Leadership Styles in Schools

Leadership Style in Education
robin umiom, Entrepreneur, Nigeria, Member
Leadership style in an educational institution settting should be one aimed at giving subordinates or the students their voices.
In this regard a democratic or participatory leadership style will be appropriate.

Education Leaders
Venkatesan, India, Member
An important question. They are the mass makers of high tech new generation. They should have long term vision to ensure the best class facilities are provided and good responsible citizens for the society are produced.

Leadership is Still Situational
Michael Horwitz, Professor, United States, Member
Leadership styles in education really don't change in that it is the leader who uses the style that is appropriate for the follower - a new student may need a different style from a seasoned student who is engaged and operating from a position of independent study.
The key is to not overlead or underlead - just meet / adapt to the need, (situational leadership) which is the greatest challenge.

Leadership is Transformational
karel sovak, Professor, United States, Member
Teaching at America's Leadership University, our philosophy is developing leaders with moral courage. In that light, we let our students know it is not about them, it is about being servant-leaders - giving of themselves to better others.
Leadership style in education has to be about leading by example. Coming from a time when leadership was about fear and division, it is encouraging to be able to teach about trust and inclusion. Empowerment. Balance in work and play. Moderation. However, the greatest of all is humility - being humble that it is not about me.

Leadership in Schools
Joy Tio, Student (Other), Philippines, Member
This is a common observation in my graduate school classes. With so many graduates from tertiary education every year, one would think we would have a better world right now. Yet, is it really so?
We hear of countless stories about failed leadership. Apparently, schools have failed to develop the kind of leaders the society needs.
Maybe it is because leadership is taught as a subject, a course, but not as a way of life where everyone, students and teachers alike are capable of being leaders.

Educational Leadership
Aziz Rattansey, Kenya, Member
Ethical leadership is very important as this is missing today in our society in general.
It is essential that ethics are a part of the entire philosophy of the leader and be present in all that he / she engages in.

Leadership Style Needed
Malleck Reshma, Teacher, Mauritius, Member
Indeed it is high time that our school leaders adopt the transactional and transformational types of leadership since they are no longer the ones who have the complete authority and control.

Mix Multiple Leadership Styles in School
Anne Makandi, Consultant, Kenya, Member
I have been a teacher in various institutuons for the last 12 years. There is no best leadership style in a school setup as one has to mix all the styles for the leadership role to be effective. This also includes the authoritarian. Remember the school set up is intended to mould and create a citizen who has to be all rounded. The students must be exposed to all leadership styles for them to be productive members of our society.

Tom, Dick and Harry
Ramdonee Vikash, Student (MBA), Mauritius, Member
The debate continues over leadership! After spending 14 years in the school/college set-up, I am still wondering about the best style of leadership. Temporarily, I am of the opinion that it is all in the minds of the individual leader. There are certain Machiavellian ones who take real pleasure in torturing those who work under them and who feel incapacitated.
However, these same persons behave differently when they confront people with a greater intelligence than them. Therefore, the tip is to make yourself so strong that no Tom, Dick or Harry can even stand before you!

Leadership in Education
Anitha Jagathkar, Consultant, India, Member
Leadership in education has to be dynamic and bold to accommodate the changing trends. The youth today is more knowledgeable and informed than us when we were students. To facilitate learning for a well informed audience requires leadership that understands the challenges of current students. Leadership in this case cannot be traditional, it has to be evolving as per the demands and needs of the stakeholders.

Missing Leadership Ethics
Geethalakshmi.J, Manager, India, Member
As Mr. Aziz said about leadership ethics, it's really missing in the industry. I came across some persons and asked them about ethics. They conveyed that it's a part of organizational behaviour and nothing can't be done about that.

Moral / Values should be the Basis for Educational Leadership
Vijaya Saradhi Mekala, India, Member
I agree that even though the system of education varies throughout the world, the basic base should be morals and values. These create a leader in the long run...
It should be inculcated in the education system so deeply that each child who comes out should be able to portray them in practical life.
Of course a person with these values should be a teacher, a leader him/herself.

Ethics and Transparency Needed
Aziz Rattansey, Kenya, Member
In the current scenario where there is open access to information on the www / other ways in which technology brings people and practises closer to each other that "transparency" in leadership and operational management practises require an overall ethical framework for leadership. Agree / disagree?

Moral Ethical Values are Important
SATISH PANDE, Business Consultant, India, Member
Like any other organisation, educational organisations also need leaders need to lead by personal example. They must have the capacity to generate trust among others. Participatory, democratic are types that come to mind, but the style has to be more empowering and bring out the best in subordinates.. Teachers, staff and students.
Mintzberg's Covert Leadership may be a better model. The leader motivates, corrects and encourages all participants to create something wonderful.

A Consultative Cum Participative Approach
Nida Khan, Student (University), Pakistan, Member
I am a teacher at a school and also am doing my M. Phil in leadership. From all my research and observations the conclusion is that the Dean etc should give the teachers freedom to decide how they would like to conduct the class, take their input before making any important decisions. In short a consultative cum participative approach. This is beneficial for both the organization and the teachers.
Secondly, the teachers should also use this approach with the students. This way the students are more involved in the class work and show better results. If it's a model to follow I would recommend Tannenbaum and Schmidt's leadership continuum.

Educational Leadership
Konstantinos Zacharis, Director, Greece, Member
Educational leader must care for two different things:
a) stakeholders: his relations with staff and students where he must be democratic and a listener, and
b) vision: the route of the whole organization for who he is responsible.
He must affect the stakeholders (a) towards the route (b), that is the internal operation to lead to the long-term vision he has for the whole.
This means he must manage his resources to get the most out of them, without of course exploiting them. That he must do while talking and persuading through argumentation.

Leadership Styles in Schools
Roquelino Mendez, Teacher, Belize, Member
Such leadership must be grounded in moral principles. Educational leadership requires a profound understanding of the environment you work in to ensure that expectations and guidelines are relevant.

Appropriate Educational Leadership Style
OSHUN, GRACE OKAIMA , Lecturer, Nigeria, Member
All those who contributed to the discussion on the best educational leadership style have made valid points but I will like to pitch my tent with Michael Horwitz who suggested the situational leadership style.
As an open organisation, the school or college leader is in contact with different categories of people, among them are teachers, non-teaching staff, students, parents, the community. S/he can therefore not afford to be rigid. There may be a need to handle various situations differently by applying the appropriate leadership style that suits the particular situation and category.