Leadership Philosophy and Style

When I entered my career as an educator, I did so because I felt that becoming an educator was my calling, my purpose.  I am passionate about learning and continually seek ways to improve my knowledge base and style of teaching. I seek out professional development that grooms me to be a better educator and ones that challenge my belief system.

I most closely align myself and my leadership style with Warren Bennis who wrote, “Leaders are, by definition, innovators. They do things other people haven’t done or don’t do. They make new things. They make old things new. Having learned from the past, they live in the present, with one eye on the future. Leaders must be right-brain, as well as left-brain thinkers. They must be intuitive, conceptual, synthesizing, and artistic.” (Martin, Jenkins 2008) Bennis further states that there are basic differences between leaders and managers:

• The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

• The manager administers; the leader innovates.

• The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.

• The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.

• The manager maintains; the leader develops.

• The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.

• The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

• The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.

• The manager imitates; the leader originates.

• The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.

• The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.

• The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing. (Martin, Jenkins 2008)

I also make an effort to align my leadership style with the principles outlined in Jack Canfield’s (2005) The Success Principles. As state in my book summary, there is no adequate way in 300-600 words to summarize this book. However, I do subscribe to all of the principles outlined in his book, particularly where he speaks to personal responsibility and “event plus response equals outcome.” I believe any great leader, whether it be in education, business, government, etc. must always be willing to accept responsibility for his or her leadership actions, whether they be positive or negative. They must also be able to view the outcomes under their leadership and look at their response to the events that lead to those outcomes and determine where they, as the leader, could have done anything different to produce a different outcome. The idea that I am responsible for the outcomes of events in my life, whether it be professional or personal, is an idea that I embrace daily. I often times have to take a step back from my circumstances and really look at entire “scenario” to determine where I went right or wrong. Personal reflection, personal responsibility, and a willingness to change or adapt is my goal as a leader.

One last leadership era that I align closely with is the Human Relations Era. Acting as a leader, I find, like Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger, “the most important influences on employee output and behavior were human factors (attitude, morale, feelings, perceptions, capabilities).”

References

Martin, G., & Jenkins, S. (2008). Leadership Eras. Lamar University

Canfield, J. (2005). The Success Principles. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.