic had something to do with leadership, flying planes, and teaching. To start, I am not sponsored in any way by Tom Cruise, but I loved Top Gun: Maverick. Today’s entry will have a little bit of spoiler in it; please be warned.
The premise of the 2022 Top Gun movie was that Cruise’s character, Maverick, is called back to the navy to teach pilots to complete a dangerous mission. In the film, we learn that the navy had a plan prepared, but Maverick didn’t want to teach the students that plan as he felt that the plan was risky and may have the pilots killed. He later devised a new plan, which was more challenging in flying but safer in theory. The students felt that Maverick’s plan was impossible. Even the Navy superiors thought so too. After being sacked, Maverick’s plan to convince the Navy was to show that his plan was possible. He fired up his plane, performed the mission (in the simulator), and completed what the students did not complete.
By showing everyone that his plan is possible, Maverick has done two things at the same time. He teaches his students by showing them the way (though it could be argued that this may not always be the best teaching method). Second, Maverick reveals good leadership qualities in talking the talk and walking the walk. I believe that in this scenario, leading and teaching can be the same thing.
Now, as a lecturer, I find that many lecturers also understand and try to implement these things. For context, I am a visual communication design lecturer, and so are my peers. Some of my colleagues like to start the class by showing their portfolios to the students. The aim of doing so is to show that the lecturers are capable and to gain the students’ respect. Of course, this is an exciting way, but something isn’t quite right.
In another case, I knew a lecturer who taught logo design. He was teaching about the use of morphological matrix as a method to generate ideas for logo design. He asked the students to make a ten-by-ten matrix for an hour during class. The students reacted with agony, as the task seemed impossible to do. The lecturer then started drawing a ten-by-ten matrix on the whiteboard and doing the matrix in front of the class. The students then started doing the matrix too. In around 20 minutes, the lecturer finished the ten-by-ten matrix. Showing the student that the task was possible could be done way less than expected from the students. The lecturer wanted to teach the students that designers should learn to do it under pressure and under time constraints in exploring ideas for a design. The solution is to do it strategically and systematically, and one of the ways to do it is by using a matrix.
So the difference between the first group of lecturers and the logo design lecturer is massive. First, the lecturers showed what they did without context, which was unrelatable to the students. The logo design lecturer showed the students what they would be doing, making it more relatable for them. By performing what the students need to do at the same time as the students do, the lecturer is showing what needs to be done, not just telling what needs to be done. This is also a good leadership quality: leading through example.
In my time as deputy chair for my department, I believe that the best way to ask people to do their work is to show them that it is possible and to have done it myself. I think that leaders should not only be working from their desks but outside of the office. Leaders should not just understand what needs to be done but also have done what needs to be done. This is why I think historical leaders from the military are more respected by their subordinates compared to nonmilitary leaders. Their associates knew that their leader had done and accomplished things; therefore, they earned the respect of their subsidiaries. I’m not saying that military leaders are all good. It’s just that their followers do follow them because they respect them.
I learn to do things by doing them. After I have done it, I know from my mistakes and understand some things that may need to be done next time to achieve better results. By walking down the walk, leaders cannot just lead their followers but also teach them how it could be done.
