Running head: Benchmark – Leadership Philosophy 1

Benchmark: Leadership Philosophy

Grand Canyon University: EAD501

January 5, 2020

Rolanda Brown
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Leadership Philosophy

School leaders have the responsibility to effectively lead teachers and staff members in a

way that inspires growth and continuous improvement. In order to do this, it is necessary for

leaders to reflect on their ability to lead and set goals for how they will do this in their schools.

After researching different leadership styles, I have a greater understanding of my values and

beliefs, my leadership style, and how I will conduct myself in leadership positions.

Values and Beliefs

As I reflect on who I am as a person, I can identify values and beliefs that I stand by. I

use these as a guide to how I live my life. They will also be the same guide I use as I begin a

career in leadership. I strongly value joy and positivity. I believe our career can be fraught

with frustrations, but when we try to look at life with a positivity, we have the strength to move

forward, realizing that we are in a constant state of growth. Living with a spirit of joy enables

me to persevere when I feel like giving up. I also value teamwork and community. I believe

that when we work together, we are more successful because we have the strength and support of

others. Compassion and empathy guide me in my relationships with others. As I seek to

understand them and help them grow, I can relate to their feelings and this colors how I respond.

Leadership Styles

In my research, I have come across three leadership styles that resonate with me. These

are Servant leadership, transactional leadership, and transformational leadership. Servant

leadership can be described as a style where serving others comes first. Leaders who exemplify
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this style of leadership believe that those they serve will become better people, allowing them to

become more like servants themselves. Crippen mentions that servant leaders listen and

respond to the needs of those they serve, building creativity. These leaders value a shared vision,

self-management, collaboration, and trust. Greenleaf states the true test of servant leaders “Do

those served grow as persons, do they while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more

autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants” (Greenleaf, 2007). This is what

embodies servant leadership.

Transactional leaders tend to value rewards for good performance. It can be described as

management by exception, meaning that it tends to use corrective criticism, negative

reinforcement and is a very passive style of leadership. (Northouse, 2019). Transactional leaders

seldom create trusting relationships with those they lead. According to Kuhnert and Lewis,

Transactional leadership is a very reactionary style, requiring leaders to constantly maintain a

reward-based control over their employees (Kuhnert & Lewis, 1987).

Transformational leaders believe strongly in justice and integrity. Like the servant leader,

they believe in a shared vision and are willing to model the type of characteristics they desire

from those they lead. These characteristics are self-confidence, dominance, and a moral

righteousness of beliefs. They lead by clearly stating goals and inspiring confidence in others.

(Northouse, 2019). Kuhnert and Lewis state that Transformational Leadership motivates others

to go above and beyond. Transformational leaders are visionaries, creating deep connections

with others and motivating them to do their best. (Kuhnert & Lewis, 1987).

My Leadership Philosophy

When I look at these leadership styles, I realize that my philosophy lends itself to a

combination of two styles. These are servant leadership and transformational leadership. Like
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the servant leader, I desire the best of others. With my values of empathy and compassion, I

desire to serve those that I lead, meeting their needs with the hope that they will do the same for

others. I also value the Transformational leadership style. I truly desire to motivate others and

inspire them to leadership. As they grow in their personal capacity, they will become strong

leaders, creating a strong school that is focused on continuous improvement. Because I value

collaboration and teamwork, building strong leaders will help to build a school that can meet

new challenges by working together. With these two styles paired, I will truly be meeting the

needs of those I lead, while inspiring them to grow as leaders in their own right.

As I grow in my leadership style, I will continue to act with integrity and fairness to

ensure that we are collectively accountable for the success of each student. I will do this in two

ways. First, I will constantly reflect on myself, making sure to keep my values at the forefront of

all I do. This will help me to ensure that I am personally at my best when serving and leading

others. By combining servant leadership and transformational leadership, I have the ability to

make sure the needs of all are met. This will help me to place a lens of fairness over all I do,

guiding others through a shared mission and vision. This will ensure an environment that

promotes the success of all students both academically and socially.

Finally, I realize that I am in a process of growth. As I make my leadership philosophy, I

must acknowledge that it may change as I continue the process of reflection. As this model of

leadership emerges, I will continue to use it as inspiration to effectively lead others. By focusing

on my values, I can ensure that wherever this leadership path leads me, the success of the

teachers and students I lead will be forefront in my mind.

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References

Crippen, C., & Willows, J. (2019). Connecting teacher leadership and servant leadership: A

synergistic partnership. Journal of Leadership Education, 18(2) doi:10.12806/V18/I2/T4

Greenleaf, R. K. (2007). The Servant as Leader. Leadership, 407-415.

doi:10.2307/j.ctvpg85tk.36

Kuhnert, K. W., & Lewis, P. (1987). Transactional and transformational leadership: A

constructive/developmental analysis. Academy of Management Review, 12(4), 648-657.

doi:10.5465/AMR.1987.4306717

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership (Eighth edition ed.). Los Angeles ; London ; New Delhi ;

Singapore ; Washington DC ; Melbourne: SAGE. Retrieved from http://bvbr.bib-

bvb.de:8991/F?

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