Running Head: THE PRINCIPALS ROLE AS A LEADER OF SERVICE The Principals Role as a Leader of Service -Critical Element Paper

#2 Presented to the Department of Educational Leadership and Postsecondary Education University of Northern Iowa -In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts in Education -by Jakob J. Schroeder Waterloo West High School Waterloo, IA (September 2013) -Dr. Nicholas Pace

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I was not sure what to expect when it came to researching servant leadership and the impact it would have on my role as principal. At first I thought I would be discovering a new and groundbreaking way to carry myself as a leader, but it turns out I have been a part of many organizations where leaders have demonstrated this role. In fact I actually found it quite difficult to talk about servant leadership because I struggle to put common sense into words. I guess I just cannot image being an effective leader without first being a servant leader. I believe this is also true of anyone who is involved in education. When a person chooses to become an educator they are making a commitment to serving others, which involves putting others ahead of themselves at almost any cost. Robert K. Greenleaf is credited for coining the phrase servant-leadership in a series of essays he wrote in 1970 as a new type of leadership model for organizations. A servant-leader is described as: One who is a servant firstIt begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servantfirst to make sure that other peoples highest priority needs are being servedDo they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? (Greenleaf, 1998, p. 4) What separates a principal as a servant leader from others is the unique position they have when it comes to impacting the people around them. Some people will follow a principal automatically because of the positional power held as an authority figure. This will only get us so far, as Sergiovanni (2009) explains, before one can command the respect and followership of others, she or he must demonstrate devotion to the organizations purposes and commitment to

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those in the organization (p. 22). Obviously the notion of servant leadership can have tremendous implications on our ability become a successful leader. Therefore it becomes important for me to reflect on my experience with servant leadership to better understand how I can become a more effective leader. My experience with servant leadership does not involve lessons learned in the classroom. Instead, much of what I know about servant leadership comes from my role as a teacher, coach, and field internship experiences in the principalship program. In this paper I will demonstrate my devotion and commitment to servant leadership through my experiences and how they relate to the Iowa Standards for School Leadership, or ISSL, and the implications this can have on me as a future principal. Spears (2009) established a list 10 characteristics that contribute to servant leadership, this includes: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Many of these characteristics are not taught, but are instead developed though experience. And, as these are not taught to others, the best way to transform others into servant leaders is by modeling these characteristics everyday as leader. ISSL one (visionary leadership) begins with creating a vision by first listening to students, teachers, and community members and then building the organization around them and the goals they want to accomplish. As servant leader, Wallace (2008) explains, You build organizations that succeed by putting people first (p. 2). One way I have demonstrated visionary leadership is through the recognition of students in our Partners in Education (PIE) program at West High. The PIE program connects students with the school and community to recognize and promote the achievements of our students. My role has been to help select students who are

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deserving of this honor and present their accomplishments to members of the business community. As a servant leader in this role demonstrates the conceptualization of ideas that go beyond the day-to-day tasks and look at the bigger picture of the school within the community. ISSL two (instructional leadership) is done by making a commitment to the growth of people by increasing the capacity of our teachers. We do this because, Educational leaders ensure achievement and success of all students by monitoring and continuously improving teaching and learning (Sorenson, Goldsmith, Mendez, & Maxwell, 2011, p. 194). Instructional leadership is perhaps the single most important role of the principal. A servant leader must be able to listen to others, have a great awareness of the people and programs in the building, and most importantly make a commitment to the growth of others. Blanchard (1999) says, You need to listen to your people, praise them, support them, and redirect them when they deviate from their goals. The servant leader is constantly trying to find out what his or her people need to be successful (p. 1). As a teacher and coach I have demonstrated my instructional ability and commitment to the growth of others. As a swim coach I have worked tirelessly to develop and improve my student athletes so they can reach their potential. As a teacher I have had the opportunity to work with new teachers and more recently I have worked with student teachers. Being responsible for a student teacher is one of the few opportunities we have as teachers to have a direct impact on another adult who will also go on to teach. I see this as a test of my skills to instruct and lead others in quality instructional practice. ISSL three (organizational leadership) is connected to servant leadership by our ability to clear all of the obstacles for teachers and students so they are allowed to learn in a safe and orderly environment. Successfully accomplishing this role is also what makes us credible to

