Philosophy of Leadership 7

Amazingly, although I am studying Educational Leadership, I had never

considered my leadership philosophy. However, as I think about my personal core

values, I realize how they carry over into my beliefs about leadership. While

journeying through this course, I kept returning to three ideas, around which I have

developed my leadership philosophy. I believe leadership requires a person who

believes that people have the good of the organization at heart. From that point, a

leader must bring people together in a state of collaboration to determine the

direction and path for change, which is a necessity for every organization. Lastly, a

leader must work with all those affected to help them transition through the

changes (or decisions) that are taking place, before, during, as well as after the

change.

I have always considered the importance of evaluations of teachers, and self-

reflection on practice, but I had never thought of it in terms of leadership. I think

that many leaders rarely spend the time investigating their thinking and feelings;

they just go about doing their “job”. Dee Hock (2000, p. 3) believes that “the first and

paramount responsibility of anyone who purports to manage is to manage self,” and

I agree. As leaders, we must spend time with self-evaluation, looking at personal

values, strengths, and weaknesses. Furthermore, we should be welcome to criticism.

Without critics, we would have no one to point out our weaknesses and errors, and

no one to help find alternatives to the choices we make. This is a challenge for me,

however, as I often see criticism as negative rather than positive. It is also important

to remember that what worked yesterday will not always work today. If leaders

spend time looking inward, and discover more about themselves, it will allow them

to develop a unique leadership style. Through my study, I have discovered that, for

me, this style is one that includes follower empowerment, rather than follower

dependence.

Through class discussion and reading, I have discovered the importance of

leaders and followers working together to find a shared purpose. Followers often

want to be in a place that represents their values and beliefs, and focuses on issues

they find important (Hock, 2000). Leaders, therefore, must find the vision of the

group, and help to clarify that vision. Leaders can assist and inspire the staff to

determine the goals and direction by asking what they believe and want, where they

want to go and why, [;] and how they can best get there. At this point, leaders must

listen, and allow time for reflection, to determine what is really in the hearts of

those making comments and expressing concerns. This can be a difficult task, or it is

for me at least, as I often struggle to determine what people actually are saying with

their words.

Leadership always involves change. I used to see the leader as the change

agent, or the one who brings about change. Today, however, I believe that

leadership can actually be a group process. Leaders must recognize that they do not

have all of the answers, that there are others out there who can broaden their

thinking. “One of the most important ways executives can demonstrate their

commitment comes through how they work within their own teams” (Senge, 1996,

p. 3).

The challenge then, I discovered, is how to determine who gets to be a part of

the change (or decision-making) process. First I considered seeking out those staff

members who are known to be change agents in the school. Next, I thought about

those people closest to the issues needing change. Finally, I thought of those who

may be seen as what Debra Meyerson calls “tempered radicals” (Meyerson, 2002, p.

1), or those teachers who challenge the status quo. Wherever they come from, it will

be important for the leader to take time to go outside their usual network to find

these people, and it will be equally important that the leader be constantly on the

lookout for them (Spears, 2002). This is especially vital if the leader is the

“tempered radical,” since many then will not see the need, or have the desire, for

change.

I feel that, when the need for change presents itself, (no matter who

determined the need) collaboration on the path for change is beneficial for leaders.

Collaboration is a concept that can be applied in many areas of our personal and

professional lives. I know it makes me feel good knowing that someone wants my

input or thinks that my ideas matter. Having the opportunity to be involved in a

decision to change provides a sense of ownership, therefore making the change

easier to handle. I have found that leaders often speak of collaboration, but the

practice may not actually be in place. Leaders may even believe that they are

considering the opinions of others in making decisions, but are not actually involved

in collaboration. Real collaboration involves putting the power in the hands of the

people doing the work.

After reading Margaret Wheatley’s articles "Innovation Means Relying on

Everyone’s Creativity" and "Goodbye, Command and Control", the correlation

between participation and productivity became clearer to me. Wheatley believes

that people are more likely to support what they create, and by joining with others,

groups can accomplish more than individuals can do alone (Wheatley, 1997). The

leader’s role becomes simply to provide direction, encouragement, and meaning to

the group, and become a persuasive role model (Senge, 1996). In addition to that,

the leader should consider their role to be that which no one else is willing or able to

do -- whether that is taskmaster, protector, or doer – whatever is needed for the

group to achieve its goal (Bennis, 1997). They must be able to see the total picture

and help others keep the goal in mind while persuading them to also think outside

the box, which can feel risky. Because of this, a leader must recognize that failure is a

way to make progress and as a way to learn from mistakes. Furthermore, I believe a

leader must be sure that everyone has access to all the necessary information

needed to make decisions. By sharing information widely, there are no “haves and

have-nots”, no “in group” and no “out group” (Sturman, 2002).

