LEADERSHIP STYLE

Leadership Style

Leadership Style

In our times of innovation and change, my personal leadership style involves a great deal of flexibility in order to lead in messy times. I have strived to create an environment that is warm and inviting as well as nurturing. As Michael Fullen states in his book, Leading in a Culture of Change, I want to “foster leadership in others, thereby making themselves dispensable in the long run”. I want to be a leader of leaders or a leader producer.

In the chaos field of education, we will be tackled with many daily problems. I agree with the Heifetz in that we need to learn as leaders how to mobilize people to tackle “…tough problems”. Leadership is not so much in the solutions but in getting people to identify problems and mobilize them to address those problems. The book goes on to discuss convergence of many ideas and skills to be effective. The one type of leader is no longer effective in addressing many types of problems. I have added convergence as a descriptor of my leadership styles and will revisit that later.

Another component that is an important part of my leadership style is the ability to understand change. In my observation, change is a given. We are in a fast changing environment so therefore to manage it more effectively, as a leader, I must accept it. My style in order to blend well the costiveness of moral purpose is to embrace a more Affiliative approach. I like the idea of us as teachers and administrators working together; being on the same page. The book coins a term of “reculturing” (Phillips, 2003). To me, this falls under analyzing the changes that are occurring within a school, assessing those changes, having the knowledge to tweak as needed and seeking ...