Introduction
Leadership is the power to influence a team and push them towards reaching their goals. It requires strong communication, motivation and clear direction in order to successfully achieve the desired vision. Leadership is an essential part of organizational management, as it helps define the path that the organization should follow. It acts as a guide to ensure that everyone within the organization is working towards the same goal. AI can be utilized as a backdrop for various kinds of changes within an organization, such as environmental, political and so on. It helps to anticipate the impact these changes will have on the organization’s development and growth. To help students sharpen their leadership skills and mature early, educational systems have implemented several strategies to tackle the everyday issues they face. These approaches aid them in mastering the necessary competencies to prosper in their academic career. Consequently, school administrators have become a vital component in raising the quality of educational outcomes. They can encourage teachers to strive for excellence and are capable of designing an environment that is conducive to learning. Proper leadership & motivation are essential factors in the success of any school. School leadership roles are carefully outlined in order to enhance teaching & learning experiences for everyone involved. All the processes related to this goal are well-defined. Keeping that in mind, this paper will use the concepts discussed in class to create an action plan for Foothill Academy which will be divided into three sections.
Section 1
Ms. Jury’s sudden resignation from Foothills Academy after 4 years of service highlighted the issue of leadership ineffectiveness. This is a concept that encompasses both conscious & unconscious actions, as well as certain personality traits & flaws (Pienaar, 2009). During the four-year period, there was a slight improvement in student performance despite only marginal changes in reading scores. Ms. Jury was seen as an authoritative figure who got results and her autocratic leadership style played a major role in this. This strategy may come with its downsides such as difficulty in retaining and motivating employees. As Chukwusa (2018) mentions, leaders need to act fast without taking opinions from many different people within the company. An inefficient approach can often lead to employees who are uncooperative and show a lack of respect for their bosses and the company. This can be very detrimental to both parties.
After analyzing the earlier leadership tactics at Foothills Academy, it is evident that Ms. Jury opted for a job-focused strategy of leading school progress. Though the leadership approach seemed to have positively impacted student academics, it proved ineffective when it came to other facets of school leadership, such as fostering a positive school culture or collaborating with the larger community. According to staff, Ms. Jury was more preoccupied with bureaucratic duties and devising ways to improve the school rather than creating a pleasant environment for students, faculty and their families. Evidently, lack of attention to non-academic elements has resulted in the school facing hardships to keep the reading & other subject scores consistent. It’s been observed that fewer spirit nights and events have contributed to lower student motivation & involvement.
Ms. Jury has been emphasizing the need for critical thinking skills over academic performance, which may have caused lower motivation and accountability among students. High test scores and critical thinking are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the ability to think critically is a key factor in achieving success in school and beyond. As a result, Ms. Jury may have unintentionally created an environment which does not appreciate the importance of academic achievement and which adversely affects the student’s motivation. This has happened due to her excessive focus on one over the other. TDespite being successful in raising the academic standards, Ms. Jury’s leadership style was deficient in tackling other key areas of school administration. This implies that there needs to be a more comprehensive leadership approach that takes into account all aspects of school management. Ms. Jury’s approach was strongly focused on building a positive school culture, as well as on getting the community involved. It was also very task-oriented with an emphasis placed on critical thinking rather than scores. However, this could have resulted in some students feeling less motivated and lacking responsibility.
Current Culture, Climate, and Performance
While assessing the existing climate, performance, and overall culture at Foothills Academy, flaws become readily apparent. It appeared that the educators felt undervalued. Ms. Jury did not make an effort to build bridges between the school’s many constituents, including staff, kids, parents, and the neighborhood. Many of the staff lamented the elimination of once-regular school-wide celebrations. As a result of the school and teachers working together, sharing ideas, and expectations, the school and teachers are able to make strides toward improving the school and environment, hence increasing kids’ motivation to learn.