I still feel, as I did in the past, that the environment is an important element

for leaders. They should create an environment in which people are open to new

ideas and responsive to change (Wheatley, 2001). Everyone must know and feel that

they are needed and that they have the freedom to take responsibility (Sturman,

2002). Skills such as open-mindedness, constructive feedback, and sharing of ideas

must also be included (Allen, et al., 1998). People should be encouraged to work

together, ask questions, to listen to others' opinions, and to seek first to understand

(Wheatley, 1997). They must learn from the experiences of others and embrace

differences (Herringshaw, 1999). Within the group, there must be effective

communication that fosters dialogue and honest inquiry (Senge, 1996). Everyone,

leaders and followers alike, must learn to listen, and learn to talk, as, in my opinion,

each is equally important. People should be encouraged to say what they see and

think, and to challenge conventional thinking (Meyerson, 2002). Encouragement of

this kind is important for leaders because I know that, although I encourage others

to speak freely, but I often struggle with speaking freely myself.

After reading Harvey Seifter’s article, "The Conductor-less Orchestra", I was

further convinced of the necessity for valuable communication. Both leaders and

followers must respect what is said and the person who said it – whether or not they

agree. In making decisions, members must be willing to listen to the views of

others, and to be flexible and willing to compromise on their own positions,

therefore allowing for consensus on decisions. Leaders and followers alike must

remember that no one person’s knowledge ranks higher than another; that each

person is judged by their contribution to the goal, rather than by any superiority or

inferiority, because no one person has all the answers to every question that may

arise (Seifter, 2001). This kind of communication should be expected, fostered, and

reinforced almost constantly by both leaders and followers.

On the surface, when I thought about collaboration, I assumed that the group

always made the final decision. Charles Handy made me question that thinking. In

his article, "Elephants and Fleas: Is Your Organization Prepared for Change?", he

discusses how decisions that are made by a group should be ones that can best be

reached there, with nothing more. Decisions that are best made by someone else

(individual or another group) should not be considered. This is an important aspect

for leaders to consider so that they do not go “overboard” in their collaboration

efforts. I feel that collaboration is a good thing; however, some decisions may still

need to be made by individuals.

Collaboration, although a good idea in theory, does present problems.

Consensus must be able to be reached when so many different ideas, thoughts, and

feelings are thrown into the mix. Furthermore, determining who exactly will be a

part of the group can be a difficult choice. Are representatives from each of the

“stakeholders” good enough? Can one person really represent the thoughts and

feelings of a whole group? For example, can one teacher present the needs, wants,

and desires of a whole teaching staff? Or can one parent really express the concerns

of all parents?

Furthermore, to have successful collaboration, leaders must not monitor the

group too closely, or fail to delegate significant work. They must allow the team to

take action to make decisions a reality, while maintaining their role as cheerleader,

resource provider, and/or negotiator. Individual differences of the group will

require leaders to display flexible leadership to reach out to people in different

ways, as each requires. Leaders should be aware that not every team is an effective

team, and they must work to ensure that the members of teams take positives steps

to ensure their own effectiveness. Leaders should support the responsibility of each

individual in a group, and encourage groups to have clear roles for all members.

Through this, I still have questions. What if leaders do not take collaboration

seriously? What if they do not actually listen and implement a group’s ideas? What if

collaboration continues to be just for show, as is frequently the case? Leaders, if

they truly believe in collaboration, must make every effort to be legitimate in the

task, or we will not be able to call them a leader. They must model the way for their

followers, because as we often forget, if we are not good role models, no matter

what we say or do, people may not follow us. Leaders need to think, not only of

themselves, but of the common good.

At this point, I must also ask myself more questions. What if followers do not

want to be empowered? What if they do not want to participate in groups? What if

they have no interest in “pulling their weight” or “giving their input”? What if they

do not want to give up their limited time as is necessary to make collaboration

work? I know that for me, as a teacher, I feel like I already go to meeting after

meeting, and at times I just want someone to tell me what to do so I can do it. So

what does a leader do then? What if, after a leader’s collaboration effort, followers

still do not feel their input has any influence? And finally, what if a leader simply is

not willing to give up power? Personally, I see collaboration as a useful tool, albeit

not always as effective in reality as we would like it to be. So, knowing that, knowing

the difficulties that lie ahead, why would a leader who does not already believe,

want to change? My hope is that they would only do so if it were for the good of the

whole, that they would not start collaboration for selfish reasons, and that they

would not back away from collaboration for selfish reasons either.

The need for transition during change is the final concept that is important to

me, and therefore central to my leadership philosophy. According to William

Bridges and Susan Mitchell: (2000, p. 2), “Transition is the state that change puts

people into. The change is external, while transition is internal.” Transition allows

for the opportunity to move forward with change by providing an understanding of

the past, present, and future.

First, leaders should demonstrate how to let go of the way things were. This

may present another challenge for me as a leader because I know that I sometimes

have difficulty letting go of the past, a place where I felt safe and successful, and

opening myself up to potential “failure” because I do not know what lies ahead.

