Every person who enters the field of education has both the opportunity and an obligation to be a leader (Dufour, Marzano, 2011). Leadership defined by Owen (2002) is, “A journey of discovery. It is the expression of a person at his or her best whose aim is to transform something for the better and to develop this potential in others. It is not a solitary pursuit but one that harnesses the energy of those around you. Leadership is a process in which leaders and followers engage to achieve mutual goals. Prentice (2004) defines leadership as the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants. A great leader is one who can do so day after day, and year after year, in a wide variety of circumstances.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
…show more content…
Laissez-Faire leaders, or delegative leaders, offer little or no guidance to group members and rely on group members to make decisions (Cherry, 2015). Laissez-Faire leadership lends itself to undefined roles and a lack of motivation from group members. Ubben, Hughes, and Norris (2016) reference transactional leadership as a managerial style of leadership where power and responsibility is in the hands of the principal leader. Transactional leadership is a relationship where the members of the group have agreed to obey and follow the course and directions of the leader (Cherry, 2015). In transactional leadership there are clearly defined roles. Transformational leadership on the other hand, focuses on making change happen through self, others, groups and organizations (Johannsen, 2014). The situational leader chooses the best course of action based upon the current situation. The situational leader uses different types of leadership styles depending on the decision that needs to be made (Cherry, 2015). Situational leaders rely on all seven styles of leadership in order to make the most informed and appropriate decisions based on circumstances. Servant leaders look at leadership as an act of service. According to Blanchard and Hodge’s (2003) definition the servant leader embraces and welcomes feedback as a source of useful information on how they can provide better service. Servant leadership begins with a vision. Servant leaders look beyond their own leadership
Leadership is one of the most sought after skills in the professional world and a fantastic skill to possess outside the workplace. However, while many people can give the dictionary definition of leadership not many understand what it truly means to be a leader. As Teddy Roosevelt said, “People ask the difference between a leader and a boss…The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.” This quote captures the essence of what leadership truly is; leading a group to their common goal together rather than as a unit of people led by one individual who only has their own interests in mind. Anyone can be a boss and tell people what they need to do to help the boss reach his goal but a leader will
Leadership goes beyond management, for some, leadership is instinctual and pours over into your personal life. This paper will discuss a leader I admire in my personal life, and analyze their leadership style. I will discuss how that leader has influenced my leadership style, as well as how things like environment and the economy affect my leadership approach.
My EdD 801 course taught several aspects of leadership including a working definition of leadership in education, Grogan (2013), asserts that leaders are supposed to possess a clear personal vision. A sense of purpose is central to success, and center stage leaders
Leadership is defined as the ability to accomplish a set goal(s) due to the act of inspiring and motivating a group of your peers. Former United States president Dwight D. Eisenhower made famous a quote that stated, “Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” (Notable-quotes.com). One of the most important aspects of the work area is leadership. Without leadership, there will be no guidance to for teamwork and the percentage of successful goal will be slim to none. Becoming a great leader is no easy feat however. An exceptional leader must lock in on specific attributes such as intellect, moral character, and human
Many educational facilities recognise the value of effective leadership in a scholastic environment, and subsequently adopt and endorse a range of theories as an effective means of providing additional support and influence for both staff and students, and further to work towards achieving common goals (Reeves, 2006). A comprehensive leadership program is a critical part of any educational structure, where the motivation, inspiration and influence of staff are the central focus (Reeves, 2006). It is developed with support from both the community and school administrators, with the ideals of implementing processes that will result in the educational benefits of students on many levels. Successful school leaders possess a range of personal,
Normally, the principal or school head will be recognized as the school leader, nevertheless, the school leader can be anyone in the school community who support and strengthen the goals of the school. The purpose of leadership is the improvement of instructional practice and performance, regardless of role (Elmore 2000). School leadership of the 90’s requires facilitative leadership that empowers others and values diverse discourse as a means of reaching better decision (Logan 1998). There is the tremendous stress toward the school leaders because the futures of all students depend their responsibilities to perform their abilities of leadership. Leaders can spell the difference between being good and being great (Thomas & Cheese 2005). The school leaders should know the students needs and provide them the best.
