Finding your leadership style 2

PORTFOLIO ARTIFACT COVER SHEET

1. Title of Artifact: Finding your leadership style

2. Date prepared or selected: prepared fall 2005

3. Origin of Artifact: ED 710 District Level Administration: The Superintendency

Module
X Superintendent ____ Politics ____Media/Law ____Finance
___Curriculum ___Research

4. Summary description of the artifact.

This artifact is based on my reading the book “Finding your leadership style: A guide for
educators” written by Jeffery Glanz in 2002. The book forced me to look at my
leadership tendencies and help me to identify ways to strengthen my ability to work with
other people.

5. Standard(s) evidenced
Vision _____
Culture_____
Organizational Management __X__
Community ____
Integrity ____
Political Context ____

6. Component of standard documented.

Knowledge __X__
Performance ____
Disposition ____

7. Reflection.

I have placed this artifact into my portfolio because it focused my attention to the
strengths and weaknesses of my leadership abilities. I have always wondered why I was
a better number two person in an organization. By analyzing through the prepared
surveys I have developed ways to increase my ability to organize and lead a group of
people through better communication and organizational skills.
 Finding your leadership style 3

Summary of Article

How can you determine if someone is going to be a great leader? What are the traits and

qualities a person exhibits in order to have others follow them? Glanz (2002) developed a

“Natural Leadership Qualities” (p. 3) survey adapted from the Natural Life Energy theory. Glanz

categorized seven leadership qualities containing primary and secondary quality types, plus

continuums of high and low performances, to determine where people who exhibit these qualities

can actualize their performances as leaders.

The first quality Glanz (2002) describes contains the lowest population of people and is

labeled Dynamic Aggressive (p. 19). These leaders are charismatic, goal oriented,

entrepreneurial, and feel the need for control. At the high end of the continuum, Dynamic

Aggressive leaders are hard working, extroverted, and articulate, while the low end contains

impatience, self-centered, and demanding. To actualize the role as a leader they need to

acknowledge mistakes, focus on instructional issues, listen carefully to others, and focus on the

people and not the system.

The second quality is labeled Dynamic Assertive (p. 28). Nonconformist, conceptually

creative, and process orientated Dynamic Assertive leaders are attractive to others due to their

generous, friendly, and hospitable personalities. The low end of the spectrum contains self-

righteous, competitive, and compulsive qualities, which followers of this leadership style may

find abrasive. Since Dynamic Assertive leaders are great change agents, they can actualize the

role as a leader by framing realistic goals, realize centralization or decentralization works, and be

a designer of new processes to help the organization.

Dynamic Supportive (p.37) is the last group containing the primary dynamic quality.

These warmhearted, sincere, and compassionate leaders care about the people following them.
 Finding your leadership style 4

The top side of the continuum contains optimistic, confident, and kind, whereas, the low end of

isolated, unassertive, and lazy could really affect their leadership in the organization.

Actualizing the leadership role requires the Dynamic Supportive to prioritize commitments, take

small or supportive leadership roles, and serve as a buffer from one group to another in order to

maximize the sensitive qualities of the Dynamic Supportive.

The forth quality is labeled Adaptive Aggressive and contains the second primary quality

adaptive (p. 45). Adaptive Aggressive people lead by example, are survivor types, and goal-

orientated. They work best as behind the scene agents utilizing the top side of the continuum

qualities of detail-oriented, exciting, and confident. The low end of the continuum contains

pushy, cocky, and manipulative which may leave followers unsure of the Adaptive Aggressive

leader’s intentions. Realizing how you reach the goal of the project is more important than the

end, work with other instead of alone, and maintaining high ideals and morals will help the

Adaptive Aggressive actualize their leadership role.

Adaptive Assertive (p. 54) people are practical, solid, dependable, and highly responsible.

Highly organized, diligent, and predictable leads the high end of the continuum, while

compulsive, intolerant, and unimaginative leads the low end. Adaptive Assertive don’t interact

well with Creative Assertive leaders due to the Adaptive Assertive desire to control the

environment around them. Actualizing the leadership role entails the Adaptive Assertive to

tolerate chaos, focus on instructional leadership, delegate authority, and realize the importance

and value of systemic change.

The Adaptive Supportive quality contains the majority of the population according to

Glanz (2002, p. 63). Trustworthy, dependable worker and good citizen allow people with these

qualities to be leaders only in certain situations. They must be empowered, encouraged, and
 Finding your leadership style 5

guided during their leadership opportunity. Since hard-working, easy-going, and friendly are

contained in the high end of the continuum Adaptive Supportive leaders work well with all the

other leadership qualities. The low end of the continuum including introverted, judgmental, and

fear of change may make the Adaptive Supportive non-productive and slow to change existing

teaching strategies. To actualize the leadership role, encourage collegiality among members, use

the ability to influence and empower others, and by creating and communicate the core values

utilized by the organization.

The final quality is classified as Creative Assertive. With heightened sensitivity and

perception Creative Assertive leaders are able to bring new and creative ideas to the organization.

