What makes a professional leader?

There are many ways to examine leadership and what makes superstars in any given field. I'd like to
give you a thumbnail sketch of the traits of leading industrial hygienists, based on the American
Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA) membership classification for "Fellow Member."

First, some background. Fellow status is granted by the board of directors of the AIHA to full members
in good standing who have at least 15 years of continuous membership in the association. A majority of
that time must have been devoted to the practice of industrial hygiene. And nominees must have
significantly contributed to the field.

This is not some kind of old boys club. Nominations are made by a local section, committee, or the
board of directors. Fellows are limited to five percent of the total membership. These are people I
immediately respect when meeting them. Since I serve on the membership committee of the AIHA, I
have the privilege to review nominations. The membership committee makes recommendations to the
board for granting fellow status. I know that there are nominees who didn't make it through the
approval process. Fellows are professionals with true substance.

As mentioned, the minimum qualifying criteria to become an AIHA fellow member includes: (1) AIHA
member in good standing; (2) 15 years of continuous membership in the AIHA; and, (3) Current full
member of AIHA. These criteria are only a starting point. Nominees must demonstrate recognized
contributions in at least three of the following areas:

Original research or invention. Original research is demonstrated by publishing papers in

refereed journals. Some consideration is given to articles in trade journals. The nominee must be
the principal or secondary author.
Work in policy areas.
Technical, scientific or management leadership in industrial hygiene.
Exemplary teaching or work to improving education in industrial hygiene. Documentation is
required. Supporting documentation can include official student evaluations and peer reviews.
Contributions to education can include authoring textbooks; editing IH reference books, such as
Patty's; teaching professional development courses (PDCs) and evaluations from PDCs; and
giving short courses.
Direct contribution to AIHA by serving as an officer, committee member, or conference planner.

As of July '95 there were 41 fellow and fellow honorary members of the AIHA. At this time, another
dozen or so nominees have passed the review process and the board is expected to grant them fellow
member status. Having reviewed all the nomination information, I think I can give my impression of
who these people are.

Personable qualities
The first thing that strikes me when I review a nomination package is the glowing testimonials by
people nominating a person for fellow status. You really get the impression that these people are more
than just admired by their peers out of professional respect. They are admired because they are
probably warm and very personable to begin with. They probably have lots of good and long-lasting
friends. If you didn't know the person before you started reading their background, you'd like to meet
them.
Also, many of the nomination packages show that the candidates are not consumed by constant
thoughts about industrial hygiene. They are not nerdy. They have hobbies, families and are really like
everyone else. They just have an extraordinary talent in industrial hygiene and related subjects.

Almost all nominees have documented their professional successes. Letters of commendation,
certificates of achievements, and other documents that attest to their outstanding ability or special
involvement have been recorded-even documents going back many years. At a glance, you might think
the person is vain. But closer evaluation, I think, shows that these accomplishments are a matter of
pride.

Another point, almost all of the nominees document their successes in a curriculum vitae (academic)
format as opposed to an expanded resume (business) format.

Major contributors
There's no getting around the fact that these people are indeed movers and shakers in the industrial
hygiene field. This is the strongest impression I got from reviewing nominations. Many created the laws
and tools that I have been using and following since I first started practicing industrial hygiene many
years ago. I kept saying to myself as I read over their documents, "I didn't know they did that!" In a
way, I moved like a puppet on a string to some of their actions. It was kind of strange realizing how
some of them significantly influenced my work.

Although the fellow membership is limited to five percent of the total membership there's still room for
many more fellows. If someone you know should be nominated, get the process started. I for one would
like to read more about these kind of folks. Really, they seem like a very interesting group of people.
What the heck, I'll say it: They're probably a bunch of "jolly good fellows!"

The Professional Leader

How would you describe being unprofessional? Perhaps a boss, colleague or client didnt control their
emotions under stress, disrespected others, gossiped, or failed to do what they said they would do
when they said they would do it?

As a leader, how would you handle someone asking for flexible working hours, but then angrily stating
that if they didnt get their own way, then they would leave? In this instance, one manager I know
remained calm, and told their employee that they would consider their request and come back to
them. The next day that same employee apologised for their behaviour and even said that if someone
had spoken to them that way they would have hit the roof! Remaining calm and walking away from the
situation (whether angry or not), allowed both to reflect and avoid a heated conflict situation.

Have you ever sent an email that you regretted later? Or provided excuses for a mistake because you
hadnt given the work your best? We all make mistakes, but learning from them to develop your
professional self is essential.

