REPUBLIC COLLEGES OF GUINOBATAN, INC

School of Gradute Studies and Research

G. Alban Street, Guinobatan , Albay

Activity 3 – EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Requirement:

What is Educational Leadership?

The profession of educational leadership has improved significantly. Educators
have a better understanding on how and in what ways, educational leadership has
contributed in student achievement. An increasing base of knowledge from research
and practice has depicted that the primary job of the educational leaders is to put
emphasis upon student achievement by formulation of challenging, caring and
supporting environmental conditions that are conducive to student learning. They
develop and support teachers, create constructive working conditions, allocate the
resources in an efficient manner, formulate appropriate organizational policies and
systems and get involved in other kinds of in depth and meaningful work, outside the
classroom setting. The meaningful work that educational leaders are involved in outside
of the classroom and educational institution, has emphasis upon the activities and tasks
that are implemented within the institution. The educational

Educational leadership has become a priority in education policy programs

worldwide. It plays a crucial role in refining school outcomes by influencing the
motivations and capabilities of the teachers, as well as the school climate and
environment. Operative educational leadership is vital to improve the efficiency and
pertinence of education. Educational leadership responsibilities should be adequately
defined through an understanding of the practices that are required to make an
improvement in teaching and learning. In many countries, the school administrators and
the principals have heavy work- loads, they are over-burdened with work. Most of these
individuals are reaching the retirement age and it is difficult to find leaders with
capabilities and competencies. Educational leadership functions can contribute in
making provision of guidance on the main characteristics, tasks and responsibilities of
proficient leaders in the field of education (Pont, Nusche, & Moorman, 2008).
The recruitment of educational leaders should be based on important
characteristics. They should possess appropriate educational qualifications, capabilities,
competency, proficiency, effective decision-making skills, leadership skills, and
resourcefulness. It is up to the leaders to carry out the tasks and functions in an
appropriate manner to achieve the desired goals and objectives of the educational
institution. The increase in the responsibilities and accountability of educational
leadership are creating the need for the distribution of leadership. This is within the
schools and outside the schools. The policy makers and the practitioners need to make
sure, the roles and responsibilities associated with the improved learning outcomes are
at the center of the educational leadership practice. With the impact of leadership skills,
the individuals are able to strengthen the roles of management and administration. The
individuals are able to adequately guide, direct and control the operations of the
institution with the impact of effective leadership skills (Pont, Nusche, & Moorman,
2008).

Explain the different types of educational leadership.

1. Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership takes the focus from the end goal to the people who are being led.
There is no sense of self-interest on the part of the leader, who steps back and supports
only the interests of the followers. Guidance, empowerment and a culture of trust are
hallmarks of this style of leadership. A servant leader puts complete trust in the process
and in his or her followers, assuming that those within the organization will align with its
goal.

The primary issue with servant leadership is that it’s not viable on an organizational
level, in large part because it does not keep its eye on the prize. With the focus being so
entirely upon the needs of the people within the organization, the goal of the
organization is nearly completely lost and therefore not attained. Education happens in
the real world, where unfortunately people have shortcomings and quite often need
guidance in order to get things going in the right direction. Transformational Leadership
offers that same focus on the individual, while building an investment in the end goal of
the organization and thereby creating a momentum to achieve it. Transformational
Leadership takes Service Leadership to the next level.

2. Transactional Leadership

Give and take is the hallmark of transactional leadership – it is indeed modeled just like
a business transaction. The employer/employee relationship is largely transactional as
is. Employers need work done and employees do that work in exchange for money.
That “quid pro quo” (“something for something”) is the heart of the workplace, and
everyone is generally happy with this arrangement, but it only works if everyone
involved sees it that way. In education, there is often more at stake for employees who
quite often understand their jobs to be more than just a simple exchange of services for
money, but rather see their higher purpose. Money is therefore not the motivating factor.

This is where transformational leadership can step in to compliment transactional

leadership, taking the whole process as step further by building upon other forms of
motivation outside of simply the exchange of goods and services for money. However
transformational leadership only really works of the leader is able to keep up the
charisma and interpersonal relationships which are required for it to work. When
transformational leadership fails, the last resort is quite often transactional leadership,
which is easy and straightforward, if less than effective in the long term.

Perhaps the biggest contrast between transformational and transactional leadership is

that the latter is laissez faire, in which the leader allows employees to do as they like,
whereas the former is completely hands on and intrusive in its nature.

3. Emotional Leadership

Where transactional leadership was concerned primarily with the exchange of goods
and services, emotional leadership is concerned with the feelings and motivations of
followers. It takes the focus completely to the other side of the spectrum – demanding
that leaders be emotionally intelligent themselves and then to motivate through the use
of that emotional intelligence.