Leaders should plan and describe the changes carefully, and have someone

responsible for each detail. A timeline should also be created and shared, along with

establishing a general communication plan to explain the changes (Bridges &

Mitchell, 2000).

Next, it is necessary for the leaders to coach the staff through times where

there is uncertainty and confusion. I feel like being a coach will help me greatly in

this aspect. I can treat my staff like my players. During this time, followers will be

trying out new ideas, and will experience both highs and lows in the process. During

the “highs” they will want to move forward as quickly as possible, however, during

the “lows” they will want to return to a practice that is safe. The leadership should

support staff members who feel “failure” during this time, and help to keep them on

track. Leaders must provide the followers with communication (rather than simple

information dissemination) that emphasizes a concern for them (Bridges & Mitchell,

2000). This is another point where I feel challenged. I like to deal with facts, and

therefore have difficulty with uncertainty. To be a successful leader, I must be

willing to support myself, or find someone to support me, when I feel failure. I think

it will be important that I share these fears and struggles with my followers as well,

not to make them feel worse, but to help them recognize that they are not alone.

Finally, the followers will need reassurance as they move forward and begin

a new path. Leaders will be responsible for launching the new beginning by

articulating the attitudes and behaviors needed to make the changes work – and

then modeling, providing practice in, and rewarding those behaviors and attitudes

(Bridges & Mitchell, 2000). This will be a key point for leaders if they want to feel

successful in the change process. We often see leaders who, once the change has

been implemented, simply let go. In actuality, this is a point where followers need

them most. They will need someone to look up to, to show them the way, to

demonstrate how things are different now than they were before.

For quite some time, I thought that a leader was just that – someone who

leads others in a particular direction. But, now I have more questions. Who

determines that direction? What happens when people do not want to follow? Is a

leader then still a leader? Charles Handy says, “The very reluctance to change

ultimately turns success into failure” (Handy, 2002, p. 1). Transitioning forward by

asking tough questions and giving up long-held assumptions, is a critical step

toward change for leaders and followers alike (Senge, 1996). Leaders must trust

that by providing clarification of the goal, and allowing for a higher level of personal

involvement, people will become interested in the issue and establish a culture of

shared decision-making. In doing so, they must become aware that disagreement

over what is right or wrong, good or bad, is a part of the process when decisions are

made by people with differing backgrounds, perceptions, aspirations, and values.

The challenge becomes balancing those differences to do what is right for the whole.

The pay-off will be that the decisions that are made, and the actions taken, are then

a result of the strengths and differences of individuals.

In conclusion, all of these aspects of leadership are built on relationships that

are made. It is important to make relationships with your staff so that you build

trust, and they know that you have the school’s best interest in mind. Furthermore,

it is important to build relationships with other local administrators. Sometimes

being an administrator can be a lonely job. So it is important to have people that

understand that position that you can call for advice. Finally, you must demonstrate

respect for staff and others and they will return the respect for you and your

decisions.

Work Cited

Allen, K. E., Bordas, J., Robinson Hickman, G., Matusek, L. R., & Whitmire, K. J. (1998). Leadership in the twenty-first century. Rethinking Leadership Working Papers. Academy of Leadership Press. Retrieved May 2002 from: http://www.academy.umd.edu/scholarship/casl/klspdocs/21stcen.html

Bennis, W. (1997). "The Secrets of Great Groups." Leader to Leader, No.3. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/winter97/bennis.html

Bridges, W. & Mitchell, S. (2000). "Leading transition: A new model for change." Leader to Leader, No.16. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/spring2000/bridges.html

Handy, C. (2002). “Elephants and Fleas: Is Your Organization Prepared for Change?” Leader to Leader, No. 24. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/spring2002/handy.html.

Herringshaw, D. (1999, Summer). Team Building. Leadership Link. Ohio State University Leadership Center. Retrieved June 2002 from: http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/.

Hock, D. (2000). “The Art of Chaordic Leadership”. Leader to Leader, No. 15. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/winter2000/hock.html.

Meyerson, D. (2002). “Everyday Leaders: The Power of Difference”. Leader to Leader, No. 23. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management.http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/winter2002/meyerson.html.

Seifter, H. (2001). “The Conductor-less Orchestra”. Leader to Leader, No. 21. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/summer2001/seifter.html.

Senge, P. (1996). “The Ecology of Leadership”. Leader to Leader, No. 2. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/fall96/senge.html.

Spears, L. C. (2002). “On Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders”. The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. http://www.greenleaf.org/leadership/read-about-it/articles/On-Character-and-Servant-Leaders

Sturman, C. (2002). "Dare to Dream". Leader to Leader, No.23. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/winter2002/sturman.html

Wheatley, M. (1997). “Goodbye, Command and Control”. Leader to Leader, No. 5. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/summer97/wheatley.html.

Wheatley, M. (2001). “Innovation Means Relying on Everyone’s Creativity”. Leader to Leader, No. 20. The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. http://www.pfdf.org/leaderbooks/L2L/spring2001/wheatley.html.