Leadership Platform

by
Cindy Girard

EDAD 620
April 28, 2015

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your

presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence
(Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook).
Leadership is about creating conditions to do the best thinking and
the best work (Dr Delores Lindsay).

Visionary Leadership
As a school leader, I am driven to promote, protect, and develop a shared vision for all
stakeholders. Shared values and beliefs may be manifested through the vision or mission of the
organization or by the way in which an organization conducts its daily business (Chance, 2009,
p. 69). It also means fostering and developing relationships through respect and communication.
Effective principals aim to treat people with respect ten days out of ten (Whitaker, 2012, p.
113). According to Dr Harry Weinberg, Leaders understand leadership is about relationships.
As visionary leaders, we yield multipliers: When we use our most effective teachers as positive
role models, we multiply their productivity and help others maximize their talents (Whitaker,
2012, p. 47).
Transformational Leadership
As a transformational leader, I use my communication skills for observing and listening,
and for sharing and reflecting so that the team will work together in the change process. I
strongly believe in the professional learning community where a leader can collaboratively tap
into the richly diverse strengths and experiences of the team to create intellectual excitement and
a shared vision for students and the community. The principal must continuously seek ways to
open paths of communication, to create a sense of community, and to focus on faculty and

student morale (Chance, 2009, p. 19). A leader is not afraid to have courageous conversations, in
an effort to guide and support. Transformational leaders provide the skills, knowledge, and
learning experiences that promote excellence.
Instructional Leadership
Extraordinary instructional leadership is necessary now more than ever as schools across
the country experience a pendulum shift in education. Often the greatest impediment to change
is fear, especially fear of the unknown (Whitaker, 2012, p. 110). For instructional leaders to be
effective, they must first take the time to learn. The most effective principals have the
confidence to seek input in advance and feedback after the fact (Whitaker, 2012, p. 83).
Instructional leaders also need to be mindful at all times about the shared vision and have a
meaningful plan that incorporates the shared vision. The school leader communicates a clear
vision as to how instruction should be addressed in the school. Support is provided to the
teachers to continually enhance their pedagogical skills through reflection and professional
growth plans (Marzano, Warrick, & Sims, 2014, p. 37).
Reflection
When I reflect on some of the leaders who have influenced me the most, they all
believed. When times were tough, they always believed that we would succeed. When times
were successful, they believed in us even further and pushed us to do more. I feel that a leader
knows the importance of good timing. There is a time to take the lead, and a time to give the lead
to someone else. There is a time to talk and there is a time to listen. A leader must take the time
to learn about the culture of the school before leading the school. One of my favorite attributes of
a good leader is being able to keep a positive attitude. Focusing on all of the positive things in
our schools and there are many gives us more drive and energy to get through the less

positive times. If we do not set the positive tone, who will? And if we do not establish a
productive focus, should we be surprised if the voices of the naysayers set quite a different
tone? (Whitaker, 2012, p. 31)

References
Chance, P. (2009). Introduction to educational leadership and organizational behavior: Theory
into practice. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Marzano, R.J., Warrick, P., & Simms, J.A. (2014). A handbook for high reliability schools: The
next step in school reform. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.
Whitaker, T. (2012). What great principals do differently: Eighteen things that matter most.
Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.