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Leadership in educational settings
Critical thinking in the teaching profession
Decision making IN CRITICAL THINKING
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Recommended: Leadership in educational settings
In 2003, a former superintendent approached me and asked me to interview for the district’s technology coordinator position. This was a newly created position and given my background in computer programming and love of teaching he thought I would be a good candidate for the job. Little did I know how much my life would change when I accepted the job as the district’s first technology coordinator. I was going to lead the district through the first major change in a long time, all teachers were scheduled to receive their own portable laptop computer and my job was to get them comfortable with this change and begin to lead them down a path of uncertainty as many of them only used the computer for email and word processing. Looking back, it is difficult to believe how far we have come from that moment and it wasn’t until this semester that I learned a few things about myself, then and now. …show more content…
I am good at managing tasks, teaching people about a process, sympathetic to their needs and wants, and truly wants the best for my passion, our students. During this semester the light bulb is beginning to brighten for me as the readings supported some of the ideas that have made me who I am. First, I never realized how important creativity was in leadership. Even though now that it is in black and white, I can’t believe I didn’t understand this before as many of the “leaders” whom I do not fully “respect” lack the creativity aspect. So many of them are simply managers, not leaders. Creativity is the core of leadership and in order to be an effective leader, creativity must be the central focus for problem-solving, transformational thinking, assessment, and
There have been countless books, lectures, and and trainings, and retreats constructed around the idea of cultivating leadership in an individual. However, cultivating individuals’ ability to follow great leadership has received far less attention. Who are these people leading if each person within an organization is being trained to be a leader? The word follower has negative connotations, evoking the images of a weak, uncreative, milquetoast personality. However, Jimmy Collins, in his book, “Creative Followership: In the Shadow of Greatness”, suggests that the ability to be led brings as much creativity, consciousness, and indeed leadership to an organization or team as the leader himself. Great followership is a reflection of great leadership. In this, the follower is just as important as the leader in the relationship. Many great leaders have asserted that a leader with even a modicum of understanding of what drives their subordinates can take their organization to previously undreamt-of heights in creativity and productivity. Collins does not disabuse us of this notion, he does however add that the follower is indispensable agent in this interplay between leader and follower.
Before taking the StrengthsFinder® assessment I didn’t know what type of leader I was, but I felt I had leadership traits that I could not describe. After answering several questions from the Clifton StrengthsFinder® 2.0, I found out my top five strengths. These strengths consist of individualization, arranger, learner, input and responsibility. The purpose of this paper is to go over my top five strengths to talk about which four domains of leadership these strengths fall under, how class material is applied, and the actions to best utilize my strengths.
...spects of what makes up an effective leader, it is clear that there cannot be one clear- cut and dry definition of what a leader is. A leader is a make up of many different attributes and qualities. An effective Leader encompasses all of the attributes which go along with facilitating ideas and allowing an organization to grow and flourish, as well as inspiring and motivating those he or she oversees to do the same. A Leader has the ability and almost the reflex action to surface when it is time for a difficult task to be accomplished or a difficult decision to be made. Leadership may be a type of management but a manager is not always a leader. “Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”
Many definitions exist on what leadership is. Despite the many differences in definitions, they all describe the leader as someone who influences others. Leaders transform individuals around them allowing them to work to their full potential. In order for a leader to be successful they must be knowledgeable, self- confident, and effective communicators. These characteristics will create a positive workplace environment that results in an increase in productivity. Leadership is not defined by titles or salary. Leaders must acquire their skills and continue to improve on them through learning. Good leaders provide a vision and help motivate others to make that vision happen. The leader must be effective and successful in creating a strong institution.
They can persuade employees to follow them, many times due to a dynamic personality. The goals of a leader may not directly coincide with the organization, and they tend to have more diverse roles than managers. Great leaders develop styles around their personality and usually act in a way that promotes what they truly believe (Marker, 2010). Leaders focus on empowering people, the group process, information gathering, and feedback. Leaders have knowledge, can build teams, and help the team achieve goals (Marquis & Huston, 2015).
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Something that I can truly attest to is that people are not born with these leadership qualities, they must be inspired. Inspiration is a positive influence to the mind or soul of a person that usually comes from the people around them. People can be inspired by teachers, family members, friends and even strangers. My inspiration comes from my family members and my CNA instructor because their urge and passion for education has lead to their success. Deriving from a family of nurses, professors, principals and business women, I have nothing but all the motivation I need to succeed. They want nothing but the best for me and that is why their lives and decisions have such an impact on my life.
