Personal Leadership Platform



Personal Leadership PlatformElizabeth Stefanko1/28/2012Virginia Commonwealth UniversityA leadership platform is a difficult concept. I found myself trying to define what this meant. The questions expanded my thinking into not only what I want to be as a leader, but why those convictions are important. As a first year principal, I think this is a valuable activity to truly examine your beliefs and values of what your leadership should represent.Purpose of Leadership The simplest purpose of leadership would be to lead a group to a common goal. The true question is what a leader must possess in order to carry out the process of achieving a common goal. A leader must understand the big picture of the organization and how the smaller parts work together to help achieve the overarching goals. Additionally, he/she must understand the strengths and weaknesses of an organization. Using data, leaders must work with those they lead to develop goals for school improvement. The leader is responsible for clearly communicating goals and steps towards completing the goals. It is also the responsibility of the leader to keep all parties focused on the progress of those goals. Developing trust is another key component to compelling others to strive to meet challenges. For a leader to be successful in the process, he/she must empower teachers to be creative risk takers in their approach to school improvement. A leader must retain strong communication skills to mediate ideas and concerns, to keep all stakeholders involved and informed, and to maintain focus of teachers on the goals of the school. The purpose of the leader is also to inspire teachers and students to achieve at the highest level. Ultimately, the leader needs to be able to accept responsibility for success and failure of the course of action selected. Consequences of those actions lie with the leader. The Relationship Between the Leader and His/Her ConstituencyIn my opinion, the relationship between the leader and his/her constituency should be one of servant leadership. The relationship needs to be built on the foundation of mutual trust and respect. My school division focuses on four core values of respect, honesty, accountability and responsibility for all employees, students and parents. These core values are the cornerstone of my own belief system. Crippen (2010) synthesized the information from Spears, Barbuto & Wheeler describing eleven different factors a servant leader must possess. Listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, building community, and calling are the essential elements. The first characteristic is listening. Crippen describes the act of listening as “being in the moment” (Crippen, p. 29). Leaders not only need to listen to others, but invest in what they are saying. A leader must listen to what is said and what is not said. It is not enough to simply listen. The leader must use the information obtained from this relationship to make future decisions. Second, Crippen states that the effective servant leader must strive to empathize with others. In my experience, this is a key to building a strong relationship with my community. If parents, teachers and students know that I care about them and can put myself in their shoes, they are more likely to work with me. Third, a servant leader has the ability to heal organizations. The attitude of the leader has the capability of making a school environment either positive or toxic. Fourth, a servant leader must be open to self-growth and reflection concerning their leadership decisions. It is imperative to reflect upon the process of school and its environment for continued growth. Fifth, a servant leader is one that strives to pull groups together for a common goal by persuasion, not coercion. This is linked directly to the sense of trust and respect where the leader works to keep all stakeholders involved and valued. Sixth, the ability to conceptualize is essential. The leader needs to be able to see the big picture and be able to tie the small ideas together to achieve the greater plan. Seventh, with the big picture in mind, the leader must foresee likely obstacles and outcomes to keep the school on a clear path. Eighth, the sense of stewardship is a key element. It is once again the idea of providing a positive environment which works toward a common goal. Finally, a servant leader establishes a sense of community with all stakeholders while maintaining a commitment to growth. Servant leaders sacrifice their own agenda in order to work with others to have a great positive impact on their school, staff, students and community.Environment Where Shared Leadership is Most Successful In my opinion, the most conducive environment for shared leadership is one where a sense of mutual respect and responsibility has been established. If the environment has been established where the leader can actively listen to all constituents, reflect on the information given and develop a plan of action based on the best interest of all involved, then shared leadership thrives. My opinion is supported by the book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Patrick Lencioni sites absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results as the five pitfalls of an organization (p.188). When I reflect on shared leadership, I immediately envision the school improvement process. A school, which is in the process of analyzing where they have been and where they want to go, invests time with all constituents in order to understand their shared direction. The sense of trust, the willingness to debate issues, the commitment to the goal, the accountability for its success, and the attention the results is the circular pattern a team needs in order for the hard, shared work to be done for the good of the school as a whole.What Motivates Constituents to Contribute Wholeheartedly?Drath describes an environment where constituents and leaders work together for a common goal when the Relational Dialogue Principal is achieved. Relational Dialogue is based on the concept that “people sharing work create leadership by constructing the meaning of direction, commitment, and adaptive challenge” (p.153). If all constituents view the leader from this perspective then a sense of shared leadership is inspired. Relational Dialogue requires mutually acknowledging shared work (Drath, p.131). It does not imply that conflict cannot be present, but it does allow for a leader to work through the conflict and agree upon a course of action. Relational Dialogue also recognizes the need for differing views to be held as equally worthy (Drath, p. 131). It is acknowledging the views and embedding them into the fabric