Leadership styles and theories seem to be a hot topic in our communities and in the world in which we live. Everywhere that you turn there is discussion and opinions on what leadership is and what style of leadership is most effective. Over the past five weeks I have really taken the opportunity to get serious about myself and identify my personal opinions on leadership. I believe that leadership is inherent in each of us but it is up to us to pursue it and to use it. I believe leadership is the ability to direct the actions of a group to a higher cause or a greater/ more successful good. I believe it is more than being a “manager”. I believe that in order to accomplish this, those around the leader must be motivated and encouraged to the appropriate course of action/s. This motivation can come from extrinsic or intrinsic motivation though I believe that intrinsic motivation is longer lasting. Leadership must be modeled to be effective.
In the 9 different assessments that I was able to take I learned quite a bit about myself. These assessments gave me the opportunity to really reflect on my personal leadership style and evaluate my own character. In the task vs. people assessment, I learned that I am definitely a leader that cares about people more than I do about the task. That is not to say that I do not want the best job done but, on the contrary, I am concerned about my colleagues and what is best for my co-workers and sub-ordinates.
My results in the TELSA assessment and Keirsey Temperament Sorter identified that I was good with the administrative duties. I know my business background and my masters in business administration plays a huge role in feeling at ease in administrative and managerial duties. But I believe effective leadership is much more than that. To be a manager is not enough. In education we are not dealing with an inanimate product. We are dealing with children and staff that require motivation. In my motivational assessment, I realized that I am driven intrinsically but still value the importance of extrinsic rewards for others. My ethical disposition and my overall concern for integrity and ethics identified to me that my spiritual standards and desire to do what is inherently right really lead my decisions. I know this plays a big role in my leading of others. I know that I have a concern for my followers and that it does factor into how I accomplish an organizational goal.
I believe that leadership requires excellent communication. This includes listening. I know that both aspects of communicating and listening are extremely important for success. In my opportunity to interview two respected leaders, I heard both of them mention communication as a must for any leader. Stephanie Meshell, the principal of Cypress Ridge and Rich. Dixon, the associate principal made special emphasis on mentioning the skills of communicating and listening as necessary leadership skills. Mrs. Meshell mentioned that communication is a two way street and great leaders display this trait (personal communication, October 19, 2015).
I definitely look up to my two school leaders and fee that my personal beliefs align with theirs. They are great communicators, motivators, and servants. I also have taken time to reflect on other leaders I have admired. Several of the Founding Fathers, several of my basketball colleagues, my mother, and many church and religious leaders have been great examples to me of leaders that I want to pattern my life after. After taking the assessments, interviewing successful leaders, and pondering over my personal beliefs, I believe that my leadership style and theory closely align with the Transformational and Servant leadership theories.
“A Transformational leader enhances the motivation, morale, and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms.” These include modeling, inspiring, aligning, and challenging followers to take ownership of their work and enhance performance. Transformational leadership requires a leader that understands the strengths and weaknesses of their followers. (“Servant & Transformational Leadership”, 2014). Transformational leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. These leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfill his or her potential. Leaders with this style often have high ethical and moral standards (Cherry, 2014).
Servant leadership, described loosely by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, is a theory based on serving and empowering others. Greenleaf (1991) identified vision, influence, credibility, trust and service as important leadership qualities. Additional traits include cooperation, empathy, listening, healing, persuasion, stewardship, building community, commitment, and love (Spears 2004). People follow out of love and gratitude rather than out of compulsion or fear (Zigarelli, 2013)! “Servant-leaders differ from other persons of good will,” Greenleaf (1991) concluded, “because they act on what they believe.” One major tenet of servant leadership proposed by Greenleaf (1991) was that followers of servant leaders would be expected to become “healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous and more likely to become servants themselves”. As a religious person I see Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles as a perfect example of this theory. Christ was a servant leader that helped enable his apostles to become servant leaders themselves.
So where does my leadership style fit between these two theories? “Transformational leaders tend to focus more on organizational objectives while servant leaders focus more on the people who are their followers” (Patterson, Redmer, & Stone 2003). I like to think that my leadership style is a blending of the two. I do want to serve my followers but I want them to become leaders with the organization objectives as their vision or goal. So I see my leadership style as being somewhat of a mix. I see this very evident in my assessments. As mentioned previously, my task vs. people assessment was answered more towards people but my mind tends to focus more on the task. I believe that I can accomplish both. I also noticed that I have high expectations and want to create a learning environment that is positive. I know that as I develop as a leader that my high expectations must be passed on to my colleagues. I know that I want to serve them but I also know that to become a better leader I will have to give them the opportunity to transform themselves. Delegation is one area of my leadership that I know I must get better at and I know that is part of the transformational theory. I know I believe it- I just have to practice it more.
I enjoy the opportunities that I have had to watch leaders from all “walks of life” and see what makes them successful. The leaders that I have most admired and which I seem to gravitate towards are those who have displayed servant leadership. Brigham Young University is where I did my undergraduate work. A famous saying, at the entrance to the campus, sums up part of my leadership theory: “Enter to Learn, Go forth to Serve!” I believe the best leaders are those who serve those who they work with. I believe that I should be a leader that looks to develop those around me and truly help them become better leaders. The work load for all of us will be less and more problems can be solved by the staff. I believe that leading requires integrity, ethics, and an overall desire to do what is best for that individual program.
I have been a basketball coach for 20 years and I always have felt that I wanted my athletes to really believe in what I taught. For example, I believe in a team that works harder than any other and really relies on physical conditioning. I believe it would be hypocritical of me to expect them to work so hard and condition so hard, and then for me not to. So I take the time to condition with them. The players love it. They know that I am in the trenches with them. They seem to be more willing to work for me. I also have a staff of 5 coaches. I value their input and look for opportunities for them to grow. One of my goals is for them to become head coaches themselves. These coaches feel free to offer opinions and advise as needed to improve our program and its success. I believe this will be my same approach as I take on educational leadership roles on a greater scale. I believe this style incorporates the servant leadership approach.
In my previously mentioned opportunity to interview two respected leaders, I heard both of them say that they were there to serve. Mrs. Meshell, stated that she wanted those around her to develop into leaders (personal communication, October 19, 2015). Rich Dixon, talked about surrounding yourself with people that would work hard and challenge you to be your best. And to also not take your word for everything but provide alternative thoughts and outlooks (personal communication, October 19, 2015). I definitely want to make those around me better. I want those around me to have life changing experiences for themselves. I know that I do not have all the answers and would like to surround myself with people that are good at solving problems. I want to develop those around me to strengthen my weaknesses and maybe I in turn, can strengthen theirs. I do not believe in a leader that has nothing but “yes” men. I want to lead with the mentality that I would not ask them to do anything that I would not. This definitely centers on servant and transformational leadership theories. I believe that these two theories and their underlying beliefs have been part of my leadership style all along. I just needed an opportunity, like a leadership class, to see them projected in my actions and personal studies. I will be this kind of leader in all aspects of education.