LEADERSHIP SERIES 121

UNDERSTANDING AND DEVELOPING

LEADERSHIP
IN SCHOOLS

Leaders are change agents. They take the initiative, anticipate and recognize changes in their organizational
environment, and begin to explore possible courses of action to respond to those changes.
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?

Leadership can be said to be the ability to lead, the ability to influence other people or the position or
guidance of a leader.

Some dictionaries will define a leader as “a person or thing that leads, directs or commands, etc.”

A Leadership consultant Patrick Dolan defines leadership “as a willingness to accept the responsibilty for
results.”

This definition covers almost all circumstances. Willingness is not only an attitude; it is a positive
attitude towards a particular result. Since attitudes are not inborn traits, they are characteristics to be
developed.

Therefore a Leader is someone who has developed the attitude of a willingness to take the responsibilty
for results.

This position implies, of course that results are clearly defined. A leader is then a person who defines or
has a clear objective in mind and has a specific game plan laid out for reaching this objective-the game
plan being the operational definition of the responsibilty for the results.

LEADERSHIP STYLES

There are many different styles of leadership. These include: Authoritarian (strict); Democratic
(employee involvement); Permissive (laissez-fair)

All these have their strong and weak points. Each employee or team member is unique. Every situation
is complex in its own manner. What style works for one employee or situation may not work for
another.

For example, if I stumble upon two teachers gossiping and spending time talking during class periods
when they should be working, I would use an authoritarian approach. A democratic one would be
wrong. They need to see rebuke in my countenance and no that I condemn their action. On the other
hand, if we are drafting a school policy that involves the input of everyone, I would employ a democratic
style. This situation calls for employee input in order to create team spirit.

Maintaining a set of different leadership styles gives greater choices, and flexibilty to effectively lead.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Administrators

Every academic institution has appointed leaders who may carry the tag of Head of School, Principal or
Administrator.

They are responsible for the schools’ vision as well as the practical steps needed to attain that vision.
They have been put in place to serve as change agents in their organizations. They are usually proactive
and are willing to take risks to change the status quo in a bid to lift the academic standard of the
institution on a regular basis.

They are sometimes referred to as Instructional Leaders. Some of their characteristics include – high
expectations for teachers and students, and emphasis on instruction, provision of professional
development, and use of data to evalutae students’ progress among others.

Teacher Leaders

Teachers are leaders.

Teachers are change agents. They mentor on a daily basis, providing guidance and facilitate
development. They care a lot about what they do and how they do it and feel a sense of responsibilty
for their efforts.

But sadly enough, teachers do not view themselves as leaders.

Lots of teachers are myopic in their reasoning and conduct as leaders. They see only their immediate
classrooms in terms of promoting leadership qualities.

And when appointed as departmental heads, they function only in that capacity and fail to see the
entire school community as one unit. Even though they are proactive pursuing the vision of their given
classrooms, they ignore the vision of the school community.

Educational Change Agents

Aside from having a personal vision to forge a shared vision with their co-workers, teachers should see
themselves as educational change agents ready to work hand-in-hand with everyone in the school
community to develop, transmit and implement the goals of the institution.

Moreover, the process of developing a shared vision promotes collegial and collaborative relationships
between teachers and administrator.

The shared vision becomes a shared covenant that bonds together leader and follower in a moral
commitment.
Despite the disparities in responsibilities, the relationship between the teachers’ and administrators’
vision is important. The administrator’s vision tends to encompass the whole system; they have
organizational vision. Teachers’ vision appears to focus primarily on the individual or personal actions
for school change.

However, closer examination of the two- teachers’ and administrators’ visions- may reveal that both
groups of educators are looking at the same vision but attending to different aspects.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

For communication to be effective, school administrators must provide an environment that encourages
and promotes collaborative relationships. They should form teams, support team efforts, develop the
skills that groups and individuals need, and provide the necessary human and material resources to
realize the schools vision.

Leadership and vision

Without communication nothing will be realized.

A leader need not always be the one who discovers the vision or image of the future which people will
want to buy into. But the leader is always the one who articulates that vision in such a way that induces
enthusiasm and commitment in others.

Being in Tune

Leaders should learn to be flexible in communication. Good and effective leaders use the most preferred
style of the follower, seeking to pass a message by getting on the same wave length with the follower.

In a classroom scenario, intuitively, we sometimes switch communication styles by speaking to one child
rapidly, very specifically and directly, but another child responds best to gentle, slower, soft voiced,
feeling oriented communication.

Communicating a desire for Openness

There is no dignity in treating people as an object or robot. Openness leads to knowing people as unique
and special individuals with diverse interests.

A leader uses listening and asking skills to encourage others to communicate their motivations, concerns
and unique mental sets.

A leader must value communication even with the most frustrating, annoying, non-involved, non -
growing person in his her group or department.

