The Role of Effective Leadership

2). The authors explain that in the 1990s when the first edition of their book was published, the term “teacher leadership” was generally unfamiliar within the educational community. The authors state that “by helping teachers recognize that they are leaders, by offering opportunities to develop their leadership skills, and by creating school cultures that honor their leadership, we can awaken this sleeping giant of teacher leadership” (Katzenmeyer and Moller, 2009, p. 3). During their study of teacher leadership, Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009), discovered that teachers are unwilling to be identified as teacher leaders due to the following: 1) lack of a supportive environment for the development of teacher leaders, 2) insecurities about their abilities to provide leadership for adults, and 3) at some schools, the tendency to treat all teachers alike, which can dishearten teachers from assuming leadership roles. Based on this information, the need to provide support and recognition for those teachers who are willing to step up and undertake leadership roles is important for schools and districts that wish to enhance the development of teacher leaders. Without these elements in place, one would assume that teacher leadership practices would not be prevalent. Nevertheless, providing a supportive environment and tapping into the numerous areas of expertise of those who make up the largest portion of the educational workforce, one can understand the potential impact of what Katzenmeyer and Moller (2009) refer to as “the sleeping giant” of teacher leadership. However, to determine if this is

Teachers as leaders. Crowther, Ferguson and Hann (2009) in their book, Developing Teacher Leaders (2nd ed.) defined that “Teacher leadership is essentially an ethical stance that is based on views of both a better world and the power of teachers to shape meaning systems. It manifests in new forms of understanding and practice that contribute to school success and to the quality of life of the community in the long term.” They also described the six elements of Teachers as Leaders Framework. (Crowther, F., Ferguson, M., and Hann, L. (2009). P.

2- Taking self-assessments allow for recognition and understanding concerning one-self and the qualities possessed. Various approaches to leadership, decision-making, and personality traits greatly influence communication, motivation and management abilities within an organization. These skills can be learned and enhanced. Understanding how these styles impact others can empower leaders to increase organizational performance and create an improved work environment. Great leaders have impacted our societies and organizations. They have shared necessary guidelines for increasing leadership skills.

Above all else, I view leadership within the school system as essential for its success. My cumulative experiences provide a strong background that will allow me to excel as a school leader. I possess an understanding of the challenges and intricacies of a wide variety of school systems, ranging from small rural programs to inner-city and sub-urban high schools to research universities. My experience teaching at the college level gives me a unique perspective that will allow me to guide a program aimed at cultivating high school students capable of excelling in their educational endeavors. In addition, I believe that to be a truly successful leader, one must have a clear understanding of the challenges faced by educators. My years as a high school teacher have provided me a keen perspective in this regard. University of Northern Colorado’s Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Program will be an invaluable avenue for me to learn from experienced educators as I hone my leadership abilities with the goal of using my life to lead improvements in the public education system. I look forward to the opportunity to develop as an educator,

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

Who am I? At this point in my life I really only participate in three groups. My family, my work and my school. I do not currently choose not to participate in social circles as my family, work and school dominate the majority of my time and I dedicate the rest of my time to personal activities that are typically solo activities.

Effective leadership roles are crucial to an organization in meeting their mission and goals. Leaders have the ability to direct and guide staff and have visions to inspire others to reach their specific goals by improving quality care for patients. This paper will discuss an interview with a Nurse Manager at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Lexington, Kentucky on how her decisions impact the organization, colleagues, and the work environment.

Five weeks of training seems rather lengthy, just to check off the box so one can move up in rank. At least that’s what I heard from several people in the first few days of class. While some people had their doubts as to the reasoning for this mandatory class, I held on to my optimism, knowing that this class would help better myself so that I can become a more proficient leader for the future of our Coast Guard. The Chief Petty Officer Academy focuses on leadership styles and shows you a vast array of tools so that you can be better prepared to coach and mentor the newer generations that will someday lead this great service. A few things that I will take from this course is ability to be the Chief, learning someone’s personality, and stress mapping to know when someone may need help.

Leaders in the workplace play a unique and vital role in the success or failure of a business. Their responsibilities are great in number and are continuously evolving to meet the growing needs of the employees and the communities they serve. In order to be effective, leaders must constantly strive to create a work environment conducive for team unity and collaboration (Llopis, 2012). Good leaders pride themselves on being visionaries with the ability to lead by example. They have a charismatic gift to inspire and encourage others to work together to meet a common goal (Bateman and Snell, 2009). Contrary to what some believe, leadership is a shared vision. It involves accepting feedback from all involved and the competence to put

Addresses more than a title to have followers by his/her ability to influence people within the organization or team.

Based on reading the article entitled “Overcoming the Obstacles to Leadership” many thoughts were evoked simply by thinking about the various challenges that teacher leaders are likely to face within the classroom or building level. In today’s generation, teacher leaders are often faced with resistance from fellow teachers who perceive teacher leaders as “the designated person that reports to administration.” For instance, many teachers feel a sense of intrusion when teacher leaders unexpectedly walk in and begin to question the level of rigor in the classroom also, some teachers may have the impression that teacher leaders may overstep their boundaries when offering suggestions to enhance student grow.

As a result of this intensive session, I now have a clearer understanding of how and why my spiritual autobiography and my church context intersect in the formulation of a topical thread for my ongoing research. Likewise, from the plenary, there were a plethora of themes covered during morning sessions pertaining to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, and the “Parable of the Sower.” These sessions were about growth and maturity, and had a direct connection to the adaptive challenges within my church. As leaders we must be careful not to fall into “thorn” like activity; such as being caught up in comparing one church to another, material wealth, internal politics &

A client of ours on the West Coast is a great example of thought leadership gone right.

Teacher leadership can be defined in various ways, but one thing that all definitions have in common is the belief that teacher leaders should be empowered and driven to take the lead in schools. Teacher leadership is composed of instructional, professional, and organizational level school personnel whose primary goals are to develop a high-quality learning and teaching experiences in schools for all. There are various ways in which teachers do this that include: leading other teachers (i.e. coaching, mentoring, leading working groups), leading professional development (improving/building upon staff skills through PD), and fine tuning/sharing pedagogy. This is all done while remaining in the classroom as a skilled teacher.

Nowadays it is paramount to appreciate the teacher leadership idea. When school leaders demonstrate skills that promote teacher leadership functions that are focused on instructional proficiency to enable faculty and staff to work as a system focused on student learning, it not only makes students progress academically, but it also makes the job of any school leader much easier. Hitherto, some school leaders prefer to organize their schools by centralizing most of the decisions around them. Danielson (2007) wrote that successful schools have administrators who incentivize teachers to become leaders and which makes students learn more than those schools that do not. To embrace the teacher leadership concept, I will welcome teacher’s endowments and give them the appropriate support so my school may achieve great success and teachers may be able to present their full talent.