While in Junior High School and High School I have seen my teachers use humor, clarity (in their instruction) directness, and how an open mind can help me as a learner deepen my understanding of what a leader is and should strive to be.
I believe I am a strong leader and I use my leadership abilities to improve the school as often as I possibly can. One of my strongest leadership skills is communication. I believe that it is vital to talk to others and get others input before making decisions. In the school, I ask other students their opinions on different events and I bring them back to the council frequently. Another leadership ability I possess is creativity. I always attempt to come up with creative and unique ideas to contribute to the council. For example, in meetings I always attempt to share new and different ideas to benefit the council. An important skill for leaders to possess is organization. I show this trait by using a binder to organize my agendas and showing up to every meeting.
Last school year, when I picked up an application to join Student Leadership I, I had no idea what I was signing myself up for, except for the general idea of what a leader was to me; a bossy, demanding, sometimes hypocritical individual wanting to help others in dire situations. However, I made myself take a mental oath not to be one of those stereotypical leaders, well maybe I was going to be a tad bit on the demanding side, but not always. Little did I know, there is much more to leaders and leadership, which I failed to notice. The beginning of school brought tons of excitement and with it our first self-assessment exercise (August 18, 2009). Though this exercise, I found out what I thought I knew about myself turned out slightly different than predicted. For instance, through the interesting pig drawing activity, I already knew I was a realist, cautious, stubborn, and secure in my settings. However, I learned I needed to listen, which in all honesty; I neglect to do too often. Discussion then began about two unique types of leadership traits, C...
For me to be an effective leader, I must first evaluate my strengths. I took the Gallup 2.0 Strength Finder report which showed my strengths in an insight and action planning guide. The results indicated the top five themes for me were input, learner, responsibility, maximizer and arranger. I believe the evaluation offered an accurate assessment of my strengths. The input theme states my mind is like a sponge, soaking up information. As a lifelong learner, the second theme is also, correct. I have a quest for knowledge about things that interest me. I am responsible, in my job and life. As a maximizer, I focus on long term goals and strive toward excellence. As a nurse, working in an environment of change, the arranger strength in my personality allows me to adapt easily and figure out the best way to accomplish tasks (Strengths, 2012).
Effective leaders are rare. They are created through the trials and tribulations of managing or working with people in a variety of settings. Most good leaders have had their fair share of hard knocks that awakened them to the greater potential within their scope of influence. Effective leaders are excellent communicators, able to speak the many languages of the individuals within the groups they lead. Oftentimes the individual perspectives may appear different simply from the type of language they use. A good leader pays attention to the facts and then makes decisions based on objective analysis of those facts.
I did not set out to be a teacher nor did I set out to be a leader but today I am both a teacher and a leader in educational technology. Through my studies in the Educational Technology program at the University of Alaska Southeast I have created a solid foundation for that leadership role. My portfolio shows what I have learned in educational technology and my growth as a technology leader. Each artifact was chosen to emphasize what I believe is most important in education for me. They show my commitment to professional growth, my dedication in supporting student learning, and my belief in the strength of collaboration.
Answering the question “‘Who are you?’ is where every leadership journey begins” (Kouzes & Posner, 2012, p. 43). My philosophy of leadership would be firmly rooted in compassion. It is my goal to create a learning environment that is supportive, fosters mutual respect and collaboration, and where students and staff feel safe and cared about. It is only when this type of environment is in place that I believe learning can take place to its fullest capacity. Through my completion of the survey for assessing natural leadership qualities, I was determined to be a creative assertive quality type (Glanz, 2002, p. 191-196). The characteristics listed on the high end of the creative assertive continuum are fitting to my personality (Glanz, 2002, p. 74). I am an emotional, sensitive, and caring person. I place extreme value on the presence of humanity in the world. Along with recognizing the importance of my students learning in many capacities, I believe we must educate the whole person by giving significant attention to the developing character of each individual child. It is my philosophy that by helping students to grow into critical thinkers that possess outstanding character, which includes demonstrating sensitivity and concern for others, that their lives will be rewarding as they contribute positively to the wor...
The college students were surveyed using a leadership survey adapted from the Center for Creative Leadership’s (CCL®) Campbell Leadership Designator (CLD), self-rating on leadership traits, as well as notating whether or not they had taken on any leadership