Or is professionalism about showing your expertise, having certificates and specialist knowledge?
These leaders demonstrate commitment to developing and improving their skills, including self-
awareness and engagement, but not necessarily academic qualifications.

Here are some other considerations for a leader to demonstrate professionalism in the workplace:
Reliability: delivering on promises and managing expectations.
Honest and integrity: leaders are transparent and trusted by their team, peers, bosses and
customers. They will not compromise on their values for doing what is right for the right
reasons.
Learn from mistakes and successes: finding solutions to issues, encouraging an environment for
learning
Learn from others: professional leaders are not afraid to admit they do not know something, and
are happy to ask for help and learn from others expertise.
In control: excellent time management and organizational skills, ensuring that they have all the
information/documentation etc. they need for every meeting or discussion.
Self-aware: accountable for their emotions, thoughts, words and actions. Remain calm, polite
and business-like under stress or in conflict situations.
Respect: for others emotions and opinions, taking into consideration the motivational and
communication needs of others. Not taking credit for others success, but celebrating it.
Manners: even at times of stress, maintaining a high level of manners to no matter who they are
or what their role is.
Dress code: Dressing appropriately to the business expectation and situation.

Professional leaders are respected and valued in any organization, and help provide the working
environment that encourages motivation, engagement and excellent customer service. Its also
important for those wanting to progress their career, and be considered for company initiatives and
promotions.

Be a Professional Leader

What does a professional leader look like? Does it make a difference if I show up to your corporate
office wearing jeans and a hard hat, a white lab coat, or a business suit and heels?

These uniforms might help you guess whether my area of specialization is construction, healthcare,
or business; however, one thing it will not tell you is if I am a professional leader.
How can you recognize a professional leader?
Although professional leaders come from different industries, they are seen as having strong skills.
They conduct themselves in a manner that supports the people in their organization to grow and to
maximize their effectiveness. This creates stronger results.

Three key areas that professional leaders hone and develop are:

Goals

They have a robust vision that is clearly communicated, agreed upon by the team, and then translated
into concrete goals that cascade throughout the organization. They ensure accountability at every step.

People Skills

They have the ability to bring out the best in team members. These skills are coaching, providing
guidance, delegating, asking questions, listening, giving support, dealing with issues expeditiously and
constructively, as well as providing specific feedback.

Motivation

They are adept at setting an environment that inspires people to achieve. This involves developing a
strong self-image, enthusiasm, treating people respectfully, embracing differences, being honest and
showing integrity, involving people in the decisions that affect them, having career discussions, and
asking for input from team members.

A professional leader will excel in all of these areas. If one of the three areas is weak, the desired results
are unlikely to be attained. Consider the impact of a leader who is great with people and provides a
motivational environment, yet cant articulate a clear vision. People might work hard and
enthusiastically, but in the wrong direction, and the results will not be achieved. Similarly, if there is
clear direction and great enthusiasm, but the leader lacks interpersonal skills, the results are unlikely to
be achieved or sustained.

Professional leaders leverage their strengths and work on enhancing those complimentary skills that
support those strengths in order to achieve greater results both personally and through the team. It
takes more than a uniform to be a professional leader.

THE PARADOX OF LEADERSHIP

According to a recent survey, there are more than 15,000 books on leadership in print. Articles on
leadership number in the thousands each year. The obvious conclusions we can draw from these facts
are that there are more books and articles on leadership available than we can ever hope to read and
that leadership clearly is a crucial and abiding topic of interest to countless women and men in society.

Despite the popularity of the topic, leadership remains a paradox. People who seek to understand it by
reading a primer on the topic will inevitably be frustrated and disappointed. Leadership, after all, is an
art, not a science. And leadership is not limited to a professional field or industry, be it corporate,
governmental, military, academic, religious, or service. Leaders transcend the confines of a defining
box.

First of all, leaders are not born but evolve into that role. According to Warren Benis, a noted authority
on leadership, The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are bornthat there is a genetic
factor to leadership. Thats nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.

The magic of leadership was best captured by Lao Tzu: A leader is best when people barely know he
exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. This is the art of
leadership at its best: the art that conceals art.

Leadership is a protean art that defies a simple definition. It can take the form of a brash command
and control style epitomized by General George S. Patton: Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.

Or it can take a subtler form of leadership as exemplified by Nelson Mandela: It is better to lead from
behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You
take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
Perhaps President John F. Kennedy put it best when he observed, Leadership and learning are
indispensable to each other. Leaders learn to become leaders, and they continue to learn in their role
as leaders.

