This module gave me a framework I didn't know I needed. I've been in education administration long enough to have worn both hats — manager and leader — but I never had the vocabulary to articulate the difference as clearly as John Kotter does. Managers cope with complexity; leaders cope with change. That simple distinction hit home for me.
The "Assign the Trait" exercise was genuinely reflective. Going through words like "maintain" versus "innovate," or "accept the status quo" versus "challenge the status quo," made me ask myself honestly: where am I spending most of my time? In a role like mine, it's easy to get consumed by the day's administrative complexity and lose sight of the visionary, people-centered work that actually moves an organization forward.
What I'm taking away most is the time-tracking exercise — using it to assess my own management-to-leadership ratio. I want to be more intentional about creating space for leadership, not just reacting to what lands on my desk each morning. Kotter's reminder that strong leadership with weak management is no better than the reverse keeps me humble. Both matter. Both are needed.
I'd love to hear from others — do you naturally gravitate more toward the management side or the leadership side? And how do you create balance between the two in your current role?