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others and leads to our authority of service. Greenleaf (1998) explains our authority of service occurs after we have demonstrated our dependable performance over time. It can take years to establish this validation and is done by treating others fairly, meeting deadlines, getting the job done right, and making a habit of telling the truth (p. 282). From my principal shadowing internship experience with Justin Urbanek at Dunkerton High School I began to develop this sense of clearing the obstacles for the teachers and students. The best evidence of a principal taking care of management responsibilities is when others have no idea there was even an issue in the first place. At the same time we should not allow ourselves to become consumed by these duties, we must not allow the unimportant to replace the important (Sorenson et al., 2011, p. 206). ISSL four (collaborative leadership) is about building a community out of the school where we collaborate with our families and community members. As a servant leader our success in collaborative leadership comes down to the relationships among the people in the organization (Wallace, 2003, p. 2). Strong relationships will lead us to Greenleafs outcome where people become more autonomous and are themselves more likely to become servants. I have had several opportunities to demonstrate collaborative leadership through my role in the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program at West High. Many change efforts from PBIS involve improving relationships with students and staff. I have found through this experience that a servant leader must have good listening skills and a great sense of awareness of themselves and the people around them. We can only truly be a servant leader if we meet ISSL five (ethical leadership). If we do not act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner we will lose all credibility as an effective leader. This requires us to identify our cores values, develop our priories, and most

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importantly stick with them. If our core values are not relentlessly believed in and followed our organization is likely to crumble or become mediocre (Wallace, 2008, p. 54). People will follow a leader who has a great moral compass, a backbone, and someone who acts with integrity all the time. The first time we deviate from this we will lose our ability to lead others. As a leader the best way to demonstrate ethical leadership is by modeling these behaviors for others, which I have done as a teacher and coach. For example, during the swim season I see my athletes more than they see their own parents. I must be constantly aware of the impact that I have on these young men and the outcome that my actions can have on them. For the principal this comes back to that unique position they have to influence many people. As a principal, we are always on the job and are continuously expected to carry ourselves in an ethical manner. ISSL six (political leadership) requires us to demonstrate the characteristics of awareness, persuasion, and foresight. This standard is about how we stand in the big picture and how we watch out for the welfare of all members of the school community. I believe my role as a Waterloo Education Association representative has prepared me to lead others through political leadership. While some believe a teachers union is only created to benefit the teachers, I would argue that our actions support all members of the community. Not only do we self-advocate we also strive to provide our students with proper resources and the best possible conditions for the learning environment. For an outside observer of servant leadership and understanding the role this style of leadership can have on an organization, I would have them examine the position Pope Francis has taken within the Catholic Church. I believe past leaders of the Catholic Church have deviated from servant leadership and this had led to a decline in followership. Today, Pope Francis embodies what it means to put others first and this has caught the attention of many

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people which has caused a revival and rejuvenation in members of the Church. This is just one example of the impact we can have when we put others first. Over the past six years I have discovered that just having the ability and skills to teach is not always enough to be the most effective leader. Through teaching, coaching, field experiences, and principalship classes I have learned that to truly be an effective leader I must be completely devoted to education and everyone around me I must be a servant leader. As a servant leader I will always put others first, and more often than not I will be the first to arrive and the last to leave. As I have always done, I will continue to lead by example and model the characteristics of servant leadership in everything I do. My success as a servant leader will be measured by the impact I have on others which will be proven when they become better at what they do and are more likely to become servant leaders themselves.

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References Blanchard, K. (1999) Servant Leadership. Positive Living. Retrieved from http://www.melbabenson.com/articles_files/ServantLeadership.pdf Greenleaf, R. K. (1998). The power of servant leadership. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. Sergiovanni, T. J. (2009). The principal: A reflective practice perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Sorenson, R.D., Goldsmith, L.M., Mendez, Z.Y. & Maxwell, K.T. (2011). Principals guide to curriculum leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Spears, L. C. (2009). Servant Leadership. Leadership Excellence, 26(5), 20. Wallace, R. (2008). Principal to principal: Conversations in servant leadership and school reform. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education.