Leadership Fundamentals

The Nature of Leadership

• Leadership is about influencing people to achieve certain objectives
• A leader plays a major role in ensuring the group objectives are finally realised
• In every group, a leader would appear naturally, even if not appointed
• A person could be termed as a leader if they inspire, influence and motivate people to achieve certain goals and make constructive changes in their organisation

Interpretation of Leadership

• Leadership has been defined in many different ways
• It is associated with "interpersonal influence, communication, goal attainment, motivation and coordination, and willingness to take the blame"
• These words and phrases distinguish a leader from others
• A leader is seldom born, but made, and anyone can be a leader if they desire to be one and adopt the characteristics of a good leader as part of their personality

Leadership and Management

• Leadership and management are not the same, although both are about working with people and involve influence
• Leadership is about effective goal accomplishment, and management is about planning and budgeting, organising and staffing, controlling and problem-solving
• Both management and leadership are essential if an organisation is to succeed
• An organisation needs to be nourished by both competent management and leadership

Leadership Roles

• A leader plays a very important role to ensure the well-being of an organisation
• The roles undertaken by a leader are many faceted, including:
  • Figurehead
  • Spokesperson
  • Negotiator
  • Coach
  • Team Builder
  • Team Player
  • Technical Problem Solver
  • Entrepreneur
  • Strategic Planner

Traits of Effective Leadership

• Effective leadership can be observed through the traits of the leader himself
• McEwan's 10 traits of highly effective principals include:
  • The Communicator
  • The Educator
  • ... (and 8 more traits)
• These traits should be present in an individual leader and should be part of their personality

The Communicator

• Communication skills are very important in any leadership function
• A leader has to communicate his ideas and instructions to his subordinates as well as to others
• Benchmarks for effective communication include:
  • Attending to the needs of the staff
  • Listening and understanding the grouses and opinions of subordinates
  • Empathising with difficulties encountered by staff
  • Disclosing himself to others
  • ... (and 17 more characteristics)### Characteristics of an Educator
• Believes that all students can learn
• Provides training and support for teachers
• Creates cognitive dissonance to ensure the development of creativity among students
• Establishes, implements, and achieves academic standards
• Focuses on instruction
• Models continuous learning
• Develops teacher leaders
• Pays attention to what matters most
• Creates learning communities

The Envisioner

• Has a sixth sense and can sense future happenings
• Feels called to make a difference
• Has resolve, goals, and life vision
• Can see the invisible
• Knows where they are headed
• Has compelling visions that enables them to venture into uncharted territory
• Can articulate their visions and then make them happen

The Facilitator

• Bonds people into a community of leaders
• Taps the potential of people
• Says "we" instead of "I"
• Favors people over paperwork
• Builds up emotional bank accounts through understanding, appreciating, and affirming others
• Cultivates their own well-being and develops an anti-burnout mechanism
• Values diversity
• Shares the "power pie"
• Accentuates the positive aspects of their followers
• Promotes parental involvement in school activities
• Celebrates whenever successes are achieved

The Change Master

• Can handle uncertainty and ambiguity
• Respects resisters
• Is futuristic
• Uses a situational approach
• Knows the power is within oneself
• Values the process
• Plans for short-term victories
• Procures resources to ensure that the change process would not be hindered
• Trusts their team
• Does not only require their followers to change but also leads by example
• Must also be a motivator
• Understands the whole change process

The Culture Builder

• Understands and appreciates the power of culture
• Knows what a good culture looks like
• Facilitates the development of core values
• Communicates these values clearly to all team members
• Rewards and cheers those who support and enhance the culture
• Builds a culture that people choose
• Knows the small stuff is really the big stuff

The Activator

• Mobilises people to work towards achieving the target
• Is also an entrepreneurial leader
• Does not want to be told
• Is a risk taker
• Asks for forgiveness rather than permission
• Runs to daylight
• Does not micromanage
• Makes things happen
• Is a cheerleader
• Is outrageous in a positive tone

The Producer

• Believes that achievement is the bottom line
• Never mistakes activities for achievements
• Is data-driven
• Pays attention to individual students
• Has an academically-focused mission
• Makes research-based decisions
• Holds teachers accountable for all activities

The Character Builder

• Is human
• Is trustworthy
• Has integrity
• Is authentic
• Is respectful
• Is generous in giving advice and willing to coach others
• Hires staff members with character
• Is consistent in their words and actions
• Leads by example
• Seeks to develop the character of students

The Contributor

• Leads by serving others
• Is self-aware and reflective
• Is a good steward for others to trust and follow
• Has a strong will

Leadership and Power

• Power is the ability of an individual or group to influence another individual or group
• There are three sources of power: influence, persuasion, and authority
• Power can be used to influence, persuade, or control others
• Leadership involves the use of power to achieve goals and resolve conflicts
• Power can be associated with the individual, or shared among leaders and followers### The Nature of Leadership
• Leadership involves power relations between the leader and the follower, which are interdependent, asymmetrical, ambiguous, frequently shifting, and contested.
• Followers are not entirely powerless, and shared leadership or distributed leadership is practiced when subordinates are given the opportunity to make decisions that affect them.

Changing Perspectives on Leadership

• Traditional perspectives on leadership emerged before the 1980s, with a focus on traits and roles.
• The Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ) studies at Ohio State University in the 1940s identified four major findings:
  • Initiating structure and consideration are fundamental dimensions of leader behavior.
  • Effective leader behavior is often associated with frequent behaviors on both dimensions.
  • Superiors and subordinates tend to evaluate the contributions of leader behavior dimensions oppositely.
  • Only a slight relationship exists between how leaders say they should behave and how subordinates describe their behavior.
• The traditional approach to leadership began to change in the 1990s, with the emergence of new perspectives such as charismatic and transformational leadership.

Charismatic Leadership

• Charismatic leadership is a mode of influence based on followers' perceptions of exceptional qualities in the leader.
• Charismatic leaders display a vision, manage impressions, make self-sacrifices, take personal risks, model behavior, engage in unconventional behavior, and share power.
• Charismatic leaders have a strong influence on followers' emotions and can bring about positive change.
• Charismatic leadership is more likely to emerge in weak situations and is characterized by a sense of leader success.

Transactional and Transformational Leadership

• Transactional leadership involves exchanging rewards for services rendered, and is characterized by a focus on short-term goals and a hierarchical structure.
• Transformational leadership goes beyond exchanges and inducements, and is characterized by a focus on long-term goals, empowerment, and innovation.
• Transactional leaders motivate followers by providing what they want, while transformational leaders motivate followers to be self-motivated and empowered.
• Transformational leaders define the need for change, create a new vision, concentrate on long-term goals, inspire followers to transcend their own interests, and mentor followers to take greater responsibility.

Instructional Leadership

• Instructional leadership is a critical role of a school leader, involving creating an environment and developing a school climate that facilitates quality instructional programs.
• The principal is responsible for forging a partnership with teachers to improve teaching and learning.
• Hallinger's 10 job functions of an instructional leader include:
  • Defining the school's mission and goals
  • Managing curriculum
  • Supervising and evaluating instruction
  • Coordinating staff development
  • Allocating resources
  • Managing the school's climate
  • Building external relationships
  • Managing the instructional program
  • Monitoring student performance
  • Developing policies and procedures