Ultimately, as a collection of individuals, each of us is personally responsible for the workability -- or lack thereof -- of our institutions. While this concept -- our inescapable culpability -- is assiduously avoided by some, it is nevertheless our reality. Once embraced, however, it is in actuality an inspiring revelation: anything that we are responsible for having broken, we are able to repair. This revelation is the core understanding that leads to a personal journey of transformation that gives rise to a new kind leader. This new leader understands that accepting absolute responsibility for our district is an access to new vision and new results.

core principles of the new leader
Leaders, once fully engaged in their own personal transformation, begin to recognize core principles that guide their behavior. For the purposes of Kansas Citians United for Educational Achievement, the following five core principles must be present for someone to be what we call a "new leader".

• new leaders do the work
  In order to be a new leader, one must be actively connected to the front-line work of transforming the world as it is into the world as they would have it be. New leaders do not direct from afar. They are well familiar with the ground work that must be done. They are actively building relationships with the people they serve. They never become comfortable with their past works; instead, they are constantly engaged in the first-hand work of their constituency now, not as a memory.
  
  
• new leaders have a following
  New leaders have already expressed themselves as leaders in their communities and have been recognized by their communities as such. A leader with no following has no basis for being effective.
  
  
• new leaders are committed to unity
  New leaders see that the cord is more powerful than its individual strands. They recognize that to discount the contribution and transformative potential of any sub-group is to unnecessarily constrain the collective possibility. The new leader is a uniter, a bridge builder, a coalition crafter. The new leader values sharing power above hoarding authority. The new leader seeks to address the needs of all participants, not only the ones closest to them.
  
  
• new leaders are committed to results
  The new leader is unable to be seduced away from the constant focus on results. The new leader is more concerned with the delivery of results than with personal gain, the personal gain of associates, personal feelings or constituent pressure. No matter what else presents itself, new leaders see only how they must use their authority towards the creation of the results that benefit their constituency.
  
  
• new leaders are committed to governance
  The new leader sees the power available to a board that chooses to be visionary. They recognize the unstoppable performance inherent in systems where governors govern and an executive executes. They cannot be lured outside of the parameters of their authority -- and into the realm of management -- by the phyrric victory of instant gratification.