
One of the most difficult assignments given during my doctoral studies at USC, was to communicate my leadership vision in ten words or less. For many weeks I struggled to find just the right words to describe what matters most in our work as both teachers and learners. Then, one weekend on a visit to San Francisco (we lived in Southern California at the time), we took a trip to the top of Twin Peaks. It was a beautiful, clear day and the view was incredible. Standing there, looking out over what seemed to be the entire Bay Area, I thought about how our perspective expands whenever we climb. I began thinking a lot about climbing as a metaphor for teaching, learning and educational leadership. I define the elements of CLIMB as follows:
Collaborate
Learn
Inspire
Mentor
Believe