In developing this idea of what leadership is, I examined what was most important to me in being a leader. Since leadership is such a broad term, this could not be a process whereby I could generalize leadership for everyone. Rather, the task is to determine who I am as a leader. I asked myself, what is it that shapes the vision? What are the factors that comprise a leader, and what makes these things add up to create something larger than ourselves as leaders? Thoughtful reflections on these things lead me to generate the following definition of leadership: Leadership is about more than simply having followers; it is not a title, and it is not achieved by just following a few principles. Leadership is complex, though at its
According to Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter (2012, p. 606) the General Manager, Edward of 6 Steps & Rising has adopted an autocratic leadership style. The University of Iowa Studies identifies an autocratic leader as a leader that centralises authority, controls work methods and processes, makes independent decisions and restricts participation or feedback from employees (Robbins et al., 2012). He practices autocratic leadership styles when he centralises authority by disallowing Albert to see the chief executive officer regarding his request to transfer to other offices, controls creative processes that Teresa has put forward, makes independent decisions by implementing restrictive rules to govern employees and ignoring feedback
Leadership can be difficult to define because it has different meanings dependent on the audience. As an administrator, it is important to assist teachers in educating students’ growth of knowledge and help them understand that learning is a continuous process. Learning is not something that happens overnight, but something that happens as a result of continuous practice and the development of skills in a classroom. In my experience, teachers act as guides to field questions, provide logical directions to assignments, and help students have confidence. These are three important factors that have influenced my decision to become an administrator. This positive leadership philosophy of education believes that the purpose of schooling is to provide an opportunity for all students to acquire a quality education in a safe, nurturing, and positive environment. Education is the sole means for breaking down barriers. Finding the appropriate leadership style
A leader is a person who inspires. He brings the best out of his people and they, in turn, follow him in the realization of his goals. In other words, a true leader communicates his aspirations and creates a shared passion for a common objective.
Stacey Feiner once stated, “For those of you who really want to give critical thought to your unique leadership style and foster genuine followership, learn from what’s out there and weave it into something meaningful and authentic.” (Feiner, 2015) For the last two weeks, I have spent time self-analyzing and soul searching to identify the qualities I bring to a leadership role. Many of the core values important to me also align between the participative leadership style and laissez-faire leadership style. These values include working in a team environment, empowering others to make decisions and providing support for those decisions, keeping an open mind to new ideas/suggestions, and being involved with my team members on a daily basis. (Mooney, n.d.) As I learn ways to build on my strengths within these leadership styles, I also need to improve upon my weaknesses to become the well-rounded leader I want to be.
There are many definitions of leadership. The Collins English dictionary defines leadership as “the leader(s) of a party or group.” Yet true leadership is much more than that. A leader can be the chief executive officer of an organization, or a first year employee who leads his or her team to success behind the scenes. A leader might lead through official authority and power, yet just as often great leaders lead through inspiration, persuasion and personal connections. Teaching others to be a leader is a daunting task
Lussier and Achua (2016) define leadership as “the influencing process between leaders and followers to achieve organizational objectives through change” (p. 5). There are many different ways to categorize the dimensions of leadership. This section considers two groups of traits: transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire, as well as democratic, autocratic, and situational. The method that the leader utilizes to motivate followers can include transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire. The amount of input the leader seeks from the group can be categorized as democratic, autocratic, or situational.
Throughout this course I have come from having a general understanding of leadership to having a more specific knowledge of what is encompassed within this calling. Leadership is not a position to accomplish a goal, leadership is not a person who people revere, leadership is not a power that makes everyone submit. However it is an attitude everyone should carry with them realizing they can influence for good or bad in any situation. It is an action that does not sit still waiting for others to take up the slack. It is an approach to influencing, training, modeling, and passing the baton to the next generation.
What is leadership? Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines leadership as “the power or ability to lead other people”. Although this is simply put, it is also correct. But leadership is much more than the ability to lead. The ability is one piece of the puzzle. Other pieces to consider in leadership are education, attributes, and style, just to name a few. In this assignment, I will focus on leadership style. Specifically, I will discuss my style according to the assessment developed by The University of Kent in the UK.