History is sated with some of our forefathers’ dreams and aspirations. Many of whom are now considered great leaders. Several of these dreams were realized either while these great leaders were alive or after they died. It should be borne in mind that these aspirations were materialized because of firm beliefs and philosophies which were indoctrinated into the minds and crafted on the brains of their followers. “I have a dream” as laid down in the profound speech of Martin Luther King Jr. in August 1963; Ghandi’s belief of a changed Indian society; Nelson Mandela’s firm belief in freedom, to name a few, were realized decades after. However, undoubtedly these beliefs ‘dictated actions’, Bennett (2009). Though not a great philosopher or freedom fighter, it is without question that there are certain beliefs and philosophies that have informed my actions and belief system. Without these “anchors” it would be within reason to purport that leaders would be easily misguided and swayed by the “tide”. Beliefs and philosophies are therefore an integral part of any leadership.
Beliefs and philosophy conceptualized
One’s belief can be described as a conviction that influences one’s action. Further, it bolsters ones vision for fruition. Bennett (2009) offers that belief is “embedded in the mind and heart”. Moreover, “they are the root of purpose and action”.
A leadership philosophy is the way leaders view themselves as leaders. This philosophy guides actions, behaviours, and thoughts. Leadership philosophies like beliefs can change as leaders grow to understand themselves within the context of leading. Most importantly, creating or
finding one’s leadership philosophy means that one must explore and reflect upon personal values, as...
... middle of paper ...
... behaviour in construction. Chichester: Wiley- Blackwell
Bennett,T. (2008). The true definition of belief. Retrieved from http://leadershipinc.com/the-true-
definition-of-belief/493
Kehler, K. (2013). Nine principals of effective leadership. Retrieved from
http://powertochange.com/discover/world/effectiveleadership/
Lunenburg, F. & Ornstein, A. (2004). Educational Administration: Concepts and Practices (4th ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning
Lunenburg, F. & Ornstein, A. (2008). Educational Administration: Concepts and Practices (6th ed.). USA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning
Spears, L. (2005).The understanding and practices of servant- leadership. Retrieved from http://regent.edu/acad/global/publications/sl_proceedings/2005/spears_practice.pdf
Seyfarth, J. (2008). Human resource leadership for effective schools (5th ed.). New York: Pearson
A Race to the Bottom is a highly informative article detailing a study conducted by Arthur Levine. It relates to the quality of educational administration programs across various college and university campuses. This analysis will discuss the core concepts, logic, contexts, arguments and justifications, major points, and state my personal evaluation of the article.
The chapter “Clarify What’s Important to you” introduces several successful leaders and many praiseworthy values to me. Although each leader comes from different environments and possesses different characters, all of them keep their precious values in mind and persist in chasing their ideal lives. Even if each value can be interpreted by different meanings, they all lead encourage individuals to become better.
Kennedy, Mike. "Top Ten: Issues Impacting School Administrators." American School & University. American School and University, 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Garner, C.W. (2004). Education Finance for School Leaders: Strategic Planning and Administration. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
According to Blase, Blase, and Phillips (2010) educational leaders in high preforming schools effectively balance administrative and instructional leadership and provide stability, predictability and support. The current paradigm of educational leadership is management of facility, budget, school safety, and student discipline. Administrators must place more emphasis on methods to balance the responsibility of instructional leadership. It will require effective leadership characterized by their ability to redesign their schools into an effective organization. This can be done by a leader’s willingness to take risk. Risk taking would involve the leaders’ commitment to work collaboratively with teachers to set school wide and classroom goals suited to meet the unique needs of the students. It would require educational leaders to refuse to adopt a manufactured educational program but to make a commitment to their students and teachers to create a learning environment that is unique and relevant. Educational leaders would evaluate teachers on the effectiveness of their instructional practices. Each teacher would be held accountable for data that supports the need for goals developed for their classroom and methods used to track progress, use of instructional strategies, how assessment will be incorporated to drive instruction and monitor learning, and the effective use of assessment
This case study is a situation from Case Studies on Educational Administration (Kowalski, 2011). The background information is listed below.
David M.Quinn The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA April 2002 Journal Of Educational Administration, Vol.40 No.5,2002.pp 447-467
Leaders are role models for those around them, a collection of experiences and moral values. Passion, purpose, and people are the foundation of what it means to be a team and a professional. Without the proper motivations and guidance, even the most determined can fall short of success. My leadership philosophy is with the premise of the principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. Professional conduct is demonstrated through work ethic, patience, and humility, others will be motivated to give more than just themselves. Two simple rules provide a guideline. First, everything you promise to complete do it to the greatest of your abilities. Second, never impede on the accomplishments or successes of others.
3)David Watkins (2000) Learning and Teaching: A cross-cultural perspective, School Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organization, 20:2,161-173
Developing a personal philosophy of leadership is essential for every leader to establish prior to becoming a leader. A leader should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses and then develop a philosophy that would best compliment that leader’s personality traits and strengths as a person. Leaders need to have their personal philosophy established prior to becoming a leader because once you are in a position of leadership it is time to lead others, not time to determine what philosophy would be best used to lead. I truly believe that a personal philosophy of leadership should be fluid as the leader continues to learn about leadership and people throughout the leader’s career but the four core principles of integrity, ethics, positive attitude and honesty must remain constant.
People take for granted every day that at times they are both leader and follower. Typically, we do not subscribe to a philosophical statement on how we lead. In kind, we do not advertise what type of follower we will be. Perhaps the way we follow depends on the leader. Maybe the way we lead depends on influences and environments we have been exposed to or values and beliefs we hold. It is unusual for a person to be asked to define their leadership philosophy. Most do not realize that theories, approaches, and/or styles of leadership exist. I believe we all develop a unique style of leadership, yet, I feel the way in which it is applied will solely depend on whom the person is. For me, two approaches seemed applicable – Adaptive Leadership
Throughout my life, my experiences and role models have shaped my understanding of leadership. I believe leadership is responsibly guiding and motivating others to use both my strengths and their own to obtain success. My personal leadership philosophy is guided by my core values of my family, relationships, loyalty, harmony, and responsibility. My ever-changing definition of philosophy helps my leadership and decision making routinely. New experience’s and external forces effect my translation of leadership daily which, in turn, helps shape me into a successful leader.
Daniel, K. (1995). The Learning and Teaching Environment. Available: http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/research/CMC/andrea95/node4.html. Last accessed 29 OCT 2011.
Leaders can have a powerful impact on the futures of many, and the way in which one approaches leadership is paramount to the type of impact one will have. Continual growth in the areas of knowledge I have and seek to acquire, as well as recognizing my leadership style and utilizing my personal strengths to the fullest, is vital to the successful implementation of my personal philosophy of leadership.
Levak, D. H. (б.д.). Educational Leadership. Personalizing Schools . Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.