Five general characteristics of a leader
Goldberg (2001) conducted 43 interviews since 1989 with eminent educational leaders and found a common thread between all of them. All 43 interviewees had five …show more content…
Goldberg, 2001).
Invitational Leadership Burns’s and Martin’s (2010) definition of invitational leadership is a leader who focuses on collaboration, connectedness, and communication as opposed to emphasizing control and dominance. The leader puts a strong emphases on creating a positive atmosphere and implements policies to keep the positivity in the workplace, and trust and respect among the staff. Such an environment creates achievement of goals and opens reservoirs of untapped potential and encourages individuals to succeed especially in a school setting (Burns and Martin, 2010).
They describe the four core characteristics that are found in a leader as optimism, respect, trust, and intention (Burns and Martin, 2010). The belief of an individual having untapped potential for development and growth is referred to as optimism, the idea that people are deserving of respect because they have worth is defined as respect. Believing in the abilities and integrity of others is listed as trust, and the achievement of goals, mentioned as intention (Burns and Martin, 2010). Leaders of a school hold the key to success for the entire student body and learning community (Henry S. William, …show more content…
Research has shown that the rate of student success was higher in schools with teachers working together as a team. Distributed leadership creates a common culture of expectations around the use of individual skills and abilities while maximizing the capacity of teachers within the organization (Alma Harris, 2003).
Studies on Distributed Leadership
Harris (2002) addresses two studies demonstrating the pertinence of distributed leadership. In 1999 the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) in England examined successful leadership practice in schools, and the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) in 2001 researched successful leadership in schools with challenging circumstances. Both studies revealed that effective leaders saw their roles as empowering other to lead where they can succeed. Teachers’ self esteem was boosted, professional competence was enhanced, and these leaders gave their staff the confidence to lead (Alma Harris, 2003).
These studies have shown that successful leaders are not as concerned with individual capabilities and skills as they are with collective responsibility for leadership action and activity (Alma Harris,