Who do you identify as leaders?

Let’s dive straight in and ask: What is it that makes someone a leader? And how do you identify leadership potential?

Pause for a moment and think. If you can, jot down some notes.

• What do you look for?
• When you think of a leader – what, or even who, do you see?
• What characteristics do they have?
• What/who has influenced our thinking?

Throughout time leadership has been conceptualised in different ways, and the qualities of leaders much debated. As I list some examples here, notice how you react. Which resonate most strongly? Do any cause you to recoil?

Heroic leadership, servant leadership, courageous leadership, authentic leadership, learning centred-leadership, teacher leadership, moral leadership, charismatic leadership, managerial leadership, emancipatory leadership, personality based leadership, situational leadership, vulnerable leadership, transformative leadership, emotionally intelligent leadership.

What strengths do you associate with the above types? What weaknesses might exist?

Maybe as you read these leadership types you thought of particular people, those you know personally or those you may have read about. Some of these have come in and out of vogue, being promoted by the leaders or dominant ideology of the day. Others may be more contextual, the kind of leadership needed being dependent on the particular time and context. For example, the characteristics valued in leaders during peace time may be different from those in times of war.

Or take the times we are living in? What kind of leaders do we need now?

In practice, leaders will likely need to draw upon a range of approaches, another type – adaptive leadership!

Let’s bring our reflections even closer to home. Think about your school(s):

• What kind of leadership do you have?
• Who are the leaders?
• What kind of leadership do you need?

Now let’s go back to our starting point.

• Who do you identify as potential leaders?
• Who gets promoted in your schools?
• Do they share certain attributes or fit a particular mould?
• Are they those who put/push themselves forward or do you identify those who may lack confidence or self-belief?
• How proactive are you in promoting diverse leadership?

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