Future Teaching Goals

Being a school leader is a primary goal that Im still working on. Many leaders have certain traits

and perform certain tasks that allow them to be respected by other individuals. If I would like to become a

respected leader at my school, whether at my high school or college, then I need to be knowledgeable

about what it takes to be a good leader.

Effective leaders consider many factors, starting first and foremost, with relationship. A

relationship is so important that many people need to be aware of it before a professional career can take

place. Professional and personable administrators quickly build trusting relationships with staff as well as

students. Lunenburg and Orenstein (2004) state school leaders can accomplish this by clarifying

purpose, encouraging collective learning, aligning with the state standards, providing support and making

data driven decisions. These five dimensions provide a compelling framework for accomplishing

sustained district-wide success for all children. The most important aspect of building relationships

include having the open vision by always working towards focusing on a good relationship versus a poor

relationship. Effective administrators are dynamic, always flexible throughout the day, also being able to

deal with the various logistical aspects and confrontations which arise daily. Most importantly, effective

leaders actively listen. True leaders have the ability to see where the problem lies and be able to read

through the vernacular to focus on a solution.

Another very important aspect of being an effective educator is the ability to understand the

different roles and theories behind educational leadership. Lunenburg and Orenstein believe

transformational leadership focuses on leaders who have exceptional impact on their organization (2004).

These individuals are called transformational leaders. This view of leadership is extremely rare, as

contrasted with the other leadership approaches and management models. One important aspect in

school administration is being flexible; allowing the administration to handle each situation in context.

Situational leadership (Lunenburg and Orenstein, 2004) allows for an administrator to handle the various

types of coaching or criticism necessary to create a positive environment. This positive environment

nurtures the teachers, who, in turn share that nurturance with the children. Efficient leaders examine and
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reflect on what is different about every relationship they have built with every individual person. By

examining relationships the effective administrator compares the similarities and differences between

those relationships and focuses on the aspects of the individual situation. Having the ability to do so and

the wisdom to recognize the variables of that situation allows the outcome to be much more positive. The

effective administrator finds a leadership model that works for them and applies the benefits of that model

to the situation. Using Hershey & Blanchard's Situational Leadership model (Lunenburg and Orenstein,

2004), provides the opportunity for one to use their relationship to mutually benefit both parties involved.

School administrators handle many administrative processes that require various leadership

styles and an understanding of those styles. In order to elicit positive behaviors and positive character

traits from all professionals involved, effective administrators identify the hidden qualities in each member

of the organization. To make the highly effective school a positive working climate, a principal he/she

applies various styles to manage each individual situation differently. He/she focuses on the ability to

make a snap decision with the greatest amount of information necessary. An effective administrator is be

a risk taker. Effective principals have high expectations for all students and enlist support of others in

meeting common goals (Ubben, Hughes and Norris, 2007). The authors continue by stating, the principal

is the one person in the school who can oversee the entire program because of her or his interest in the

success of the entire school as well as all of its parts. Therefore, the principal is in the best position to

provide the necessary sense of direction to the various departments of the school. Effective educational

leaders build a comfortable professional atmosphere and climate to insure a certain level of support, as

well as trust, is felt by all participants. After the fellow educators witness the administrator using

knowledge and facts as a basis for consistent decision making, and perhaps a positive mentor to gain

feedback prior to making politically charged final decisions, a level of trust has been established with the

staff. By having a positive support structure in place an effective leader can provide the necessary

structure, appropriate communication and relationship building opportunities. By increasing the level of

trust enjoyed by people working within the building and by aligning the relationships with a common goal,

the effective leader can make necessary changes to implement crucial curriculum and effectively enforce

mandates given down by the upper level of administration with the least amount of resistance.
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By having strong communication skills, an effective leader, with an open-door policy, is aware of

verbal as well as nonverbal communications by the staff. Building effective communication networks,

allows the effective administrator to deal with parents as well as dealing with change resisters and others

opposed to new ideas. The effective principal finds staff leaders who buy into the change, to help change

the attitudes of the few resisters. Effective leaders show empathy to each person, and deals with that

person on an individual basis, which builds trust in an organization. This allows the relationship between

the administrator and subordinate to grow and flourish to higher levels. When this level of trust is

achieved, the administrator's decisions are not. Leadership is not about who is smarter or tougher, but

about qualities such as motivating, power, empathy, integrity and intuitive abilities; which fall within the

domain of emotional intelligence.

A student would have to focus on the element of relationships equals effective leadership.

Lunenburg and Orenstein (2004) state there are six major categories of leadership, instructional

leadership, transformational leadership, moral leadership participative leadership, contingency leadership

and managerial leadership. Every element involved, regardless of the leadership style used, relationships

are the vital component. No matter which style of leadership a principal chooses or aligns his or her

character with, the principal is still bound by the level of relationship and trust enjoyed.

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References

Lunenburg, F., & Ornstein, A. (2004). Educational Administration: Concepts and

Practices. Belmont,CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.

Ubben. G, Hughes. L, Norris. C. (2007). The Principal: Creative Leadership for

Excellence in Schools. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

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