My Leadership Philosophy

In the teaching profession, leadership takes on many shapes and forms. We are all learning leaders in the sense that we lead others learning and should also be modelling ourselves as lifelong learners. I constantly share my own learning with my students-
1. so that they realise I don't think I know everything 
2. so that they can see me as a learner
3. so that they have the opportunity to teach me

We are also naturally leaders in our communities. We role model to our students purely by accident. What use would there be "telling" your students to respect one another if they then saw you behaving in a disrespectful manner in the community? I believe we MUST 'walk the talk' and 'practise what we preach'.
Then of course there is leadership within school staff. Being a part of a leadership team for the past three years, I have learnt many things. Most valuable, I believe, is the understanding of the BIG difference between being a manager and a leader. It may sound obvious! Management= telling people what to do/ using words. Leading= showing people what to do/ actions. We all know the saying 'actions speak louder than words' and it seems so appropriate when it comes to leadership. The main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have people follow them while managers have people who work for them. Being in a leadership position does not make your opinions or ideas any more valuable than others- in fact, in leadership you should make even more of an effort to HEAR others opinions and ideas. This is an important aspect of leadership as a good leader inspires others to share their ideas and opinions, and makes sure they feel valued.
In one of my leadership course sessions, we were asked to come up with a definition for leadership- this is what my group defined leadership as;
"Leadership is communicating a vision, and inspiring others to activate it collaboratively. Leadership is guiding and mentoring others on the journey and reflecting along the way."

 

 

As the diagram above demonstrates, a leadership position involves aspects of management. The management is the data gathering, paper work etc, the leading is all the parts that involve people.

 

So how do I carry out effective leadership whilst still learning myself? I think the answer to that is the same as modelling yourself as a learner to your students. An effective leader is an active learner, not a person who thinks they have all the answers.

I think this passage from Murray Fletcher's (University of Otago) leadership course is incredibly important;
"I place emphasis on being ‘authentic’ or ‘true to yourself ‘ as you lead. You can do this by utilising different strategies and skills in different contexts/ situations without being someone who is not you. There may be a different you growing as you gather experiences."

I believe it would be very difficult to inspire anyone without showing genuine authenticity and remaining true to yourself. An inspirational person in any context, is usually someone who has originality of thought and expression, and someone who is not easily swayed by the latest trends. As I develop my leadership skills and experience, I aim to remain true to myself and keep my core values at the forefront. When asked by Murray to define our core values in one word- I chose RELATIONSHIPS.