It’s also worth noting that if a student is not succeeding in school, they are not rewarded for it. The sixth and seventh standards of the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders all have to do with the environment, morale, and results at a school. The sixth standard helps effective leaders by giving them the tools they need to inspire their workforce to maintain a high level of performance. The seventh standard helps effective leaders by fostering an organization-wide commitment to a common goal. There is room for development in the current atmosphere and results at Foothills School if they were held to such benchmarks. Coercion power is not appropriate for leaders to exercise since it implies that they are more concerned with furthering their own interests than those of their followers. The leadership’s job is to spur action and development. This involves setting a course, bringing people together, and inspiring and encouraging them to work toward a common objective. Leadership, in my opinion, ought to be a moral process that entails swaying followers to work toward a common purpose. The development of a leader for the organization is aided by the leader’s ability to create a shared sense of purpose within the culture (Thompson, 2019).
Areas of Improvement
Luhman and Cunliffe (2013) define organizational culture as the shared ideas, customs, rituals, symbols, and tales that shape how people act and what they accomplish in the workplace. When there is a great culture, the people and the organization exhibit the positive characteristics that are directly correlated with high performance. All of the most prosperous businesses share one thing in common: they have a solid culture. The degree to which employees are happy with their workplace depends greatly on the company’s culture. So, executives at Foothills Academy should devote considerable attention to strengthening the institution’s Leadership and Organizational Culture in order to ensure the school’s ongoing success.
The foundation of my company’s culture is built on the values and beliefs of cultivating a pleasant environment, doing work that matters, being healthy, having strong leaders, being appreciated, and feeling connected. Successful outcomes can be achieved through fostering a culture of cooperation in the workplace, wherein individuals take responsibility for their actions and work together to establish and maintain a foundation of trust. For their businesses to be successful, top management must effectively relay the company’s long-term goals to each employee.
According to the data, there is a breakdown in communication between the academy’s administration at Foothills Academy. To ensure that all members of the school community are working toward the same goals, it is essential that their leaders articulate those goals clearly. Such an atmosphere has a profound effect on everyone engaged since it encourages teachers and employees to feel invested in and actively contribute to the project’s success. Being able to effectively convey your vision to your team and the organization as a whole is essential to your success as a leader. Every member of the team contributes to the organization’s success. I live by the maxim, “Teamwork makes the dream effort.” When a group’s leaders are approachable and its members are encouraged to speak freely, it will strive to excel.
Communication and company culture go hand in hand. Improved workplace happiness and productivity can be attributed to better communication. It is crucial to retain success and achieve organizational goals while concentrating on student progress, making connection building in classrooms and across the school a top priority. There must be input from both internal and external parties. Teachers and staff will be able to voice their complaints about my management style if I provide them a chance to do so in an anonymous survey. Aside from internal use, it will be made available to external stakeholders so they can weigh in on company-wide issues. For my learning organization to succeed, I need feedback from a wide range of people. Stakeholders from outside the school, such as business leaders and community members, need to understand the challenges faced by educators and work together with them to find solutions. Next, the school’s collaborative efforts will be greatly facilitated by its success in fostering healthy ties among the community and parents. The success of the students and the institution is due in large part to the collaborative efforts of those inside the institution who try to foster relationships among themselves and offer avenues for interaction with those outside the institution. The completion of the mission requires an ongoing cycle of monitoring and improvements with internal and external stakeholders.
My Leadership Style
A transformational and servant leader is what I aspire to be. Leaders that focus on continual development through communication, involvement, and goal setting are more likely to see positive outcomes (Millard, 2020). A transformational leader would display traits that encourage constant development and progress. This kind of leadership examines every current procedure with a critical eye and a conviction that things can always be improved. Leaders that have a transformational impact inspire their followers to challenge themselves. They don’t order the other members of the organization around but rather work with them to make the whole thing better. Jones et al. (2006) argue that in order for us to learn how to better our professional behaviors and practices, we must first reflect on our successes and areas for progress. Thus, leaders who take time to reflect on their actions create openings for the organization to evolve and grow. Honest, integrity-filled, and respect-showing leadership demonstrates excellent practices that encourage progress toward excellence.
