How does a leader go about determining whether or not he or she has the resources necessary to being a successful leader

before taking on a new leadership position? The new/prospective leader needs to take an inventory of all the stakeholders and themselves. First place, you need to be self-aware. Who am I? What is my leadership style? Jeffery Glanzs book Finding Your Leadership Style: A Guide for Educators starts by acknowledging a book that he read as his inspiration. Who Are You, Really? Understanding Your Lifes Energy, written by Gary Null. This book encourages educational leaders to assess their personal style of leadership in relation to their ability to provide leadership in schools and districts. (Glanz, 2002). Once you find out who you are, the next step is to assess the stakeholders you will be working with. Note I said working with. These are all the people that make up your school system. Take a look at past practices. What worked well and what failed. What were the reasons for these successes and failures? What direction is the school system heading? Is their support for change if change is needed? This evaluation needs to be from top to bottom so you know what you are dealing with. Your major resource is your staff. Teachers that are dedicated and motivated are ones that will make your school climate such that change will be a naturally occurring thing. How can a leader invite and make followers understand how they wish to "lead" and involve colleagues? I have to agree with what R.L.Green said in his book Practicing the Art of Leadership. Todays leaders are coaching, influencing, and assisting followers in fulfilling individual as well as organizational goals. (Green, 2009) I keep returning to the image of a team. We are all in this together and each of us has a role to play. No one individual is the most important, nor are they the least. Everyone is needed in order for us to be successful. We are all part of this educational team. Once everyone gets on board with this concept it must be modeled. Put into practice. All the talk in the world will be meaningless if it is not acted upon. Therefore, school leaders must put a system into place to protect teachers from issues and influences that detract them from their teaching time. (Green, 2009) A safe working environment that allows them to take the risk of making changes. Teachers must become directly involved in making decisions and crafting policies, especially when the decisions and policies involve the design and implementation of curriculum and assessment of student learning. (Green, 2009) Teachers must have ownership of the educational process and the best way for that to happen is to be a part of it design. Reference Glanz, J. (2002). Finding your leadership style: A guide for educators. Alexandra, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Green, R. L. (2009). Practicing the Art of Leadership: A Problem-Based Approach to Implementing the ISLLC Standards. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.