What have you learned about effective leadership
and how have your ideas evolved?
How have these particular
issues and/or ideas affected your ability to become a more effective leader?
I'll admit that before taking this class, I had
not thought in great detail or read much about effective leadership. I could
only give examples of principals and supervisors who I felt were good leaders.
This class forced me to reflect on personal experiences, learn about theories
and ideas and evaluate myself as a leader.
At the start of the course, I
would have listed my top five characteristics of an effective leader to be
caring, positive, knowledgeable, organized and a good communicator. At this
point, they would be charismatic, passionate, understanding/empathetic,
positive, and a good communicator. Some have changed and others have stayed the
same. I feel as though it is incredibly important for a leader to build strong
relationships with others and nurture those relationships.
I was very interested in
learning more about servant and authentic leaders and how serving others can be
so powerful in leading others. A servant leader is one who leads as the
center of the school or organization rather than the top. I think that it is so
important for the people you lead to see you as part of the team. Authentic
leaders lead with their hearts and minds. They are
passionate about the shared vision, purpose, and goals and the genuinely care
about the people with whom they work. They desire to serve others and find ways
to empower others to become leaders and make a difference. They are not focused
on power, money, self-promotion and personal achievements. They are willing to
make sacrifices for the good of the organization. I hope that one day when
someone is asked to describe me as a leader, they will view me as an authentic,
servant leader.
Another thing that stuck with
me from this class was about finding balance in life and how leaders must
balance all aspects of their lives. This is something that I think is a
constant challenge. Our lives are constantly changing and we are constantly
adjusting. I think it is important for a leader to model this balance in their
lives so that their colleagues and employees can see the importance of
balancing their own lives.
I
believe that a leader is someone who doesn’t say, “I told you so” but doesn’t
hesitate to say, “I don’t know.” I believe that through conversations with
experienced leaders, continued study of leadership theory and self-reflection,
my thoughts about the characteristics of an effective leader will continue to
grow and develop.
What
personal and professional values do you bring to your school's administration
that will help you be an effective leader?
I am constantly being described as a “people person.” I value
people’s thoughts, ideas, viewpoints, talents and insights. I form trusting
relationships with people. I believe that everyone has a story and it is worth
sharing. I will not only listen to others because I sincerely want to learn
about them, but I will also share my story with them. I am also a positive
person. I try to find the good in a situation. I strongly believe in the power
of being positive with others. I try to acknowledge when I see people doing a
good job at something.
How will issues in educational technology impact your ability as an educational leader in your school and community?
I have built a strong Professional Learning Network filled with
quality educators and leaders who I can share with and learn from as I grow
into an effective leader. Through posts, blogs and other interactions, I am
able to keep up to date with the latest news, studies, trends, and ideas
related to technology integration and its impact on education. As an effective
leader I will model the use of technology tools for collaboration, organization
and creation so that the teachers with whom I work, can learn about best
practices related to integrating technology and start implementing it in their
classrooms.