of the school. When the constituents and leader can work together and understand that the work is shared then the outcomes become relevant (Drath, p.132). This establishes a sense of commitment to the goals. Finally, when different perspectives are balanced with that of the leader, a true sense of ownership can be held by all (Drath, p.134). Constituents are more likely to contribute wholeheartedly when they feel that their contributions are valued and acted upon. Drath's views relate back to the eleven characteristics of a servant leader. If the leader truly listens to the stakeholders and reacts based on information gathered from them, then the constituents feel valued. They, in turn, are more willing to participate in the school environment and decision making because they see their contributions in the school plan and process. When the leader can self-reflect about their leadership style and truly hear what others say about them and their processes then a sense of awareness in the leader is developed. Constituents see the leader as one who can hear ideas and criticisms and make changes for the good of the school as a whole. The leader practices persuasion of ideas verses coercion (Crippen, p. 31). The leader is willing to build consensus with their constituents and share the responsibility for the direction of the school. In this environment, the constituents have a sense of trust that their perceptions are heard and they respect that their opinions and input will be considered in the plan for continued school improvement.Definition of Effective LeadershipBolman and Deal describe effective leaders as those who can “articulate a vision, set standards for performance, and create focus and direction” (p.345). From personal experience, I believe that an effective leader is much more than this. An effective leader is only as good as those that follow him/her. In order to lead others, a leader must build a sense of trust, respect and openness. The followers must understand the purpose for the direction of the school/organization and have some input into that direction. An effective leader does not just have the strong managerial side of developing a plan and the process for implementation. A truly effective leader, I believe, has a passion for what he/she does. He/she comes to work every day to make their environment better for the students, the employees and the community. In my opinion, an effective leader needs to be a creative thinker and risk taker. In today’s tough economic times, schools are charged with doing more with fewer resources. An effective leader must be able to work with groups of people to examine how to best use our resources for the students. Transparent assessment of the strengths and weaknesses makes a school and its leader vulnerable because all constituents know what the school cannot accomplish alone. This vulnerability is a positive element because it strips down barriers and allows a truly effective leader to work with all parties to build a better school.Characteristics of a Successful LeaderA successful leader must possess many different characteristics. I believe there is a difference in what a successful leader should be and can be. A successful leader must have strong communication skills to articulate the school vision and manage situations that arise during the course of the school year. He/she must be able to understand the different audiences and be able to craft the message for each. With balancing different audiences, the leader must also be able to have self-control and strong judgment. Self-control in this instance refers to knowing your limits. A successful leader understands the boundaries between the leader and the community. A strong sense of confidentiality must play a critical role in a successful leader. From personal experience, it is a balancing act between being transparent with the running of a school and maintaining confidentiality about student and teacher issues. The ability to balance the needs of all stakeholders and know the boundaries is the basic characteristic of judgment. In my opinion, a leader cannot be taught judgment; it is innate. Integrity is a characteristic that goes hand and hand with judgment. Some leaders are successful on the surface, but they lack integrity. However, when he/she breaks confidences or leads by coercion he/she loses the trust of the followers. I believe it eventually catches up to the leader and his/her power starts to deteriorate. There is a second cluster of characteristics that I believe are vital for a leader to be successful. These characteristics tackle a leader’s ability to be innovative and inspire others. A successful leader in my opinion must possess an understanding of others, courage to take risk, and humility about the success of the organization. All three of these characteristics tie together the ability to work as a team. Within the team, the leader inspires others to think creatively to solve problems and be innovative in the delivery of instruction. The leader empowers all involved to be part of a team and to have a voice. Understanding the needs, point of views, and the strengths and weaknesses of the team enables the leader to guide the group to a common goal. When goals are achieved, the team celebrates the successes. It is viewed as a team effort not the working of one individual. The humility of the leader allows the team to own the success and the challenges. The leader gives credit to the group for successes and has a drive to leave an organization in better shape than when he/she got there (Collins, p.36).Preferences from MBTI and LCIThe two preferences that define my leadership style are feeling and sequence. As stated before I believe successful leadership involves working as a team. When you invest in team work as the method for making decisions to guide school improvement, it is vital to have strong feeling characteristics and sequence. The preference of sequence allows me to organize the work flow for a group. I am able to break the work into steps and keep schedules. The skill to articulate the goals and objectives for the group is also a strength of my profile. As a leader with a strong feeling preference, it gives me the ability to relate to others and understand their motives. I am highly attuned to their emotions and the vibe of the group. This ability to read the crowd allows me to forecast if a change in a schedule or work task needs to be made. As the leader, the feeling trait allows me to be able to persuade the group to see a particular direction is needed when questions arise. Because the time was invested prior to the work, I have the trust of my team. They know I value their input and ideas. The