Characteristics of an Effective Leader Essay

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Leader

An important part of the job of a public school principal is to set a tone for others -- teachers, administrators, counselors and staff -- not just by producing memos and holding meetings, but also through his or her leadership and on-the-job performance. Leadership at this level of school administration is vital in terms of providing motivation and by setting an example. Leadership also entails the basic fundamentals of management; schools aren't businesses, but on the other hand running a school with a consciousness that emulates good business practices means being accountable for everything that goes on.

Meanwhile, by shadowing my principal for a few days I have been able to witness and record a number of leadership qualities that she exhibits.

Ten characteristics of leadership I discovered while shadowing my principal

ONE: I found that this principal conducts daily business similar to what Drs. Alex Schneider and Neil Burton describe on page 8 of their article -- "Education management should emphasize educational goals rather than managerial ends" (Schneider, et al., 2005). In other words, a principal's job is to manage people but within the context of education and learning, it's a different kind of management. She is more flexible than an executive in a corporation, she says, emphasizing her attention to events that may not turn out precisely as originally intended.

TWO: This principal is clearly very well organized. In the morning before school starts she has a list (on an erasable board in her office) of meetings she is obliged to attend during the day. Under each meeting she lists materials and reports she should take with her. In her computer (under "Reminders") she has events she is supposed to attend (including PTA meetings, parent-teacher conferences she has been asked to sit in on, birthdays of various teachers and staff members, anniversaries of important events in the history of public education in America).

THREE: In the Schneider piece, the authors assert that "management" in a public school is more appropriately the task of assistant principals. "Leaders construct vision and strategies" and "managers implement them" (Schneider, 8). In my principal's case, the two assistant principals manage discipline, truancy, attendance and urgent parental concerns, while the principal visits classrooms on a daily basis, works outside during the lunch period, sets the agenda for teacher meetings and interacts with the district office and the community.

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FOUR: Is my principal a transformational or transactional leader? I wondered that prior to shadowing her, but I soon discovered she was a transformational leader because she believes in creative change and bringing in new ideas for discussion. Transactional leadership "…targets management functions," according to Kaye Pepper, writing in the journal Planning and Changing. My principal is opposed to teachers focusing on test scores (notwithstanding No Child Left Behind); rather, she wants teachers to emphasize learning the fundamentals (math, science, history, and reading) and learning how to solve problems.

FIVE: When it comes to decision-making, my principal wastes very little time, especially if it is a decision that doesn't require research or consultation with others. Her instincts are sharp and she knows how to get things done -- and expects that what she asks others to do will get done promptly.

SIX: This principal is very responsive to questions and matters of importance brought to her attention, no matter who it is. A boy in the hallway stops her and tells her another boy has been bullying girls during lunch. She immediately instructed a vice principal (though a text) to observe that boy during lunch and to pay strict attention to this problem.

SEVEN: The image of the school is important to my principal, and she insists that teachers dress appropriately, which emphasizes neatness, shirts tucked in, clean, pressed trousers for male teachers and conventional outfits for female teachers. I overheard a male teacher offering an opinion that the principal was too strict, but in fact the staff looked very professional.

EIGHT: This principal shares decision-making with teachers as part of her emphasis on transformational leadership. This approach "…energizes school faculty and staff by building….....

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