Leadership in Education

Section 1

Leadership and Change

A description of Leadership

Leadership is the social, economic or political influence instigated to support a transformational course, organization or ideology. Fairholm (21) argues that leaders are those interested in moral or social and political reform. So, leadership incorporates vision, hope (faith), and altruistic love. Fairholm’s argument is joined by Borek, Lovett and Towns (2), who reason that having a loyal and committed team, is not sufficient to achieve coherent organization goals; in any case, a strong leader is needed to lead-from-behind. Essentially, leadership entails good communication skills. This circumscribes listening a lot, with the goal to understand the needs and desires of others. Secondly, a good leader should be adaptable and flexible to changing demands. These may be situations, or policy change, which impact to the organization comprehensively. Thirdly, leadership entails respect. This is derived from the knowledge that respect is earned and not demanded. Further, leadership entails proactive initiations with the ability to delegate duties. This is based on the knowledge that the leader is entitled to provide three working steps ahead of the organization. This will be essential in combining talents of team members to achieve given goals.

An example of how I functioned as a leader in my position.

In my management career, I have integrated several personalities where my leadership was tested severally. In education facilities, there are three main bodies; administrators, society, students, and staff members. My leadership was often put to test by the ever recurring incidences of policy failure. Common incidences are dissatisfaction from students and the society, astronomical demands from the job market or disorienting working conditions from staff members. In this situation, I was forced to delegate on a contention as to why students had underperformed in an examination. The students claimed that the exam was set unfairly, and it was not according to their expectations. On the other hand, the administrators maintained the exam was set to meet industrial demands required by the job market.

How did I participate in bringing change?

The society is constantly demanding quality and excellent skill development in schools. These demanding tasks can only be accomplished if the appropriate leadership is put in place. The school’s organization; therefore, needs the appropriation of a working team bestowed on the quality of leadership that the organization provides. To this effect, my commitment is geared to discovering, developing, and instituting an apt strategy. To be specific, I advocated the institutionalizing of independent self-learning methods. An idea developed by one of our junior staff. This method was substantial in ensuring students were responsible for their academic development. The implication of this program led to the minimization of quality accusations.

Inhibitors and facilitators of change

To ensure goals of the strategy were feasibly accomplished, the leadership ideology I advocated was centered in developing a task and assigning a task force responsible in visualizing the ideal concept of the task. To accomplish this, the leadership strategy focused on a continuous mentorship and evaluation process. The prime goal was to make sure that the task force abided to organizational goals at every level of program implementation. In any case, learning and assessments were integral considerations at various levels of project implementation. The inhibitors and facilitators that inspired the course of implementation were engineered to sponsor positive attitude towards the course. These were change and innovation; essentially moving from old ideologies of teacher-driven learning to independent learning strategies, with the teacher being relegated on occasional facilitation basis. Secondly, empowering the task force to adapt to change and implement the recommendations of the strategy. Thirdly, proper team building; essentially, this is the oversight committee of the project. Finally, improvising proper vision and communication; essentially, this entails what is expected of the project and how to convey this message to stakeholders.

Section 2

Learning

Why should we develop a “learning organization?”

To schedule and implement this strategy, it is necessary to orient a communication channel with a goal of appropriating a coherent learning formula in the organization. Essentially, learning was vital to transfer critical goals from top management to the task force. The central objective of the learning organization that I instituted was centered in developing systems thinking, a vision and mission development, and personal mastery. Ortenblad (38) argues that learning organization attempts to look on the possibilities of developing coherent relationship in-between activities in an organization. So, my interest was centered in the possibility of applying a learning organization spirit to ground relative teamwork. To achieve lucid results, the task force was mandated in orienting and implementing a General Systems Theory (GST). The GST is categorical in ensuring that individuals interacted harmonically with the work environment by the principle of homeostasis or equilibrium (Banerjee and Ercetin, 230). To this effect, the GST highlights possible routes to develop learning organization vital in addressing organization fallacies of redundancy or inefficiency. The GST is instrumental in relating system and environment to formulate an appropriate output. In summary, the system instigates organizational rules expected in several of levels of transformation leadership.

How I contributed to the creation of a “learning organization.”

To this upshot, it was integral to reinvent the wheel of organizational strategies. This was achieved by proper decentralization of decision making. Although management reforms have limited ability in empowering the aggregate performance, it is essential to improvise tools which aid the transition of strategies. Coherent results were achieved by integrating the Srum Agile management strategy. This Agile management strategy ensures that deliverables are implemented in various stages of transformation. The organization considered this approach since the stakeholders objectives will be implemented at all thresholds of project implementation (Richet, 44). Agile management approach is as well imperative in minimizing cost and time wastage. The agile approach is integral since it does not abandon the project due to increases in challenges. This notion is seconded by Chin (140) who argues that; as the project progresses, the project manager realizes new organization goals. It is fundamental that the project leadership will be instrumental in the orientation of new organizational obstacles.