ability to build consensus is easier because of this trust and the relationship. The sequence strategy, however, keeps me focused so that I do not go off on tangents when a decision needs to be made or a course of action taken.What Type of Leader Do You Want to Be?As a leader I believe in distributed leadership. There is so much work to be done in a school on a daily basis. I feel that forming teams that can help facilitate change and improvement is imperative. Distributed leadership empowers teachers and other staff to take ownership in all aspects of a school (Saadi et al., p. 526). Sharing the leadership gives voice to all constituents. A leader of this type of environment manages the process and channels the energies of all groups in one direction. School improvement and academic gains for students come when everyone can identify the problems and their solutions. Saadi et al. (2009) found that student outcomes are more likely to improve where leadership is distributed and teachers are empowered in areas of interest to them (p.528). I see this in my current school. When I ask groups to work on areas that are of interest to them, the teachers or community leaders develop wonderful ideas for improvement and strategies for implementation. These strategies for implementation are better received when colleagues can deliver the message and its importance. The staff values their colleague’s strategies because they perceive them as walking in their shoes. Personally, I have seen an increase in my staff’s job satisfaction when they feel their voice has been heard and their ideas tried. The personal characteristics I want my staff to value in me is integrity, dedication and innovation. I strive to model a sense of dedication to my staff, students and community. Every decision is based on the best interest of students. I work hard to build trust and never break confidences. Creativity and innovation are to characteristics I try to inspire in my teachers. Successes are celebrated and all stakeholders are acknowledged for their efforts.Impact of Three Texts on my Leadership Each of the texts I have read has added a new layer to my understanding of leadership. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team discussed the elements of a dysfunctional team. The book clearly describes the pitfalls of each level of the pyramid. However, the important lesson for me was that the elements do not act separately. They are building blocks for a team. Kathryn became a role model for me. The way she observed the personalities and the dynamics of the group was inspiring to me. As a new principal in a new school, I used this book religiously to remind myself to go slow, take time to observe, and do not always jump in to solve the problem. Like Kathryn, I have had to mold the organization into a group that is not afraid of conflict and can take the ideas we have developed and own its success.Bolman and Deal discussed the different lens a leader uses when examining a situation. I found it interesting that the four distinct lenses are prevalent in any school environment. Depending on the situation, a leader may use a different lens. The frame that I learned the most about is the political frame. Viewing issues through this lens is vital for survival when you are the head of an organization. I never thought I would buy into the politics of the county, but it is engrained in the atmosphere of any organization. Acknowledging it and learning to maneuver through it is a critical part of my growth process. Wilfred Drath examined the lens with which others perceive a leader. My biggest take away from Drath is that the leader I want to be may not always be the leader I am perceived to be. I strive to be a leader that bases my leadership style on relational dominance. As stated by Drath, people sharing work create leadership (p.153). I want to be seen as leader who believes in teamwork and consensus building and that I value their opinions and ideas of all stakeholders. I never want my school to be like Zoffner Music. The knowledge of what needs to be done within our school to be successful should rest with all members not just the leader. The most comforting thought to me is that each teacher in my building knows our directions and the steps we are taking to achieve these goals.Other Factors That Have Impacted My LeadershipThere are two other factors that have helped develop my leadership platform. First, the biggest factor has been experience. Nothing teaches you about leadership like living through your first principalship. Every day brings a new challenge and opportunities. The start of school began with a hurricane and an earthquake. I relied heavily on my sequence strategies to revamp many work week schedules to get our school ready for opening day. The second week of school brought the sudden death of a faculty member. My feeling characteristic kicked into high gear and a course of action was planned to meet the needs of the children, teachers, community and the teacher’s family. No book ever prepared me for this situation.Lastly, the 360 survey provided insight on how others perceive me. I was pleasantly surprised that I received such high praise from my colleagues and direct reports. I purposefully picked teachers that I felt are honest and candid. My changes have been well received by them. In turn, I received great information on where I need to improve. Those areas of improvement are now in the forefront of my thinking when my staff works in groups or I deliver staff development.ConclusionIn conclusion, my leadership platform is based on the basic premise of teamwork. I believe in shared leadership, servant leadership and distributed leadership. The three styles mesh very well with my philosophy of shared decision making. My strong preferences of feeling and sequence allow me to thrive in this type of leadership. My growth through this program will continue to broaden my views and constantly refine the leader I want to be. ReferencesBolman, L. G. & Deal, T. E. (2008). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership.San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. New York, NY: Harper Business.Crippen, C. (2010). Serve, teach, and lead: It’s all about relationships. Insight: A Journal ofScholarly Teaching, 5, pp.527-536.Drath, W. (2001). The deep blue sea: Rethinking the source of leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Saadi, A., Hussain, A., Bhutta, R., Perveen, R., Kazmi, U., & Ahmad, N. (2009). Democratic and distributed leadership for school improvement: Case studies from Pakistan. TheInternational Journal of Learning, 16(2), pp.521-532. ................
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