Leadership

Leadership, in the final analysis, is the ability of humans to relate deeply to each other in the search for a more perfect union.  Leadership is a consensual task, a sharing of ideas and a sharing of responsibilities, where a ‘leader’ is a leader for the moment only, where the leadership exerted must be validated by the consent of the followers, and where leadership lies in the struggles of a community to find meaning for itself.

-       Foster, (1989, p.61)

The above quote from Foster resonated with me, especially the words ‘leader for the moment only’. It is not possible for any human being to be knowledgeable about everything. An effective leader is one who can search for strengths in every member of his organization and assign roles accordingly. I had the opportunity to work under such a Principal years ago and she was able to transform the school from a low performing one in the district to a high performance school in the district in less than 5 years. Teachers’ voices were heard even though the Principal made the final decision. And she always explained why she has to do different from what was discussed with teachers. Teachers were willing to attend PD session if she suggested it and implement the same with full conviction that it would work; teachers also loved to take any extra responsibility to improve student achievement. This makes me believe that teacher buy in is an essential component for effective leadership.