Category: Leadership

MICRO-SCHOOL HEAD VS. MACRO-SCHOOL HEAD

by Roger, posted in Leadership

One of the very important persons in a learning institution is the school head. The school head is not only a leader but also a manager. As leader, he/she needs to inspire people to follow his/her lead towards the vision of the school. As manager, he/she needs to be a good implementer and organizer according to the plan laid out in the School’s Improvement Plan in a couple of three years. Along this professional journey to achieve excellence, school heads could not help but little by little may become a micro-school head or a macro-school head depending on the way he/she responded to the challenging moments attach to the duties and responsibilities over time.

A school head may become micro-school head when it manifest the following: failed to delegate school task among teachers, focus much on doing details rather than the big picture, taking lightly to no consideration on the suggestions of others for selfish authority, box creativity of teachers seeing only better ideas of himself, does not obtain feedback and advice, more of telling others on how to do their work and demand dependence among his/her teachers.

On the other hand, a school head may become a macro-school head when he/she manifest the following: ultimate direction is the goal, empowers the teachers to hone their creativity for a better result, motivate teachers to achieve more for professional growth and development, get into the task of the teacher to provide support and rescue in difficult situation, articulates expectations among teachers to be performed and provide necessary materials and other support system for the teachers success.

In general, micro-school heads are school heads who are more likely to become a manager rather than a leader. They are seen as high task and low relationship for teachers are force to do the task without their motivation of doing it. Their performance and product outputs are not fashioned with love but merely a result of compliance in so much pressure and disgust. As a result, they will do only what is required of them.

Macro-school head are school heads who are more likely to become a leader rather than a manager. They are seen as high task and high relationship for teachers are motivated to do the assigned task more than what is required from them because they are given the freedom to show their creative expressions to produce the required outputs. As a result, their performance and product outputs would be fashioned with love and so much dedication with the joy of doing it.

Finally, being a micro-school head or a macro-school head is not a choice but rather a gradual result of unconscious leadership and managerial drift  over a period of time with the bombardment of some leadership and managerial issues and concerns along the way.

 

Views: 80

LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE

by Roger, posted in Leadership

In the context of humanity, all are born leader and follower. One could be a leader in his own court and a follower in the other court. In other words leadership is purely relative to life circumstances which could be area specific, event specific, role specific and skills specific.

Regardless of leadership specificity, many agree that there are born leaders and there are made leaders. Born leaders are men who upon birth have already followers and have leadership favor, preferences and respect inherited from their ancestors. Though the grace of birth by some degree labeled individual as leader, does not support the idea that a  person has already the package of leadership traits, experiences and training needed in the exercise of his duties and responsibilities.

Inside the box leadership privileges by birth may not respond exactly to the demands and expectations of the community. He needs to acquire the necessary traits, experiences and training in preparation for the responsibilities that awaits him upon assuming the new position in rank.

 

Made leaders are those who conquer the world of popularity by showing exemplary work performances that push them up in the upper echelon of  leadership ladder. These leaders have great stories to tell and their lives are worth learning for. These are the leaders who rose from nothing to complete abundance out of their labor and hard works.  Their leadership formative years were crucial for their traits were productive options carefully chosen and enliven out of their personal vision and mission. They also have real time rich experiences out from the teaching of life as they come to win over difficult situations. Along the way, they also choose the kind of training to attend to according to their self assessment readiness.

Born leaders do not grow in adversities. They are not forced to learn new traits instead acquired it through modeling of their elders. Their experiences are second hand from the very start and learned it by way of simulation. Their training is structured according to the duties and responsibilities they are to assume.

Both born leaders and made leaders are shape  as to their traits, experiences and training. But they differ in the process of acquiring it. Regardless of the type of leader one may hail from, there are  necessary characteristics and personality traits  that a leader must possess.

CHARACTERISTICS AND PERSONAL TRAITS  OF A LEADER

  1. VISIONARY

A leader must have a very clear mental image of success doable in  the  span of time. This will allow him to profile his current situation, quantify the gaps,  prepare strategic plan, pick the right kind of personalities to work with  to reach the vision.

  1. EXCELLENT IN LANGUAGE SKILLS

Success is not a one man role. A group of people will make it possible. Nobody would commit to be with you until such  time your vision becomes their vision. The way to do it depends on one’s communication skills. Successfully doing this, creates your inner circle of success.

  1. PREPAREDNESS OF THE MISSION

After doing the current status profiling,  the gap would be clear. And in order to realize the vision, the gap must  be closed  according to the success timeline chart. Every move-in points of the gap is a mission to hurdle. Every mission episode must be accomplish regardless of the challenges that may comes along the way. Be an able  team leader of the mission presented in project form.

  1. UNSELFISH INTEREST TO OTHERS

While the team is kicking off into the mission,  the needs of the  team members must not be taken for granted. It is therefore the leader’s responsibility to respond to the needs of the team mates while on the action of accomplishing the mission.

  1. HIGHER INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (IQ)

Before kicking off for a mission or project careful planning is required.  Remember failing to plan is the same as planning to fail. Sure failure would be  along the way if the plan goes out of the context.

During implementation, parts of the plan may not be working practically, quick decision making would be demanded to leverage non- conformity with the laid out plan. Wisdom is needed in a quite brand new situation.

  1. HIGHER EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT (EQ)

Mission or project pressure could not be  avoided. The worse thing that could happen is the crushing of the spirit among team members. As leader you need to be good in addressing emotional turmoil arising from the challenging  moments of the situation. Speaking of “challenging moments” these are happenings that would normally last for short period  of time. To handle it carefully on its height is important for the success of the mission or project. Likewise it will ruin the the whole thing for the mission.

 

6.OPTIMISTIC ON THE  OUTLOOK

As a leader, spirit of optimism must be the hymn  of the team. The topic of every minute discussion must be towards  the trophy of success. Always turn deft ear to the negative opinion for it will give another conditioning of the team members. Beliefs of success must be an all out story to tell  to encourage new ways of thinking out of a problematic situation.

  1. POSSESSING MOTIVATIONAL SKILLS

In the conduct of the mission or project implementation,  personal modes of each team members may vary from time to time responding the different levels of task modalities and difficulties. As a leader you must be quick to respond this needs before their performance  gets low. Enliven their spirit by taking out their mode on the hook of despair.  This could be in  a form of seminar sessions or a company team building enrich with the package of motivational activities.

     8.RECOGNIZE AND CELEBRATE SUCCESS

On the way to the realization of the vision, components of successes are happening every now and then. Prepare a provision to celebrate each component success and give rewards to everyone doing well as a team. Remember personalize award is not encourage. Success is not a work or a responsibility of one person but of the team. Competition is discouraged but rather promotes cooperation.

  1. KEEPING ALWAYS A SENSE OF GRATITUDE

Perhaps the most important personalize reward is  the leader’s unlimited expressions of gratitude and simple group blow-out reward in an inexpensive eat together session within  the ground of the business venue.

  1. STRATEGIC THINKER

A leader should be rich in innovative ideas always ready to provide solutions when a pin is on the way of the team. He should be calm even in the alarming situation not to be contaminated by the trouble of the team. A strategic approach much be ready to rescue the team’s dilemma.

Leadership task is not easy. Leadership traits must be acquired. Real time experiences must be abound.  Appropriate training must be internalized  for application. Regardless of how one emerges to become a leader either by way of crisis or circumstantial event,  by personality lead or by personal choice the mentioned leadership characteristics and personality trait will work  at play towards success.

Continue reading “LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE” →

Views: 117