Leadership As A Democratic Style Works Best

Collective leadership’s influence on students is mainly related to the teacher’s work setting and motivation, however, it has a weaker effect on a teacher’s capacity.

In this assignment I aim to outline the advantages, disadvantages and overall effectiveness of the different styles of leadership.

During the first week of the course, my idea of leadership has changed. When I look back at the idea of teacher leadership I have always thought of “assigned, delegated, officially sanctioned leadership based on the authority of a formal position” (Dr.Ausburn, 2016a, lecture 2, slide 4). I did

Leadership is a term that cannot be defined or simplified with a standard definition (Bethel, 2011). The term’s complexity is a phenomenon, as it carries a different meaning for each person. During the

Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”...

The online leadership and management style test that I used to determine the leadership style that my personality may accommodate was from the psych test website at testyourself.psychtests.com. After a 15 minute questionnaire, the site determined that my personality and principles were of a democratic style leadership. The qualities that a leader or manager of a democratic style may display the following traits: May includes employees in decisions that may affect the unit, motivate staff members by supporting and celebrating achievements and milestones, efficient communication exists between the up and down the chain of command, and they believe that cooperation and collaboration is necessary.

Leadership is a skill that one is not able to learn based on a set teaching, but rather a skill based off personal experiences. I am the leader, everywhere I turn, everyone I talk to, from a school game to a class party – feeling like I am critiqued for everything I do and say.

What is leadership? How does people perceive leadership in their everyday Life? Can we still today, in a world oriented more an more towards individualism and commitment to achievement of personal goals, talk about leadership?

Leadership is one of social science’s most examined phenomena. The scru¬tiny afforded to leadership is not

Every person who enters the field of education has both the opportunity and an obligation to be a leader (Dufour, Marzano, 2011). Leadership defined by Owen (2002) is, “A journey of discovery. It is the expression of a person at his or her best whose aim is to transform something for the better and to develop this potential in others. It is not a solitary pursuit but one that harnesses the energy of those around you. Leadership is a process in which leaders and followers engage to achieve mutual goals. Prentice (2004) defines leadership as the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants. A great leader is one who can do so day after day, and year after year, in a wide variety of circumstances.

The principal aspects of leadership are oft debated; to attempt to define what leadership is would most certainly result in broad and varied definitions dependent on who is queried. Nonetheless, in the preeminent

Leadership is often times confused with management, but they are in fact two separate and equally important aspects of successful organizations (Kotter, 2001). Leadership applies “power to influence the thoughts and actions of other people” (Zaleznik, 1992, p.2), while management is more concerned with handling problems as they arise (Kotter, 2001). Kotter (2001) and Zaleznik (1992) both discuss how leaders may be developed in different settings. The school district I work in practices growing leaders. Employees are identified for their leadership qualities and then the school district assists them with acquiring their administration degrees. Finally, they are transitioned from the classroom to administrative positions within the district

Researchers have focused their efforts towards the link between effectiveness of leaders and personality traits. They tend to reach a consensus indicating that the effectiveness of a leader is established by her/his personality traits. In this context, the performance and success of leaders is measured by personality traits. Organizations use different models to assess an individual's personality traits. Some strategies employed to determine included the use of trait approach in establishing whether a leader is charismatic (Anderson, Reckenrich & Kupp, 2011).

This theory is based on the premise that there are certain personality characteristics that are essential for a person to possess in order to be a leader. The main emphasis is on what the person is in terms of a constellation of personality traits. This theory searches for that set of universal leadership traits that will assure success. Numerous traits have been suggested: courage, integrity, loyalty, charisma, ambition, intelligence, honesty, clairvoyance, persistence, arrogance, health, political skill, confidence and vision.

The concept and practice of teacher leadership have gained momentum in the past two decades. Teachers are assuming more leadership functions at both instructional and organizational levels of practice. Empirical literature reveals effects of teacher leadership practice, teacher leader characteristics, and conditions that promote and challenge teacher leadership.