As I am constantly eager to assist others in their endeavors, I also consider myself to be a servant leader. Every time I see one of my team members meet a goal they set for themselves, I make sure to give them lots of positive feedback and accolades to keep them motivated to keep working hard and making progress toward their objectives. I am a leader who regularly engages in self-reflection. I’m always thinking back on events to see if there were any ways they could have been different. Because of this, expansion is possible. In my opinion, nobody is without flaws. Every situation has room for development.
The Key to Why This Kind of Leadership Is Very Successful in Boosting Performance
It is generally agreed that a company’s leadership has a significant impact on its success, as measured by metrics like productivity, morale in the workplace, and longevity of its employees. To encourage people to reach their full potential in their careers, leaders must employ an appropriate leadership style. The Leadership Style Assessment allows you to gain insight into the qualities of the kind of leader you are. In leadership, you can find ambassadors, advocates, people-movers, truth-seekers, creative builders, and seasoned guides. According to the findings, I scored highest in the areas of “Ambassador,” “People-Mover,” and “Experienced builder” in terms of leadership styles.
Leadership in the Ambassador style requires adaptability and flexibility. They might be relentless in their pursuit of a goal while maintaining a respectful demeanor. The Ambassador’s ability to design frameworks whose purpose is to help the team succeed is also significant. A leader with a People-Mover style is one who actively fosters the development of their team. Mentors are people who serve as inspirational leaders and give others the tools they need to achieve their goals. The People-Mover has a reputation for being kind and respectful of others. Building these connections makes everyone in the organization feel valued, which in turn makes them more receptive to doing their part and contributing to the team’s success. A leader with an experienced guide style is someone who can listen to others and help the group find solutions to challenges. They hold the status of a reliable guide. Having a leader that everyone in the organization trusts makes it so that people enjoy coming to work and feel like they are making a difference toward a common objective.
My leadership philosophy, which emphasizes transformation and service to others, is consistent with the traits of these ambassadors, movers, and guides. By the use of my leadership styles, I intend to steer Foothills Academy in a direction that ensures the happiness and success of everyone involved. I’m also committed to working with others to find solutions that will help all of our students make acceptable progress. The goal would be to pool resources in order to help pupils develop and ultimately eliminate any gaps in their performance. Instead of handing out to-do lists, I would lead by example and pitch in wherever needed. Success is the result of setting and supporting a goal, caring about stakeholders’ thoughts and concepts, listening to them, and maintaining open lines of communication.
Research-Based Leadership Approaches
I employ both transformational and servant-oriented approaches to leadership. The evaluation results are particularly useful because they reveal a leader’s dedication and ability to motivate and encourage everyone in a company to realize their maximum potential, regardless of their skills or flaws. To do this, excellent leadership must work in tandem with providing the best available resources to the school’s students. I need to make use of the tactics of both leadership styles because studies show that these methods have the most effect when implemented early in the process of change. By developing alliances around the school environment and tapping into the power of collaborative thought, I can, so the theory goes, use these leadership styles to effectively steer an organization toward its goals. This school will be based on the principles of cooperation, ethics, and responsibility. The lack of data makes it difficult to “prove” the existence of a problem, making data collecting a crucial step in the process of making improvements (Johnson, 2012). There is a significant part played by gathering and analyzing data. Information is key to maintaining a state of constant development and progress. All parties involved in the project will be able to better focus on the success of the initiative thanks to the data that has been collected and examined. With my company, I intend to give people plenty of chances to collect data and to conduct different analyses on that data. The goal is always to better ourselves as a company. There is always room for development because no company is flawless. Achieving a common purpose requires leaders to examine information in novel ways.