Emotional, caring, and creative at the high end of the continuum enables the Creative Assertive

to lead others in new directions. Pessimistic, depression, and inconsistency from the low end of

the continuum interfere with the Creative Assertive leader’s ability to lead for an extended period

of time. Actualizing the leadership role entails helping others see alternatives, develop a

collective vision, and maintain active learning.

Glanz (2002) further developed the educational leader qualities by describing seven

virtues all leaders should possess. Courage was the first virtue described as “the willingness to

stand up for what they know to be right in the face of opposition” (p. 88). A courageous leader

“should have a well-reasoned, articulated belief system that supports and affirms the rights and

dignities of all learners” (p. 89).

Every person has some type of bias based on how they were raised or past experiences

with people, yet, impartiality was the second virtue. Recognizing your biases is part of

becoming a leader to develop a bias-free attitude based on “judicious and impartial review of

relevant evidence in all cases” (p. 96).

 Finding your leadership style 6

Empathy was the third virtue listed. Educational leaders who can “sense, identify with,

and understand what another person is feeling” (p. 110) allows for a community of caring people

without hatred or biases. Through modeling empathy a leader can change others biases and

develop a better learning environment for all students.

Being able to utilize sensible judgment was the fourth virtue. People can posses great

knowledge, but are unable to make reasonable judgment based on the knowledge. Being able to

make good judgmental decision takes experience and practice in “sifting through the myriad

data, selecting what is relevant, weighing it against the pressing needs of the moment, and

making a valid decision” (p.114).

Enthusiasm is caught not taught. This virtue is something someone posses all the time.

Some people maybe able to show enthusiasm for a while, yet it diminishes as time goes on. Real

enthusiastic leader are able to sustain their energy level through the rough times as well as the

good time.

A leader who has humility is not a weak leader. Humility is accepting praise and not

allowing it to swell your pride. If you are a leader, the praise is spread to others in the

organization in order to empower the followers and to continue the hard work.

The final virtue is imagination. Leaders who “possess initiative, independent thinking

and imagination are very much needed” (p. 134), especially during this time of educational

change our society is demanding. The leader who uses and encourages imagination can create

solutions to old problems in order to better the educational process.

Part three of Glanz (2002) book emphasized how a leader can enhance the leadership

qualities and virtues they feel need improvement. There are surveys for each quality and a

reflection piece for the leader to complete. Glanz then provided strategies for the leader to
 Finding your leadership style 7

implement in order to enhance the quality or virtue. The final section pertained to applying the

leadership potential and how to develop a team of all the qualities in order to have an effective

organization.

Through the change in educational practices, there is a stronger need for leadership

versus the traditional style of education. Glanz (2002) states “we need to replace the need to

control with the desire to support” (p. 189) allowing for the development of the teacher to

student relationship in the classroom to enhance the learning of the student. By utilizing his

strategies to enhance the leadership qualities and virtues, the leadership in our schools and the

learning enhancement through these leadership styles can only improve the school system.

Critique of Book

Through the use of stories and examples of leadership qualities the reader is able to

identify people whom they have interacted with meeting the criteria of each leader. Each

leadership style is outline very well and the actualization of the leadership is very enlightening

on how to use your style the best. The book doesn’t overwhelm the reader with technical words

or lots of statistical data detracting from the reading.

Utilizing the survey (appendix A) the reader was able to identify what leadership qualities

he possessed and figure out what virtues he needs to enhance without having to research other

books since the information was right in the chapters. The final chapter was beneficial to anyone

who reads the book in order to develop a leadership team by laying out steps in order to prioritize

the needs of the organization and the leadership styles necessary for each position.

This book would be beneficial to anyone who is unsure of their leadership quality. It

allows for self-exploration and reflection, yet, provides information on how to improve oneself,
 Finding your leadership style 8

develop a team to enhance the needs of the organization, and provides ways to enhance the

educational learning of all people.

Personally, I have been affected by the book by discovering my own leadership quality.

Going through the exercises in class, I thought I was not the type of person who is a leader. I

have never been the head of anything, but always the supporter. By going through the exercises,

I realize I am really a Dynamic Supportive person. I can be very dynamic when I am coaching

or teaching in the classroom, yet, outside of those areas I tend to be the supporter of the head

coach or department.

I tend to care to much about others people’s welfare and this sometimes gets me in

trouble by not getting my own work done. I am definitely an optimistic and confident person,

but I do procrastinate too much. I am a chunker, meaning, I do a lot of work and then I stop.

Take this paper, I read the book in 2 nights and wrote this paper in 5 hours straight. The problem

with this style is if I run into a snag it takes a while for me to get back at the problem (like the

remodeling on my house that has 3 projects started, but not finished).

By going through the virtues, I realize I need to improve on my biases and imagination. I

really try not to be judgmental on certain thing, but my farming up bringing has really dug in

deep. I am a slow to change person, because I have been burned many times by Dynamic

Aggressive or Adaptive Aggressive people.

I realize if I ever do become the head of some department I will need the other leadership

qualities around me. I definitely need a Dynamic Assertive person who can take care of the

small things around me and a Creative Assertive to help enhance my lack of imagination.
 Finding your leadership style 9

References

Glanz, J. (2002). Finding your leadership style: A guide for educators. Alexandria, VA:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.