Leadership Platform Paper

EDAD 620

Mary Dhillon
 I have been in teacher leadership positions for over half of my career, but my views on

leadership have evolved as I now consider what it means to be the leader of a school. As a

developing leader, my mission is to always put people at the forefront, as I join in the important

work of inspiring all students to value and acquire the knowledge and skills to engage with the

world effectively and compassionately as lifelong learners. Participation in the coursework for

this educational administration program has allowed me to begin the work of building and

internalizing my personal framework for what it means to be a school leader. Through the

process of learning, practice, and reflection over the past year, I feel that an effective leader who

puts people first, must create a culture of trust, embrace the practice of building up the capacity

of the people who support the children in our schools, and assume the role of a learning leader.

Culture of Trust

A strong culture of trust is a necessary component of an effective, high-quality school.

Leaders are responsible for cultivating and maintaining this culture. I believe this is the most

important responsibility a leader has because people cannot fully engage when operating in an

environment deficient in trust. As Elena Aguilar writes, in her book ​The Art of Coaching Teams:

Building Resilient Communities That Transform Schools:​

For us to build teams that are resilient and transformational, we need to intentionally

create a culture of trust. There is no way to get around this truth. And to cultivate trust,

we need to know ourselves as leaders. The work of team development is cyclical--the

ability to build trust is predicated upon the ability to know yourself (2016, p. 40).

In order to build a team willing to take risks, and to embrace the feeling of vulnerability that

comes with growth and change, people need the security of knowing the leader is confidently
and consistently working towards something of value, and that decisions are made and actions

are taken deliberately and thoughtfully.

Good leaders also create a culture of trust by building quality relationships with people.

When this happens, people feel secure. If people trust each other and trust their leader, they are

more willing to work toward a common goal and take risks because they know that this is the

norm. As part of this program, I lead a professional learning community. This was a great

opportunity to build relationships as the team applied newly learned skills and strategies and

agreed to let me observe them in action. The team also observed me. We operated in a

vulnerable space, and we did it together. The act of being transparent about not only the team

members strengths and areas for growth, but also my own, is a practice I will take with me as I

continue to grow into my leadership role.

Building Capacity

Something that struck me early on in the program was that impact a school leader has on

the engagement and productivity of the people around them. A notion that resonated with me, in

particular, is the idea that “sometimes with a change in leadership comes a change in capability”

(Wiseman, Allen, & Foster, 2016, p. 3). Leaders have the ability to facilitate growth or to limit it

based on the way they choose to lead. As detailed in ​The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius

Inside Our Schools​, Wiseman, Allen, and Foster suggest that a leader is a “Multiplier” when they

are able to recognize and fully utilize the talent in the people around them. They do this by

creating a level of intensity that requires the best thinking. They extend challenges, build

community decisions, and inspire accountability (2016). A leader that utilizes the collective

genius of the school stakeholders, not only benefits from this collective genius, but also
communicates deep respect and trust for the teachers tasked with engaging our students in

rigorous and meaningful learning opportunities.

Moving forward as an aspiring leader, I think about the importance of recognizing

strengths and talents as I work towards building capacity in others. Aguilar (2016), discusses the

importance of internalizing learning so we are able to transfer what we have learned into what

we do. I had the opportunity to conduct a coaching cycle with a teacher as part of this program.

In order to build the capacity of this teacher, I utilized her reflection strengths to build her

capacity to transition reflection into action. I had her make several recordings of her teaching

and asked her to sit with me so we could both observe her teaching from the perspective of the

coach. With support, she learned to identify classroom management areas of growth, as well as

evidence of her progress. We began to see a shift in her ability to take feedback and apply it to

her practice. My work moving forward will include a focus on building the capacity of my team

by supporting their individual strengths and needs.

Learning Leader

Lastly, effective school leaders understand the importance of creating an environment

that inspires others to push themselves to be their best. I want to be a leader who “models

learning, but also shapes the conditions for all to learn on a continuous basis” (Fullen, 2014, p.

9). I hope to effectively provide a space for all students and teachers to feel like a connected and

important part of the learning that takes place in the school community. Fullen (2014) suggests

that “the principal who covers only such areas as establishing a vision, acquiring resources for

teachers, working to help individual teachers, and other similar activities does not necessarily

learn what is specifically needed to stimulate ongoing organizational improvement” (p. 58).
 I will follow the example of my current administrator and learn alongside my teachers.

This administrator attends all of the professional development opportunities that the teachers

attend. She does this so she can support the teachers based on her own acquirement of and

reflection on new material we are learning together. The context she has based on her

participation in learning is invaluable. Not only does she have the benefit of expanding her own

experience, but she has the context necessary to share in our struggles and our growth as a team

and organization. She is aware of what the teachers need to continue growing because she is

right there with us. The common theme throughout this program has been the highlighted

importance of knowing your people. Being a learning leader is a natural part of that process.

Conclusion

My framework for what it means to be an effective leader is a work in progress, and I

expect and hope for it to grow as I do. As I continue to learn and grow through the experiences

offered in this program and my professional experiences which I now view with a more

developed lens of leadership, I better understand the mindset and practices that living my

leadership mission will require. I have expanded my view of the educational landscape and see

how relationships and interactions between leaders and teachers affect students. By putting

people first, and creating a culture of trust, building up the capacity of the people, and assuming

the role of a learning leader, I hope to lead a school intent on inspiring all students to value and

acquire the knowledge and skills to engage with the world effectively and compassionately as

lifelong learners.
 References

Aguilar, E. (2016). ​The art of coaching teams: Building resilient communities that transform
schools​, San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass.

Fullan, M. (2014). ​The principal: Three keys to maximizing impact (1st ed.)​. San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wiseman, L., Allen, L., & Foster, E. (2013). ​The multiplier effect: Tapping the genius inside
our schools.​ Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.