A need for development can be traced back to the study of best practices. First and foremost, the finest techniques for continuous improvement involve making it everyone’s responsibility. A continuous process is one that is never halted for whatever reason. In most cases, it’s preferable to see a project through to its conclusion. Allowing the organization’s stakeholders to meet once a week or once a month to talk about how to better the school’s environment is a great method to keep things moving forward. Best practices also include rewarding and recognizing employees to promote their sense of belonging and enthusiasm for making improvements. One of the most effective ways to get people in an organization working together toward a common objective is to provide them with guidance and training. Taking stock of the organization’s progress toward its goals on a regular basis helps ensure that everyone is working for the same things.
Leadership that affects both the followers and the larger social structures around them is said to be transformational. Leaders encourage greater effort from their teams by providing incentives. The literature has portrayed transformational leaders as visionary, uplifting, social, passionate, and innovative, as stated by Hackman & Johnson (2004). Heyler and Martin (2018) state that servant leaders are constantly tolerant and sensitive to individuals under their supervision. People’s development and happiness are essential concerns for leaders. They believe that leadership comes from serving others. Although the leader plays a crucial role in the success of the group as a whole, transformational leadership acknowledges the interdependence of the leader and the group as a whole because of their shared mission.
Improving Areas of Need by Applying My Leadership Style
At Foothills Academy, the transformational and servant leadership styles that I would employ to guarantee our team’s success are those that emphasize the needs of others above all else. Our company’s future success depends on my ability as a leader to monitor, manage, and implement change and improvement initiatives across my learning organization. As a principal, I am best able to implement a blend of the servant leadership and authentic leadership styles. I would work to increase acceptance of differences by making everyone involved feel important. If I were in charge, the first thing I’d do is get to know everyone on the team and foster a sense of camaraderie so that we can all work together toward common goals. When morale is high, employees are more invested in the success of the business as a whole. Diversity encompasses more than just differences in race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background. The ability to think creatively is also essential. When a leader takes the servant leadership stance, they inspire their team to think creatively. Leaders can best inspire their team members and give them agency when they apply both styles. By doing so, I would foster an environment where workers feel safe and secure enough to work together effectively, improving the company’s culture. As a leader in both paradigms, I will be conscious of my own unconscious biases, promote an environment where employees can learn by doing, respect individual differences while still treating everyone with dignity, provide ample opportunities for employees to feel invested in their work, and set an exemplary example. As a leader, I believe it is crucial to set a good example for those under me. My goal would be to facilitate introspection. Through practicing self-reflection, a leader can gain insight into what’s working and what can be enhanced. If we want to make progress, this procedure must take place repeatedly. Any leader who isn’t also a good example will fail to inspire their team to achieve its full potential. As a manager, I intend to actively listen to staff concerns and use their unique qualities to foster a welcoming environment. The ability to make sound judgments is greatly enhanced by keeping an open mind during faculty meetings. In sum, a successful organization needs both servant leadership and an authentic leadership style. My strategy includes collecting data on a consistent basis and holding fruitful meetings to ensure that all relevant parties are involved in setting and achieving the organization’s objectives. Leaders, with the help of their teams, must devise plans and tactics for carrying them out successfully. In my role as leader, I will not impose my will but rather encourage everyone to contribute. In the end, I intend to make everyone answerable. The success of the organization will depend on its members’ ability to work together to collect and analyze data on a regular basis, evaluate the situation, and devise strategies to reach shared objectives. To be an effective school leader who continually motivates all stakeholders to enhance the school’s atmosphere through relationship building, one must first recognize the best practices and obstacles while sustaining transformational leadership behavior.
Conclusion
In conclusion, my role as an organizational leader at Foothills Academy has prepared the ground for our success by allowing me to oversee, manage, and implement change and improvements inside our learning organization. Following my strategy, I will consistently collect data and arrange fruitful meetings to involve all relevant parties in setting and achieving our organizational goals. A leader, with the help of their team, can devise a strategy for implementing a plan. The effectiveness of the organization depends on its members being held accountable while working together to regularly collect data, evaluate the challenges, and strive towards common goals. To be an effective leader who continually motivates all stakeholders to enhance the overall school climate through relationship building, one must have a firm grasp on both the best practices and the obstacles of leading in a way that is both transformational and servant-oriented.
References
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