Transformational School Leader

There is no shortage of expectations for school leaders. Expectations from demanding politicians, concerned parents, well meaning teachers, motivated students, and interested community members must all be considered to successfully lead a school community. A transformational leader as originally described by James MacGregor Burns can be most effective in meeting those expectations. In this brief summary on my leadership style, I will expand on and assess my view of a transformational school leader as one who articulates a clear vision and mission, creates a culture of high expectations and continuous improvement, leads through democratic decision making, and demonstrates strong interpersonal skills. A transformational school leader is clear …show more content…
I believe democratic decision making is of utmost important in creating a successful school, particularly when big decisions are to be made. There is the time and place for an administrator to make decisions without consulting all stakeholders, but more often than not, in order to effect positive change, decisions must be shared by all. This does not mean all students, staff, and community are a part of every decision, but that all stakeholders can give input in the decision making process when appropriate. The principal might have an advisory board that represents all faculty members when making decisions for the whole school or bring students, parents and community members in when creating a school mission statement. As a leader, I believe consensus is most important when making decisions. Not everyone needs to agree with the decision that is made, but they should be able to live with and support the will of the majority. I practice this on the team of teachers I work most closely with. I have been designated by the team to facilitate any decision making process by allowing all opinions to be heard and respected before leading the group in a process of coming to consensus. If there is no buy-in on a decision, the outcome of that decision is almost certainly failure. Democratic leadership ensure success the success of implementing any new task or …show more content…
The task of leading a successful school may sound daunting as people have varied and different expectations of what schools and leaders should be doing, but a transformational leader keeps these things in perspective. A transformational leader models a way forward with all stakeholders feeling supported and validated to ensure the success of the school, students, and staff. It is not an easy task, but is one that I am willing to take