Self-Analysis and the Importance of Leadership Style for Linking School and Community
Summary: In Summer 2007, a Virginia Tech Doctoral cohort completed EDAE 6924, School Community Partnerships. Here is a personal reflection authored by Douglas Shifflett.
According to Coleman (2007), a school leader must first understand their own philosophy in order to build relationships that will spur success between the school and the community. I agree with this opinion and stress the importance of communication and participation as it relates to a school leader. Listening skills and leadership styles must be understood by a leader so consistency, self evaluation and productivity can occur.
Good listening skills are a must for a good leader. After taking the listening assessment by KarenZupko and Associate, Inc., I found that I do possess good listening skills. One of the most important actions that I take is to put away whatever I am working on and devote my full attention to the speaker. I practice this in my office, in the school and in the community. This allows me to focus as well as show my interest in the conversation even if the information being discussed is not of high importance to me. If a person is taking the time to communicate their opinion to me then it is very important to them and I must honor this.
I believe it is important to allow the speaker to express their full opinion without interrupting them and not making a snap judgment until everything has been discussed and all of the options weighed. I will question why the speaker feels the way they do and how they came to some of their conclusions. Knowing where the information originated and how it was processed by the speaker is of great importance. Having these skills will allow me communicate with anyone in any setting. By listening, I am allowing the speaker to be a participant in the actions and decisions that are made at the school level. Their opinion is being heard and not just thrown away as a fleeting thought as soon as it is voiced.
I participated in a survey that assessed my communication style (Gowertraining). The survey results found my preference style as being a “thinker”. Some of the strengths that accompany this style are being methodical, analytical, fair and practical. I have always thought of myself in this manner and have had colleagues agree to this insight. The survey also provided insight concerning certain situations and how I can be better prepared for them. Some of these included delaying my decisions, hurting people’s feelings and keeping my thoughts to myself so others don’t get to know me. These three concerns are very accurate descriptions of my personality and show support for my communication style. I have come to realize these descriptions about myself as a leader but I have never had a survey pinpoint them to such a degree. I will also use this survey to have my faculty critique themselves concerning their leadership styles within the classroom and as sponsors of other school assignments.
Based on these two surveys, I have found that my philosophy of leadership is one of participation by all rather than making autocratic decisions. I often involve other people in the decision making process so I can get a variety of opinions and feedback from different perspectives. I have also found that I delegate decisions to a team or group with few if any guidelines to follow. This is done when a group has already proven themselves worthy of completing a task or making a decision having involved many different opinions and feedback. These groups or committees are seen by me to follow the same leadership style that I possess. Therefore, they are using the same philosophy in which I believe.
Parent and community involvement is a must when leading a school or school system. The education process is geared to improve on the present level of education for the students but it must also attempt to improve the community level as well. Although the school setting regularly educates students from ages 6-18, it also continues to work with the parents and grandparents of these students through the maturation process of all. Society is changing so rapidly that educators must try to involve everyone in the community regarding the educational process or it will only make progress in a certain age group. If only the students are educated it will promote a wall or gap between the generations which will hurt society as a whole. By involving the community and parents with the decision making process as well as attaining their feedback on educational productivity, an empowerment is created that supports the democratic style of government that in which we live. My leadership style incorporates this idea of sharing power among everyone involved but with an emphasis of reaching objectives and goals that are set forth by all.
As a leader I have final say when key decisions are made. Community participation is a key in arriving at these decisions because combining information from many different sources can provide for more effective and accurate decision making. By providing the opportunity for input into the decision making process, I am creating a more complete process for arriving at a decision. There is no possible way that I can have enough knowledge to make accurate decisions based solely on my knowledge alone. I whole heartedly accept my weaknesses or lack of certain knowledge but am able to use the strengths of others to strengthen myself in making decisions.
I have incorporated some ideas into sharing and gathering information through my first year as a high school principal. I do take the lead as the principal, but I have expressed my goals and beliefs as a leader to my staff. I have seen my administrative staff and faculty follow my lead in representing the school at events, leading meetings and making decisions. Above all, the students come first. Everyone realizes that the students are the leaders of tomorrow and must be educated and allowed to mature into those leaders without forcing them into a cookie cutter person.
I have had the privilege of being a part of a high school that is functioning as a High Schools That Work site. This program allows for grant money to be given to schools that involve their community in efforts to promote vocational training for every student as well as the college bound student. My school is teamed with a local community college and surrounding industries in order to promote the concept of students learning vocational skills. We have incorporated vocational lessons into our classes to ensure the overlap of communication of the importance of vocational skills. Parents and businesses meet a few times a year to discuss how we can continue to relate to the students and express concerns of how the program is progressing.
This is another example of how my leadership style is being used. I do not attempt to be an expert in vocational training nor do I want to tell the businesses how to do their job. We express our opinions, beliefs and new information and then discuss how we can continue meeting the needs of the students and the community. Hopefully, in the future, our students will be in our community working in these businesses and eventually running these companies. We are working to assure that the students are able to meet these needs as they enter and progress through our workforce.
By allowing the teachers, parents and community to be a part of the education setting promotes a learning process that promotes ownership which leads to a more productive environment. Without inclusion, it is appropriate for human beings to feel neglected and turn against those who are deciding. My leadership style will help avoid these situations by including as many people as possible in order to provide the best available information to be shared. This process will also provide for better communication to be presented to the community. If a person is actually involved in the decision process, he is more likely to claim ownership and support the decision as well as defend the reasons of why and how the decision was made.
References
Coleman, J. Craig (2007). “Know Thyself” The importance of self-analysis for the school/community leader. Retrieved May 25, 2007, from http://cns.org/content/m14427/latest
Communication Style Survey. Retrieved May 27, 2007, from http://www.gowertraining.co.uk/pdf%20files/comquest.pdf
KarenZupko & Associates, Inc. Are you a good listener? Retrieved May 27, 2007, from http://www.karenzupko.com
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Last edited by National Council of Professors of Educational Administration on Jun 13, 2007 9:41 am GMT-5.