Professional Development & the Teacher Leader

By: Jordan Catapano

A teacher leader is a teacher who leads colleagues toward positive change, either through traditional
professional development means or as part of more grass-roots efforts. This teacher still maintains
normal classroom responsibilities; however, they also become proactive in making their school not
just their class a better place. And the good news is that schools benefit enormously when their
teachers step into these informal leadership and professional development roles.

Professional Development: Who Can Be a Leader?

A teacher leader can have a formal or informal role in their school. Formally, teacher leaders might be
department chairs, committee members, head coaches, team leaders, union reps, or other officially
recognized positions.

But at the same time, there are always those informal leaders in any organization who have that
personal magnetism that designates them as a leader. They have no formal title, but the reputation
theyve earned and they way they conduct themselves makes them the type of teacher who others
instinctively look to.

Ultimately, any teacher can be a leader, even in a small regard. Anytime someone steps up to make
decision, implement an idea, or just share an example of making a better impact on their students,
they are a teacher leader.

Every organization needs strong leadership to function. But also, many organizations have a
stratification that separates the top-level decision makers from the ground-level workers. This is
especially true in schools, when administrators have often not taught in the classroom in years and
have questionable insights into the needs of their teachers.

And at the same time, any organization especially schools functions better when there are formal
and informal leaders taking steps to operate and improve the organization. When teachers take the
initiative to care about more than just their class and their students, big differences can be made.

First, teachers tenure at an institution often outlasts that of any administrator. Administrators even
ones that lead for decades dont often stay in the same position comparable to the 20-35 years a
teacher might put into an organization. This fact alone implies that teachers should feel more
ownership and responsibility over their school.

Also, teachers actually possess more credibility when it comes to implementing changes in their school.
Administrators can set goals and mandate changes, but that is only the boss telling the employees
what to do. Teachers may do it, but the support, understanding, and ownership might not follow.
However, when a teacher works among their own colleagues to establish a vision and lead, teachers
see this as a peer-to-peer horizontal goal and are more likely to accept it. This presents a For us, by
us perception that can potentially go much further.

Finally, teachers can just know their own needs best. If they are the ones working at the ground level of
education every day, theyre the ones who see the problems, needs, and solutions that administrators
may not have the same advantage of perceiving. If teachers know teachers needs, then it makes sense
that the teachers are the advocates for leading change as well.

The Mind of a Teacher Leader

The first difference between a teacher and a teacher leader is how they view their school. A teacher
often possesses a staunch My classroom, my students mentality. This mentality focuses on how a
teacher can best serve the students entrusted to them, and it implies a high degree of ownership over
their classroom, curriculum, and student success.

The teacher leader, on the other hand, thinks Our students, our school. This mentality embraces a
bigger picture. Instead of strictly thinking about their individual classrooms, their focus is on the entire
system that facilitates their teaching. While the teacher rightly feels ownership and responsibility for
their classroom, the teacher leader feels ownership and responsibility over the school.

This mentality inspires the teacher leader to do a few things that the ordinary teacher might not:

First, they share. When something works well in their classroom, they are willing to help lead
others to replicate that success.
Second, they collaborate with a team-oriented mindset. Teachers often feel like private
contractors who do some give and take to get what they want. But a leader understands that
when the success of the team trumps the success of the individual every time.
Third, they envision it better. When the teacher leader looks at their school, they reflect on what
problems exist or what aspects might work even better. This does not lead to complaining
complaining is the job of someone who doesnt want improvement. The teacher leader can see
how improvements can be made and then takes realistic steps to achieve them.
Fourth, they take on responsibilities beyond just their contractual obligations. The phrase Thats
not my job doesnt come from a teacher leaders lips often. Instead, if theres an opportunity to
get behind a good cause in the school, they like to participate in that. Even without extra pay.

The list could go further theres no limit to how teachers can become leaders in their schools. Teacher
leaders begin to assume the same characteristics of any other formal leader. They strive for a better
tomorrow, and create a vision and action plan that helps coalesce others into a unified team. They love
to listen, learn, collaborate, mediate, discuss, convince, and facilitate.

How to Become a Teacher Leader

Becoming a teacher leader comes with the same challenges as any other leadership position. But youll
also experience many of the same rewards as long as youre not in it for the money.

