Leading a team in an era where rapid technological advancements are reshaping education requires more than just strategic planning, setting goals and assigning tasks. It demands cultivating an environment where every team member feels supported, heard and valued, with the autonomy to take ownership of their work. At the Center for Creative Instruction and Technology (CCIT), our success stems from a foundation of human-centered leadership that prioritizes trust, creativity and collaboration. As you’ll learn from this article, fostering this culture not only strengthens our foundation but also enables us to remain agile and poised to embrace transformative change with confidence.
Creating a Culture of Safety and Trust
A team that feels supported—both emotionally and professionally—has the confidence to explore new ideas and push boundaries. I’ve worked hard to create an environment within CCIT where people are encouraged to speak candidly, share their ideas and feel valued for their unique contributions. This kind of support isn’t just about the absence of fear; it’s about trust. Trust that mistakes are opportunities for learning, trust that their voice matters and trust that they are seen not only as professionals but as individuals with personal motivations, strengths and areas for growth. In turn, our team trusts me to be true to my word, knowing that I offer direct, open and honest feedback while also considering and respecting their ideas and beliefs. They trust that I will provide guidance while allowing them the freedom to find their own path. Ultimately, they trust me to step in with clear direction when a course correction is needed.
I’ve learned that when leaders take the time to truly get to know their team members, understanding what motivates them, they’re better equipped to unlock their team’s individual and collective potential. By being intentional about listening and recognizing the diverse strengths across the team, we’ve been able to create an environment where people feel empowered to take ownership of their roles, make critical decisions, and contribute to our transformative projects.
Autonomy, Ownership and Innovation
Autonomy is central to innovation. I’ve always believed in giving our team the freedom to make decisions and the space to try, fail and try again. This is where growth happens. The autonomy cultivated within our team gives people the confidence to be bold, experiment with new ideas and take risks. Whether we’re exploring new technologies or rethinking instructional design strategies, I’ve found that people are more engaged and creative when they have the freedom to shape the process and the outcome. Additionally, having a team that provides unwavering support, valuable insights and serves as a sounding board for new ideas strengthens our drive to lead impactful change and foster continuous innovation.
Empowering the team to take ownership of their work means that they’re not just completing tasks—they’re leaders in their own right, driving projects that align with our mission of putting students at the center of everything we do and inspiring educational creativity and excellence. From the start, it’s been my goal to create an environment where everyone is a stakeholder in our success, and that’s allowed us to be at the forefront of some of the most transformative initiatives at Delaware Tech.
Tackling Transformative Initiatives
This human-centered approach permeates everything we do, forming the foundation of our success in leading impactful projects and driving sustainable change.
One of these is the scaling of HyFlex courses, a modality that gives students choices in how they participate and engage with the course which requires seamless integration of in-person and online instruction. This project pushed us to rethink how we design courses, train faculty, and support students across multiple modalities. The trust and collaboration that we’ve cultivated within our team allowed us to tackle the complexities of HyFlex, from instructional design to technology integration.
Equally transformative was our work in championing digital accessibility. With a deep understanding of the importance of accessibility in education, we created home-grown HTML templates in D2L Brightspace to ensure they were not only dynamic and user-friendly but also fully accessible. This was more than a technical challenge—it was a statement about our commitment to inclusivity and the belief that every student deserves equal access to education. Our team’s sense of ownership and autonomy made it possible to bring this vision to life, creating templates that are constantly changing to meet our faculty and student needs, pushing the limits of engagement possibilities. Our templates are used across our institution and have been shared worldwide!
Finally, to ensure we provide faculty with the most robust course design resources and support, we reimagined our course design process. This change wasn’t mandated—it was driven by our team’s commitment to continuously evaluate and enhance our services. By gathering feedback from faculty and analyzing data from previous course design projects, we strengthened our program redesign, fostering buy-in and ownership where everyone understood their role and had the tools to succeed. Data became central to our design decisions, encouraging collaboration and continuous improvement. Currently, we’re partnering with Brightspace to create data dashboards related to student engagement and performance and faculty interaction, empowering academic stakeholders to leverage insights and drive impactful changes in course design and student outcomes.
Leading with Humanity
At the core of all these initiatives is a simple yet profound truth: people matter. By taking the time to understand everyone’s motivations, strengths and challenges, you not only empower them personally but also strengthen the collective team. This approach positions the entire team to face challenges head-on, while fostering an environment where both individuals and the group can innovate and grow in ways that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
Human-centered leadership isn’t just a management style; it’s a mindset that fosters creativity, resilience and growth. By creating an environment where people feel safe taking risks, empowered to make decisions, and supported through both success and failure, we’ve been able to drive transformative change.
As leaders, we set the tone for the work environment and team ecosystem. When we lead with empathy, understanding, and trust, we create a culture where people feel valued for who they are and what they bring to the table. And when people feel valued, they show up fully and are willing to take on the kinds of challenges that drive innovation and transformation.
CCIT is proud to be at the forefront of digital transformation in education, but even prouder of the culture we’ve built—a culture where people are not only empowered to innovate but feel supported and trusted to do so. In today’s ever-evolving educational landscape, it’s this human-centered approach that has allowed us to remain agile, innovative and successful.
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