Recognition

Complimentary, re-inforcing words or phrases telling people you appreciate the little things they do
helps in building self-esteem and makes people want to grow and do more of the things that gained
them the first praise.

Confidence

Leaders should communicate confidence at all times. Followers often will have unexpressed doubts
about whether they will be able to accomplish certain things or will lack confidence in their ability to
contribute significantly to the school community.
TEAM WORK

Teamwork is action performed by a team towards a common goal. A team consists of more than one
person, each of whom typically has different responsibilities. A team also includes seven common
elements:

1. Common purpose

2. Inter-dependence

3. Clear roles and contributions

4. Satisfaction from mutual working

5. Mutual and individual accountability

6. Realisation of synergies

7. Empowerment

Teamwork is for everyone

In a school community, team work is very important and an individual without team spirit will likely not
be effective working with others despite his or her excellent teaching skills. Teamwork shouldn’t just be
for students doing classwork or assignments but for teachers and administrators working towards a
common purpose which is to teach, shape and model the minds and character of children or young
adults.

There should be a clear cut plan towards developing a strong team spirit among members of staff.

Activities

Activities are vehicles through which team work is developed. Administrators must seek out ways to
create activities that will involve everyone and set rules for the groups.

Administrators should work with leaders to see how members of each team participated, how and if
they followed the rules, how they communicated with one another, how they vented their frustrations
at one another, if they had fun etc.

Through these reports the administrator will gain a better perspective into the minds and behavioral
pattern of the teachers and this might help in the appointment of department heads or school leaders.
Breaking the Pattern

Most people live their lives acting and reacting unconciously until their behaviours become a pattern.
Pattern is the enemy of change. Awareness breaks this pattern and discovering new ways at looking at
things will prompt behavioral change. Awareness is the pattern interrupt that creates change.

There should be a time for debriefing activities. During this time participants should be helped to
become more aware of their actions, behaviour and attitude. “Why did you do this, what was your
experience, how can you improve that, what would you do differently?” As they come up with their
answers, they choose to stay the same or change.

Teamwork negatives

During teamwork building activities the following needs should be put aside because they act as
negatives or barriers to a successful activity:

1. Need to be right

2. Need to look good in front of others

3. Need to be perfect

4. Need to protect our egos

5. Need to judge

By putting aside the above needs participants will engage each other successfully, take risks, share, co-
operate, and learn more about themselves and others.
DEVELOPING INTER-PERSONAL SKILLS

What are Interpersonal Skills?

Interpersonal skills are the life skills we use every day to communicate and interact with other people,
individually and in groups.

Interpersonal skills include not only how we communicate with others, but also our confidence, and our
ability to listen and understand. Problem solving, decision making and personal stress management are
also considered interpersonal skills.

People with strong interpersonal skills are usually more successful in both their professional and
personal lives. They are perceived as more calm, confident and charismatic, qualities that are often
endearing or appealing to others. Being more aware of your interpersonal skills can help you improve
and develop them.

A list of Interpersonal Skills could include:

Listening Skills

Communication Skills

Stress Management

Verbal Communication

Assertiveness

Decision Making

Problem Solving

Non-Verbal Communication

HOW TO DEVELOP SOME INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

1. Learn to Listen

Listening is not the same as hearing. Take time to listen carefully to what others are saying through both
their verbal and non-verbal communication.

2. Choose Your Words

Be aware of the words you are using when talking to others. Could you be misunderstood or confuse the
issue? Practice clarity and learn to seek feedback to ensure your message has been understood.
3. Understand Why Communication Fails

By learning about the various barriers to good communication you can be aware of, and reduce the
likelihood of, ineffective interpersonal communication.

4. Relax

When we are nervous we tend to talk more quickly and therefore less clearly. Being tense is also
evident in our body language and other non-verbal communication. Instead, try to stay calm, make eye
contact and smile. Let your confidence shine.

5. Clarify

Show an interest in the people you talk to, ask questions and seek clarification on any points that could
be easily misunderstood.

6. Be Positive

Try to remain positive and cheerful. People are much more likely to be drawn to you if you can maintain
a positive attitude.

7. Empathise

Understand that other people may have different points of view. Try to see things from their
perspective. You may learn something while you gain the respect and trust of others.

8. Understand Stress

Learn to recognise stress in others and yourself. Although stress is not always bad, high levels can have
a detrimental effect on the communication process.

9. Learn to be Assertive

You should aim to be neither passive nor aggressive; being assertive is about expressing your feelings
and beliefs in a way that others can understand and respect. Assertiveness is fundamental to successful
negotiation.

10. Reflect and Improve

Think about previous conversations and other interpersonal interactions; learn from your mistakes and
successes. Always keep a positive attitude but realise that we can all always improve our
communication skills