Becoming a teacher leader is not difficult at all, but it requires a few simple behaviors:

Be as excellent a teacher as you can be. Theres no point in trying to change the world if you
pay little attention to your own primary responsibility of teaching.
Identify problems, weaknesses, or opportunities. Every school can be a little better. Where do
you see a need? Be willing to call it like it is and be a proactive part of a solution.
Create concrete, realistic plans. We can all dream big, but few can create the realistic, step-by-
step solutions necessary to make a dream into a reality. Take time to develop specific, practical
steps along a realistic, practical timeline.
Do the work. Winston Churchill said, Responsibility is the price of greatness. If you desire to
lead, be the first one to put on your work gloves and dig in.
Share your vision, and LISTEN. Youll go nowhere on your own. You, army of one, are useless on
your own. Have a vision, but listen carefully to what others think, feel, and need.
Be a professional, always. When unprofessional behavior like complaining, gossiping, taking
shortcuts, missing responsibilities, and just producing poor work sneak into your life, it
undercuts everything else you might be aspiring towards.

Being a leader of teachers is no easy task. But once you commit to having the mentality and assuming
the responsibility of the teacher leader, then you are offering your services for the continual betterment
of your school. And you know, as a teacher leader, that as your school improves, so too does its overall
impact on your students. So will you answer the call? Will you step out and lead? Will you broaden your
sphere of influence? We need you to lead us.

Ten Roles for Teacher Leaders

Cindy Harrison and Joellen Killion

The ways teachers can lead are as varied as teachers themselves.

Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success. Whether these
roles are assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school's capacity to improve.
Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their peers.

So what are some of the leadership options available to teachers? The following 10 roles are a sampling
of the many ways teachers can contribute to their schools' success.
1. Resource Provider
Teachers help their colleagues by sharing instructional resources. These might include Web sites,
instructional materials, readings, or other resources to use with students. They might also share such
professional resources as articles, books, lesson or unit plans, and assessment tools.

Tinisha becomes a resource provider when she offers to help Carissa, a new staff member in her second
career, set up her classroom. Tinisha gives Carissa extra copies of a number line for her students to
use, signs to post on the wall that explain to students how to get help when the teacher is busy, and
the grade-level language arts pacing guide.

2. Instructional Specialist
An instructional specialist helps colleagues implement effective teaching strategies. This help might
include ideas for differentiating instruction or planning lessons in partnership with fellow teachers.
Instructional specialists might study research-based classroom strategies (Marzano, Pickering, &
Pollock, 2001); explore which instructional methodologies are appropriate for the school; and share
findings with colleagues.

When his fellow science teachers share their frustration with students' poorly written lab reports, Jamal
suggests that they invite several English teachers to recommend strategies for writing instruction. With
two English teachers serving as instructional specialists, the science teachers examine a number of lab
reports together and identify strengths and weaknesses. The English teachers share strategies they use
in their classes to improve students' writing.

3. Curriculum Specialist
Understanding content standards, how various components of the curriculum link together, and how to
use the curriculum in planning instruction and assessment is essential to ensuring consistent
curriculum implementation throughout a school. Curriculum specialists lead teachers to agree on
standards, follow the adopted curriculum, use common pacing charts, and develop shared
assessments.

Tracy, the world studies team leader, works with the five language arts and five social studies teachers
in her school. Using standards in English and social studies as their guides, the team members agree to
increase the consistency in their classroom curriculums and administer common assessments. Tracy
suggests that the team develop a common understanding of the standards and agrees to facilitate the
development and analysis of common quarterly assessments.

4. Classroom Supporter
Classroom supporters work inside classrooms to help teachers implement new ideas, often by
demonstrating a lesson, coteaching, or observing and giving feedback. Blase and Blase (2006) found
that consultation with peers

enhanced teachers' self-efficacy (teachers' belief in their own abilities and capacity to
successfully solve teaching and learning problems) as they reflected on practice and grew
together, and it also encouraged a bias for action (improvement through collaboration) on the
part of teachers. (p. 22)

Marcia asks Yolanda for classroom support in implementing nonlinguistic representation strategies,
such as graphic organizers, manipulatives, and kinesthetic activities (Marzano et al., 2001). Yolanda
agrees to plan and teach a lesson with Marcia that integrates several relevant strategies. They ask the
principal for two half-days of professional release time, one for learning more about the strategy and
planning a lesson together, and the other for coteaching the lesson to Marcia's students and discussing
it afterward.