Section 3

Service and Organizational Transformation

The relationship between leadership, learning, and service

Based on the principle of leading from behind, transformation leadership required the proper mentorship of staff at the learning stage. Indeed, mentorship was a substantial service that I the leader formulated. Higgins (11) argues that transforming an organization into a proactive entity reduces cost, redundancy and duplication of resources. To achieve these results, it is essential that the leader be on the front-line in spear heading transformational change. This can be accomplished by the leader identifying pros and cons of constraining the strategy. Higgins identifies that transforming an organization should integrate strategic management principles against short-term plans. To this foundation, the leader inspires/ mentors the team and the team produces back to the organization. In fact, McGuire and Rhodes (42) argue that in order to do something different (external outcome), a transformation leader must be something different positively and always (internal strategy). In this case, the leader is expected to provide an organization map outsourced from the task force team; for instance, recommendations by the Research and Development department. In essence, the leader seizes to work but to give hope, inspiration and present an organizational mirror to the outside community. With this methodology, the organization has much to learn and copy from the leader.

How my service has been applied to the transformation of an organization.

My service to the organization focused in developing a blueprint of the relevant strategy. The strategy pioneered an appropriate organization transformation strategy. Firstly, the blueprint was influential in instituting urgency of change. So to it, the blueprint was identified organizational disabilities and impediments, which constrain proactive processes; for instance, communication. Secondly, the blueprint identified a task force of like-minded people. These are members who are essentially dedicated to working with a goal of achieving immediate and appropriate results. The selection criterion is based on the commitment level plus merit. Thirdly, the blueprint inspired the taskforce to set goals and objectives of the transformation process. This is based on the wider mission statement and vision of the transformation process. Finally, the blueprint stipulates on the necessity of integral internal organization measures; for instance, remuneration and performance appraisal programs.

Section 4

Goals for Doctorate in Leadership

Goals and expectations for pursuing a Doctorate in Leadership

It is essential to note that leadership is taught mainly from skills and expertise. However, it is appropriate to acknowledge the influence of doctorate programs in mounting on the quality of leadership. Doctorate programs in leadership are instrumental in developing reflective leaders who have the ability to integrate theory to research. Light (127) argues that a high –performing organization requires a reflective and decisive leader who combines several skills on aggregate. Secondly, doctorate programs in leadership are instrumental developing a cultural leader, who has the ability of working in demanding conditions. This is seconded by Chin (144) who argues that a culturally competent leader will be integral in developing the organization corporate codes of conduct. In any case, both organizational culture and corporate codes relate to standard managerial construct a prerequisite championed by doctorate leadership programs. Finally, a doctorate leadership program will be instrumental in developing ethical leadership. This leadership appreciates internal organizational demands and external community expectations. Stefkovich and Shapiro (24) argue that a leader graduates from the leadership program if he or she brings positive change to the society. In any case, the leader is expected to develop a code of ethics which will not be detrimental to the society.

How this degree enhances my ability to lead and transform organizations

It is prudent to acknowledge that the corporate world thrives in an unprecedented change. In any case, modern organizations are accustomed to pressures, challenges, competitions and persistent demands. Further, today’s excellence does not guarantee tomorrow survival. This then calls for development of robust leadership ideologies. So, a doctorate in leadership will be instrumental in my endeavor to transform the destined organization. Primarily, the doctorate program ensures the development of high performance characteristics, a critical consideration in modern organizations. This is achieved by deliberating the appropriate steps relevant to the level and health of the organization. Again, to the concept of organization health; the doctorate program will mentor my undertaking and ability to provide guidance through blueprints. Secondly, the doctorate program will be instrumental in equipping my leadership strategy to be based on originality. It is good to mention in this document that it is suicidal for an organization to duplicate strategies of a competitor. To this effect, the program will be instrumental in providing a variety of options in the general leadership concept.

Conclusion

This paper has been substantial in analyzing the importance of transformation leadership in rejuvenating modern day organizations. The discussion has appointed a school environment as satellite suggestion of an organization that I tested my leadership skills. Further, the paper has focused on the inherent role of a leader in providing a blueprinted strategy for an organization. However, the paper has advocated on the lead-from-behind leadership strategy as a prudent methodology in modern day leadership. The paper has as well examined the role played by doctorate education in shaping the modern day leadership.

Work cited

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