Effective Leadership : An Effective Leader

The report is divided into two main section. Section one, finding section is related to the early childhood profession, its characteristics, challenges, the current trends, policies and movements. However, the second section suggests some recommendations to improve the state of early childhood profession in Australia.

Throughout my years as a childcare practitioner, I have accumulated a wide range of experience working with children aged 3 – 11. However, the majority of my experience is with children aged 3-5. Through

As a qualified childcare practitioner with over 11 years' experience in Early Education and Childcare I have a wealth of experience and knowledge in working with children aged 0-5. Furthermore, being employed within a local primary school has given me opportunity to work with children ages 5-11 through frequent practical experiences. I have accrued many abilities and skills throughout my studies and career that would aid me in studying and work as a teacher; I am a nurturing person, which has allowed me to build strong relationships with children, parents and carers. Communication and team work are also skills that I have honed through my career. While I work competently as part of

The importance of effective leadership and its impact on improving student achievement are evident in today’s schools (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstrom, 2004). While the school principal is traditionally thought to be the school leader, Glickman (1989) proposes that “the principal of successful schools is not the instructional leader but the educational leader who mobilizes the expertise, talent, and care of others” (p. 8). Lumpkin, Claxton, and Wilson (2014) contend that helping “each school fulfill its mission and energize and expand the professionalism and professional contributions of teachers, the expertise of all teachers, especially teacher leaders, is needed” (p. 59). Teachers directly impact student learning, and

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

For this presentation, imagine you are part of a team of teachers at an early childcare setting working toward accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). As part of this lengthy process, you have been tasked with

For centuries leaders have been analyzed in order to determine what the traits and characteristics of a successful leader are. Leadership, as defined by Koontz and Weihrich (2008) is “the art or a process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals” (p. 311). Leadership plays an important role in employee’s participation, creativity, recruitment to an organization, their commitment to the organization, and productivity levels. Over the years, there have been a number of theories surrounding leadership such as the “Great Man” theory, which, according to Riaz and Haider (2010), “assumes that leaders are born and have innate qualities, therefore, leaders

Abstract: There are numerous definitions of leadership, all of which contain elements related to people (the leader and the follower(s)), communicating in person or by the written word, actions (organizing, directing, coaching, and/or motivating), and for a purpose (meeting a goal(s) or accomplishing a task(s)) (ADP 6-22) (Fisher 2015) (Bolden 2013) (Hogan 2005). Additionally, everything done occurs within a given context. Effective leaders are poised, proficient, pertinent, and practical in the application of the art of leadership. This means leaders are ready to engage the group with effective methods and

Eisenstadt, Sylva, Mathers and Taggart (2013) suggest that EYPS is not comparable to the QTS and therefore practitioners with the status will not be eligible for teacher pay and conditions (p. 2). As a practitioner this is demoralising and demotivating as it is suggested that qualified teachers directing early years practice, with excellent pedagogical leadership, will not only improve quality but raise the status of the sector and increase professionalism (Nutbrown, 2012), but there is no incentives or rewards

As I reflect on my movement as a student teacher through my program of study in the Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching, and provide evidence of my growth as a professional in five of the Macquarie University Graduate Capabilities, it is important to mention that I have only completed studies in the subjects of ECH113, Play and Inquiry in Early Childhood and ECHP 222, Reflective Practice in Early Childhood settings 2 and am currently completing ECH 315, Early Childhood Management and Leaderships: The Socio-Political context of Teaching and this, ECHP 424, Reflective Practice 6. Though my progression in my program of study is at a young stage and I am positive that abundant learning and growth is still to come my way, what I learned

Effective followership is an essential component of effective leadership in that, without good followers, the leader’s work is difficult and cumbersome. The role of the follower is many times understated. As illustrated by Kelley (1998), “effective followers are thinkers; energetic and assertive, self-starters, independent problem solvers, and carry out their tasks with these characteristics (p. 143). Effective followers also are characterized by their ability to perform tasks with little supervision, their intelligence, and ability to think for themselves. We are all followers, even those who consider themselves leaders; so to encourage this effectiveness in others; we must be role models for those under us, so that they may also be effective at following. Chaleff (2009) observed that “all important social accomplishments require complex

In order to be a successful early years practitioner, they should be able to demonstrate key skills, these include showing that they are patient, considerate, caring, flexible and consistent. What’s more, it is imperative that ‘every practitioner working with young children needs a sound and thorough

Leadership is a process of continuous learning and increasing leadership effectiveness requires understanding, reflection, and the application to the appropriate subject matter. To become an effective leader, one should strive to enhance their skills and abilities associated with applying new data, information, and ideas objectively and subjectively. Even though everyone in the world has in their possession some sort of leadership characteristics and attributes, not everybody is set out to make the necessary sacrifices it takes to become a truly effective leader. Utilizing authentic leadership practices entails learning how to be true to yourself and others. An essential element facilitating meaningful leadership is trust. Influential risks, changes, and challenges will inevitably occur throughout the various stages of life. According to Erik Erikson, human life stages comprise of infancy, early childhood, play age, school age, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood, and old age (Armstrong, 2012). This paper’s objectives include revealing several moments in life where challenges to leadership occurred, predominantly focused on the adolescence, young adulthood, and adult stages in life. The paper highlights specific instances in life where leadership challenges became noticeably obvious, influencing various personal and professional motivational elements. Life is full of challenges, highlighting previously endured leadership examples helps to recognize and learn

For decade’s individuals, companies, and organizations have spent an unprecedented amount of money on researching, molding, modeling and working to define what a leader is and what characteristics make successful leaders. Despite all the research, there is not a quick answer or even full agreement as to what makes an individual an effective leader. The definition of a leader is “someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority.” (Robbins, Decenzo, Coulter, 2015. P.370)

Leadership is not just about the title, the position or the duration one has been in a certain office. It takes more than just that to be sufficiently effective. In our society today, there is quite a number of the so called ‘leaders’ who do not really deserve to be called by that title because they do not effectively live up to the expectations of the mandate in which they are called or trusted with. There are some qualities or attributes that are necessary in the life and operation of a leader which make him an effective leader. Some of those qualities include ethics, effective communication, trustworthy, engaging themselves at their best, being creative with credibility, and having a character and not just competence. All these