The Ontario Leadership Framework

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)

Desire, determination, effectiveness, passion, management skills, being able to inspire, positive attitude, knowing who you are, what to do or not; these are all characteristics of a leader . “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent.” (Concept of Leadership, 2010). In this 21st century world we are living in and with all the complex changes happening and the many ways businesses are being conducted and operated, leadership skills are definitely needed but are becoming more and more challenging to obtain because leadership is a process which is put in place in order to influence a group

Currently, I am not an employee of any learning organization, school district or educational system. However, I am involved and Chair the School Advisory Council (SAC) of Greenland Pines Elementary. This opportunity granted me a unique opportunity to observe the management of two different principals with their individual leadership styles. Furthermore, I contrasted my business practices from my own company and military service to coincide with this case study. The purpose of this paper is a comprehensive written outlining the processes presented by the educational leadership at Greenland Pines Elementary. With this in mind, we need to understand the concept of educational leadership.

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

Leadership is a privilege that carries with it many responsibilities to inspire others, and to direct individuals to attain the vision and goals of an organization. As an effective leader it is my job to be flexible, be an excellent communicator, be a person who leads by example, and is an individual who is committed, resourceful, and reflective. Achieving the characteristics above, I have developed a definite purpose in mind; one that is shared and modeled in and outside of my school environment. With such growth mindset, I teach, present workshops and empowers others to make decisions that will develop future leaders. To lead by example, I became a mentor for first-year teachers. Furthermore, I orchestrate educational committees, encouraging

A leader is someone who inspires others and promotes integrity and hard-work ethic. A single name immediately wound into my head the moment I read the word “Leader”. Ellen McLemore, a piano director at Lafayette High School, has proved her leadership qualities an inexhaustible amount of times. As the only director of a public high school piano class in Louisiana, the LHS Tennis team sponsor, and a Quidditch Club sponsor, Mrs. McLemore demonstrates many leadership qualities. Between preparing her students with an appropriate amount of knowledge of the fine arts, Mrs. McLemore still finds time to go above and beyond, nearly every day. She in charge of hosting and planning school wide pep rallies, scheduling the annual LHS Talent Show, and

Women in Leadership Laurier has been the most rewarding position I’ve ever had at Laurier. This position enabled me to grow my leadership skills and enhance my communication skills entirely. Not just with the tasks of emailing external partners for the events but creating schedules to make sure my team and I were on the same page during all of our events. During my year at Women in Leadership Laurier, I’ve had the fortunate privilege to move from a coordinator position to a VP position within the last 7 months. During this time I was able to make a contribution to gathering different contacts, collecting over 500$ and establishing long lasting partnerships with companies like RBC and Coca Cola.

The University of Toledo Levis Leadership program prides itself with creating leaders. The program focuses on giving students with leadership potential the knowledge, skills, and tools to become leaders not only on campus but in their future careers. For me, the proof of this method of producing leadership is shown by the upperclassmen in the program. As a freshman, the upperclassmen are my role models, and I rely on them to set an example of what I can do with my developing leadership. When I met with my LUT mentor, Emma Diesing, earlier in the semester, she set an incredibly high standard for leadership. She is so inspiring because she is only a sophomore and has already achieved so much at the University of Toledo. So when it came to choosing a student leader on campus to interview, I knew she was absolutely the right person to ask.

I agree with you “how the OLF...crucial and can only benefit...” I liked to comment on “learning leaders”, in The Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF). This framework provides me of being a aspiring leaders at both the school and district levels with important insights about what I will need to learn to be successful. If I am in the leadership positions, it serves as a valuable tool for self-refection and self-assessment. Lastly, the framework also supports me with recruiting, selecting, developing and retaining new

Leadership can be described as an influencing agent, where an intentional influence is exerted over a group of people. This is usually exerted by someone that has the ability and skills to ensure the wellbeing and survival of a group of people (Yukl 2002:21). This essay will focus on traditional Māori leadership and discuss how the three cultural concepts, whakapapa (genealogy), mana (power, authority, prestige) and tapu (sacred, restrictions) are embedded within it.

Throughout my years of experience in education, the most powerful moments are when students draw parallels of theories with practices. Therefore, having the opportunity to analyze various leadership theories, along with the information that I have learned in Dr. McGhee’s “Leadership Theory and Practice” class, has led to a memorable and invaluable experience. Moreover, I found the leadership analysis report from the interview with the exemplary leader significantly thrilling because it allowed me to apply all knowledge I gathered during this course and make real world connections. I considered Mrs. Magana as the person for my interview because she has made a great impact as a leader here in Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). Mrs. Magana’s greatest assets are the colleagues that she leads. As a leader she would be the first to say that without a dedicated and committed team who enthusiastically choose to follow, the team can accomplish little. She also says that the best investment is the time spent with her team members, learning about each team member 's wants, needs, values, and priorities. She uses this information to help each individual grow and prioritize his or her talents, in order to provide each individual, the opportunity to excel and advance. Knowing this about Ms. Magana inspired me to continue to learn about her leadership style even further. She has served in education for 33

The fifth and final leadership challenge is an inspirational message to readers who learn how to Encourage the Heart of their followers. Kouzes & Posner (2012) explain that, to further develop a highly effective team, leaders must “recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence, and celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community” (p. 272). The importance of a highly motivated team who feels appreciated should not be understated, and is an integral aspect of organizational leadership. Kouzes & Posner explain that “to keep hope and determination alive, leaders recognize contributions that individuals make. In every winning team, the members need to share in the rewards of their efforts, so leaders celebrate accomplishments. They make people feel like heroes” (Kouzes & Posner, 2016, about sec).

The purpose of the Leading within Organization module is to examine the most influential theories and approaches to organizational leadership to gain a better understanding of what it takes for a person to be efficient and successful in that role. Through various self-assessment tools; course work and class discussions, I gained valuable insight on the leadership strengths I possess, as well as, blind spots and areas for improvement. Reflecting on what I have learned in class has motivated me to develop a personal leadership strategy. A personal leadership strategy, or PLS, is a plan of action for acquiring and mastering those basic skills.

When the times get tough, businesses and organizations of all types find themselves challenged to be effective and efficient with their resources. When it comes to the domain of the public sector those that serve a government or nonprofit purpose -- the elements and motivations for achieving such improvements becomes even more important because the resources needed to sustain the organization come under closer scrutiny. Studies on what it takes to "pull the levers" of success in this type of setting can provide clarity for what transformation leaders can do in organizations with the structural elements that let change be a partner in investments.

I learned a lot about this area of leadership by completing the activity on effective school correlates. I learned that many of the successful schools are alike in that they all implement common effective practices. I also learned that to be an effective school, you should have a mentality of continuous school improvement. Things may be going good for your school, but to be an effective school you will continue to look for how to do the good things better, or you will look at what areas you still need to improve on to help all students learn.