5. Learning Facilitator
Facilitating professional learning opportunities among staff members is another role for teacher leaders.
When teachers learn with and from one another, they can focus on what most directly improves student
learning. Their professional learning becomes more relevant, focused on teachers' classroom work, and
aligned to fill gaps in student learning. Such communities of learning can break the norms of isolation
present in many schools.

Frank facilitates the school's professional development committee and serves as the committee's
language arts representative. Together, teachers plan the year's professional development program
using a backmapping model (Killion, 2001). This model begins with identifying student learning needs,
teachers' current level of knowledge and skills in the target areas, and types of learning opportunities
that different groups of teachers need. The committee can then develop and implement a professional
development plan on the basis of their findings.
6. Mentor
Serving as a mentor for novice teachers is a common role for teacher leaders. Mentors serve as role
models; acclimate new teachers to a new school; and advise new teachers about instruction,
curriculum, procedure, practices, and politics. Being a mentor takes a great deal of time and expertise
and makes a significant contribution to the development of a new professional.

Ming is a successful teacher in her own 1st grade classroom, but she has not assumed a leadership role
in the school. The principal asks her to mentor her new teammate, a brand-new teacher and a recent
immigrant from the Philippines. Ming prepares by participating in the district's three-day training on
mentoring. Her role as a mentor will not only include helping her teammate negotiate the district,
school, and classroom, but will also include acclimating her colleague to the community. Ming feels
proud as she watches her teammate develop into an accomplished teacher.

7. School Leader
Being a school leader means serving on a committee, such as a school improvement team; acting as a
grade-level or department chair; supporting school initiatives; or representing the school on community
or district task forces or committees. A school leader shares the vision of the school, aligns his or her
professional goals with those of the school and district, and shares responsibility for the success of the
school as a whole.

Joshua, staff sponsor of the student council, offers to help the principal engage students in the school
improvement planning process. The school improvement team plans to revise its nearly 10-year-old
vision and wants to ensure that students' voices are included in the process. Joshua arranges a daylong
meeting for 10 staff members and 10 students who represent various views of the school experience,
from nonattenders to grade-level presidents. Joshua works with the school improvement team
facilitator to ensure that the activities planned for the meeting are appropriate for students so that
students will actively participate.

8. Data Coach
Although teachers have access to a great deal of data, they do not often use that data to drive
classroom instruction. Teacher leaders can lead conversations that engage their peers in analyzing and
using this information to strengthen instruction.

Carol, the 10th grade language arts team leader, facilitates a team of her colleagues as they look at the
results of the most recent writing sample, a teacher-designed assessment given to all incoming 10th
grade students. Carol guides teachers as they discuss strengths and weaknesses of students' writing
performance as a group, as individuals, by classrooms, and in disaggregated clusters by race, gender,
and previous school. They then plan instruction on the basis of this data.

9. Catalyst for Change

Teacher leaders can also be catalysts for change, visionaries who are never content with the status
quo but rather always looking for a better way (Larner, 2004, p. 32). Teachers who take on the catalyst
role feel secure in their own work and have a strong commitment to continual improvement. They pose
questions to generate analysis of student learning.

In a faculty meeting, Larry expresses a concern that teachers may be treating some students differently
from others. Students who come to him for extra assistance have shared their perspectives, and Larry
wants teachers to know what students are saying. As his colleagues discuss reasons for low student
achievement, Larry challenges them to explore data about the relationship between race and discipline
referrals in the school. When teachers begin to point fingers at students, he encourages them to
examine how they can change their instructional practices to improve student engagement and
achievement.

10. Learner
Among the most important roles teacher leaders assume is that of learner. Learners model continual
improvement, demonstrate lifelong learning, and use what they learn to help all students achieve.

Manuela, the school's new bilingual teacher, is a voracious learner. At every team or faculty meeting,
she identifies something new that she is trying in her classroom. Her willingness to explore new
strategies is infectious. Other teachers, encouraged by her willingness to discuss what works and what
doesn't, begin to talk about their teaching and how it influences student learning. Faculty and team
meetings become a forum in which teachers learn from one another. Manuela's commitment to and
willingness to talk about learning break down barriers of isolation that existed among teachers.

Roles for All

Teachers exhibit leadership in multiple, sometimes overlapping, ways. Some leadership roles are formal
with designated responsibilities. Other more informal roles emerge as teachers interact with their
peers. The variety of roles ensures that teachers can find ways to lead that fit their talents and
interests. Regardless of the roles they assume, teacher leaders shape the culture of their schools,
improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers.