Dorothy Mcferrin: An Authentic Leader

This semester, we learned specific ways to build our leadership capabilities by reading “How Remarkable Women Lead” by Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston, researching Boston women leaders, interviewing a present day woman leader, and reading a group book. Throughout all of these resources and research, common themes of how to be a successful leader emerged. Not only did I learn more about leadership in general, but I also found ways to improve my own leadership without going too much out of my comfort zone. The important lessons of leading with perseverance, framing, and an activist's mindset thoroughly influenced my identity as a leader and gave me new tactics to grow as a person.

Achieving a school district’s mission and vision requires the commitment of its stakeholders. In order to involve them in the process, it is necessary for educational leaders to “motivate staff, parents, students, board and community members” (Educational Leadership Constituencies Council, 2002, p. 4). The transformational leadership theory emphasizes the importance of educational leaders acting as role-models in order to motivate and inspire the school community. This approach has the potential to involve all stakeholders, leading to increased student success (Bush, 2007). The Assistant Director of Special Education in Northwest ISD directly supervised the school district’s assessment staff. Her education, experience, and passion set an example for her subordinates, stimulating them to achieve more, leading to her promotion to Executive Director of Student Services.

Who school leaders are – what they do, attend to, or seem to appreciate is constantly watched by students, teachers, parents, and members of the community. Their interests and actions send powerful messages. They signal the values they hold. Above all else, leaders are cultural “teachers” in the best sense of the word. (Deal & Peterson, 1990, p. 201)

Austin being a leader instead of a manager is how she leads and inspires not only her students, but other faculty members as well (Wren, 1995, p. 8-10). There was a time when I attended the Virginia High School League States Debate Competition with my debate coach, another Midlothian High School English teacher (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). During one of the round breaks, my coach and I happened to get on the topic of English teacher (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). It was then that my coach raved about Mrs. Austin and the personal impact she has had on his own teaching methods and ways to motivate students that are dragged down by SOL tests and public school standards (Cheatham, personal communication, April 20, 2014). In this experience, Mrs. Austin solidified her leadership capabilities of motivating and inspiring anyone around her to work harder and be better at anything one does. Overall, Mrs. Austin knows how to properly handle coping with change. She knows how to be a leader, not a manager (Wren, 1995, p.

Dorothy McFerrin’s answers during our interview about being an authentic leader confirmed my perception of her authenticity. Her commitment to community service and her unending dedication to seeking opportunities to better those communities was inspiring. I was overwhelmed with excitement in the fact that she would take the time to answer questions to help a Texas A&M student complete an assignment. Just another example of her taking the time to communicate and lead through focusing on the needs of others. I am grateful for this learning experience and her focus on taking risk and generating small wins has motivated me to want to step out and serve others. I appreciate her convictions to her values and I could be an authentic follower because

A community college leadership crisis endures; within the next fifteen years, ninety percent of the community college presidents are expected to retire (McNair, 2015). To remain viable, United States community colleges need an influx of self-motivated, visionary leaders. Currently, there is a gap in leadership; (Anderson, 2014, Claus, 2013, Eddy, 2013, Hannum, 2015, Jones, 2014, Leist, 2013, McArdle, 2013, McFadden, 2013, McNair, 2015, Tunheim, 2015), quality leadership (Anderson, 2014, Ayers, 2015, Claus, 2012, Cornacchione, 2013, Dahlvig, 2013, De-Frank, 2014, Eddy, 2013, Enke, 2014, Floyd, 2016, Fujii, 2014, Gardner, 2013, Goltz, 2013, Grasmick, 2012, Hannum, 2015, Jones, 2015, Kearney, 2013, Leist, 2013, McArdle, 2013, McFadden, 2013, McNair, 2015, Morley, 2013, Myran, 2013, Tartari, 2015, and Tekniepe, 2014), and gender leadership (Catalyst, 2013, Claus, 2012, Cornacchione, 2013, Dahlvig, 2013, De-Frank, 2014, Eddy, 2013, Eddy, 2015, Enke, 2014, Floyd, 2016, Fujii, 2014, Gardner, 2013, Goltz, 2013, Grasmick, 2012, Hannum, 2015, Jones, 2015, Lennon, 2013, Morley, 2013 & 2014, Ortega, 2014 and Tartari, 2015), which is related to the gender wage gap (Claus, 2012, Cornacchione, 2013, Dahlvig, 2013, Enke, 2014, Goltz, 2013, Lennon, 2013, Morley, 2014, Tartari, 2015, Tekle, 2012, Pitts, 2014, and Bell, 2014).

Servant leadership is key- Educational leaders must have the interests of the children as their main concern. Hall’s use of fear to achieve results created a bigger problem within the school district rather than solving it. Listening to teachers’ difficulties and working directly with those inside individual schools will help leaders identify and solve problems, as Errol and Castarphen have done and will continue doing.

I am fortunate to have been given an opportunity to participate in prestigious organizations that have helped me develop my leadership skills. Throughout junior year I participated in New Century Leadership with the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. I was blessed to connect with students from various schools in the area and visit organizations across Lubbock County that makes West Texas unique. Being able to gain knowledge about the components of Lubbock that do not receive the receive they deserve provided me with a new appreciation for my

A vital individual when it comes to initiating change is the person willing to take action in order to construct something different. A person willing to own the outcome and lead the change is the critical element in producing change. Without the leader of change stepping up and accepting responsibility, all others have is an awareness of the problems that exist, therefore, change doesn’t transpire. There are countless people who are constantly eager to share all of the items which they believe need to change, with anyone who will listen. There are far fewer who are willing to step up and lead that change. Teacher leaders have the vision to generate change in their schools, and are a vital asset to change. Catalytic leaders are needed throughout schools in order to make change happen. Leaders with an expertise in the area of change are authentic, initiative, and influential.

Since August of 2015, I have had the privilege of working with an incredible leader in Andrea Williams, principal of Theresa Bunker Elementary School. She is the epitome of a well-rounded leader who exemplifies all of the qualities of a leader as described by House’s path-goal theory of leadership. Mrs. Williams works diligently each day to create a productive work environment. She is direct when she needs to be and is extremely respected by her faculty as a fair leader. As I have observed her over the past two years I have seen her leadership skills in action. I have been extremely impressed with her drive, passion, fairness, supportiveness and ability to create a positive climate and culture that makes work a

The authors are as followed: Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn, and Donna M. Gollnick. Hall is a Professor of Urban Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Quinn is a full professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, and Gollnick is the Chief Academic Officer of TEACH-NOW, an online education program in Washinton, DC. This all points to experience and credibility. All authors are collegiate professors, as well as Quinn and Gollnick are specialized in education. This gives the article credibility, strength, and is not bias.

In Moral Leadership, Sergiovanni shows how creating a new leadership practice--one with a moral dimension built around purpose, values, and beliefs--can transform a school from just an organization to a community. He believes that this "community" can inspire the kinds of commitment, devotion, and service from all stakeholders that can make our schools great. Sergiovanni explains the importance of justifying emotion and getting in touch with basic values and connections with others. He reveals how true collegiality, based on shared work and common goals, leads to an interdependence occurring naturally among

Marzano, McNulty and Waters propose five steps for a plan of effective school leadership. The first step is developing a leadership team with purpose. The definition used for a purposeful community is one with the collective efficacy and capability to develop and use assets to accomplish goals that mater to all community members through agreed-upon process (Marzano, et. al, 2005). The second step is distributing some responsibilities throughout the leadership team. The third step is to select the right work. The fourth step is to identify the order of magnitude implied by the selected work. The last step is to match the management style to the order of magnitude of the change initiative. The last step incorporates whether this is first or second order change.

Over the years, I have worn many educator hats such as a Director of Resource, classroom teacher, Head Start teacher, special’s teacher, and as a teacher’s aide. My leadership experiences have not been ones in an administrative role, but I have had leadership experiences both informal and formal in nature. My years as a professional educator with a Virginia Collegiate Professional license has allowed me to teach in public settings as well as Catholic schools, at many different grade levels and for me, all of those experiences have influenced my leadership skills.

One of the topics in organizational development today is leadership. Leadership is what individuals do to mobilize other people in organizations and communities. According to Kouzes & Posner, there are five practices and ten commitments of exemplary leadership. The five practices of exemplary leadership include: Model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. In the Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner found similar patterns and actions of leadership that created the essentials to achieve success. Utilizing the research conducted by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, I have created a leadership plan that would apply to the Admission Department at Texas Wesleyan University.