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Leading Through Service

Leading Through Service:

Personal Philosophy on Educational Leadership

Gayle Kimbrough

The University of Mount Union

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Leading Through Service

Leading Through Service:

Personal Philosophy on Educational Leadership

To be an educational leader is not a task for the faint of heart and requires

more than a cognitive set of leadership skills acquired through careful study and

practice. I believe that to be an extraordinary educational leader, I must posses

focus and a sense of calm that will sustain me through challenges, changes, and

stressors beyond my control. I must be able to marry systematic and proven

leadership skills with the intuitive art of leading people. I must possess integrity and

strength, and I must have trust in myself, my decisions, and the people whom I will

be leading. It requires a clearly defined focus and a strong internal voice. Although I

am fallible, I must hold myself to the standards of excellence that I expect to

cultivate with my colleagues in order to create a culture of success. Furthermore, I

must be willing to reflect on my successes as well as my failures. Finally, in order for

me to be an excellent educational leader, I must possess humility and the belief that:

in leading, I will serve.

The foundation of any good leader requires a set of skills that, although basic,

are essential for success. The skills that are necessary at the bottom level for any

kind of effective leadership are precise communication, effective organization,

strong technology skills, and an extensive knowledge of the field. It is imperative, as

a leader, to be able to communicate accurately, consistently, and purposefully with

staff, students, parents, and community partners. Without the ability to

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Leading Through Service

communicate effectively, the best of intentions will never reach fruition. Without

understanding, there is no action.

I have observed breakdowns in communication that create confusion, chaos, and

erode confidence in the system. Additionally, without a clear sense of organization

for information AND materials, time will be wasted on unnecessary searching. For

every person, there is a unique style of organization, and as low-level as it may

sound, I do not believe I can be an excellent leader without a solid system in place

for processing, storing, and retrieving important resources. This is a natural segue

to technology, which even for those who are less confident, is a very manageable

skill to learn and is imperative in todays world of education. We must utilize

technology with purposeful intention in the interest of time, money, and reporting

requirements. Finally, without question, an excellent educational leader has a real,

360-degree approach to understanding the field. Although I do not believe leaders

need to have served in every capacity of those whom they lead, it is important for

people to know that their leaders understand the daily challenges, frustrations, and

nuances of their jobs. I believe that educational leaders need to be advocates for our

profession and our students. Without a solid understanding of all facets of the work

we do in schools, an educational leader may still be effective, but not excellent.

The soft skills necessary for outstanding school leadership are what make the

job a blend of science and art or skills and intuition, and these are what distinguish a

good leader from a great leader. The aforementioned fundamental knowledge and

skill-base is necessary for effective leadership, but without some of the less tangible
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Leading Through Service

pieces of leadership, I do not believe I could ever achieve excellence. As a leader, I

must always remember that I am leading people: people who have stories,

strengths, weaknesses, fears, and frustrations. Whether I am leading my students,

my colleagues or my very own children, I must realize that fair is not always equal

and that each person deserves to be treated as an individual. My messages and

approach must be tailored to my audience. As a teacher, I have had to be cognizant

of different skill sets in my classrooms and different emotional needs of my

students, which result in differentiated instruction to meet the needs of each of

them. As a counselor, I know that each person who walks through my door is

entering with a unique reality, and I must be respectful and aware of that as I

customize my approach to what he/she needs at that precise moment. In a similar

vein, I know that the staff I will be leading will be the same. I must be present and

authentic, as well as likeable and admirable. It is hard to follow someone who we do

not respect or like. I understand, extraordinarily well, that I cannot, and will not, be

liked by everyone, nor is it something I aspire to, but I do aspire to achieve the

respect of those whom I lead.

Above all, I believe that I will need to maintain a sense of servitude in my

leadership. I know there are many types of successful leaders as well as leadership

styles, and I am also keenly aware of my own strengths and weakness. I want to

have a platform to make changes, not to promote a personal agenda or assuage a

fragile ego, but to be able to work for a greater good and the belief that as a

collective group of people we can make amazing impacts on student success. This is
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Leading Through Service

what drives me, and by keeping this as my focus, I know it will guide me in the times

of challenge, change, and stress.