Emotional leadership and transformational leadership have a great deal in common with
each other. With emotional leadership, the leader taps into their emotional center in
order to find the path to guiding their followers. People sometimes argue that
transformational leadership requires that same level of influence over emotions,
however there is a fundamental difference in the two in that transformational leadership
is by necessity a rational process rather than an emotional one.

4. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership takes from each of the other kinds of leadership its best
qualities and then uses those, along with a deep sense of shared purpose, to motivate
subordinates. While the other forms of leadership focus on one singular aspect or
another, transformational leadership takes a broad view of the issues surrounding
leadership and then uses those as a driving force for meeting the overall goals of the
organization. For education in particular, transformational leadership offers the best of
everything – from tapping into the emotions of workers to offering the compensatory
core that is the case for all forms of business, to guiding from a place of support.

However since transformational leadership is informed by all of these various types of

leadership, it’s always a good idea for leaders to learn more about these other styles so
as to offer a deeper understanding of these forms so as to offer those in whose service
they are the best support and guidance possible.

5. Autocratic Style

The phrase most illustrative of an autocratic leadership style is "Do as I say." Generally,
an autocratic leader believes that he or she is the smartest person at the table and
knows more than others. They make all the decisions with little input from team
members.

This command-and-control approach is typical of leadership styles of the past, but it

doesn't hold much water with today's talent.
That's not to say that the style may not be appropriate in certain situations. For
example, you can dip into an autocratic leadership style when crucial decisions need to
be made on the spot, and you have the most knowledge about the situation, or when
you're dealing with inexperienced and new team members and there's no time to wait
for team members to gain familiarity with their role.

6. Authoritative Style

The phrase most indicative of this style of leadership (also known as "visionary") is
"Follow me." The authoritative leadership style is the mark of confident leaders who
map the way and set expectations, while engaging and energizing followers along the
way.

In a climate of uncertainty, these leaders lift the fog for people. They help them see
where the company is going and what's going to happen when they get there.

Unlike autocratic leaders, authoritative leaders take the time to explain their thinking:
They don't just issue orders. Most of all, they allow people choice and latitude on how to
achieve common goals.

7. Pacesetting Style

"Do as I do!" is the phrase most indicative of leaders who utilize the pacesetting style.
This style describes a very driven leader who sets the pace as in racing. Pacesetters
set the bar high and push their team members to run hard and fast to the finish line.

While the pacesetter style of leadership is effective in getting things done and driving for
results, it's a style that can hurt team members. For one thing, even the most driven
employees may become stressed working under this style of leadership in the long run.

8.Democratic Style

Democratic leaders are more likely to ask "What do you think?" They share information
with employees about anything that affects their work responsibilities. They also
seek employees' opinions before approving a final decision.
There are numerous benefits to this participative leadership style. It can engender trust
and promote team spirit and cooperation from employees. It allows for creativity and
helps employees grow and develop. A democratic leadership style gets people to do
what you want to be done but in a way that they want to do it.

9. Coaching Style

When you having a coaching leadership style, you tend to have a "Consider this"
approach. A leader who coaches views people as a reservoir of talent to be developed.
The leader who uses a coach approach seeks to unlock people's potential.

Leaders who use a coaching style open their hearts and doors for people. They believe
that everyone has power within themselves. A coaching leader gives people a little
direction to help them tap into their ability to achieve all that they're capable of.

10. Affiliative Style

A phrase often used to describe this type of leadership is "People come first." Of all the
leadership styles, the affiliative leadership approach is one where the leader gets up
close and personal with people. A leader practicing this style pays attention to and
supports the emotional needs of team members. The leader strives to open up a
pipeline that connects him or her to the team.

Ultimately, this style is all about encouraging harmony and forming collaborative
relationships within teams. It's particularly useful, for example, in smoothing conflicts
among team members or reassuring people during times of stress.

11. Laissez-Faire Style

The laissez-faire leadership style is at the opposite end of the autocratic style. Of all the
leadership styles, this one involves the least amount of oversight. You could say that the
autocratic style leader stands as firm as a rock on issues, while the laissez-faire leader
lets people swim with the current.

On the surface, a laissez-faire leader may appear to trust people to know what to do,
but taken to the extreme, an uninvolved leader may end up appearing aloof. While it's
beneficial to give people opportunities to spread their wings, with a total lack of
direction, people may unwittingly drift in the wrong direction—away from the critical
goals of the organization.

This style can work if you're leading highly skilled, experienced employees who are self-
starters and motivated. To be most effective with this style, monitor team performance
and provide regular feedback