Educational Leadership

Competition for resources – internal and external – means power and politics become even greater issues for managers in higher education today.

Add to that the closer scrutiny of performance, both academic and administrative, and managers in higher education face some real challenges.

From an educational perspective, the changes over the last decade in the way learning is facilitated (e.g. the move to such strategies as distance learning, e-learning and blended learning), mean the challenges for managers become twofold – content, what is done and process, the way it is done.

In such an environment, the calls for the higher education manager to add the “leadership” string to his or her management bow are long and loud. This is irrespective of whether the manager has arrived via the academic or administrative stream to their current position.

But, just what is meant by “leadership”? Does it differ from “management”? And most importantly, how does one “do leadership”?

Let’s start with management. Management is what one gets paid to do, i.e. to achieve certain tasks using the available resources. Management success is seen through the eyes of the organisation. Management is therefore mandatory (probably under pain of death!).

Leadership on the other hand, is only seen through the eyes of others – peers, colleagues, staff and other key stakeholders – those whom we need to influence without authority. Leadership is optional, but obviously highly desirable. Leadership within the group or team is evident when people are highly motivated, working co-operatively and performing at their best.

One further factor distinguishes leadership. Unlike management, it does not reside in one person – it is more a condition or function rather than a role. As Charles Handy once described it – leadership is “distributed” throughout the manager’s group or team. Although leadership may start with the manager, it’s the conditions that the manager establishes and maintains that decide whether the leadership function flourishes.

Just what are these conditions and how does the manager establish them? Four conditions are evident when leadership exists:

* A shared understanding of the environment. i.e., people have a very clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses within their group or team together with the opportunities and threats. There is a collective understanding of “We know what we face.”

* A shared sense of direction. i.e., people know (collectively) what they are trying to achieve. People can say “We know where we are going.”

* A shared set of values, i.e. people will say “We really enjoy working in this team with these people.”

* A shared feeling of power. There is a feeling of “We can do this.”

Establishing these conditions can commence with a series of workshops to encourage the sharing and distributive nature of leadership.

Then of course there is the external focus of leadership – influencing those outside the team or group to adequately manage power and politics. This can start with a thorough stakeholder analysis such as:

* Who are my key stakeholders? i.e., by name and / or position – customers, suppliers, owners, staff, community, industry.

* What is the effectiveness of each of these relationships? Give each a rating from +3 to -3 to give a clearer indication of effectiveness.

* How important is each relationship? Rank each on the basis of “high”, “medium” or “low”.

* Select those with a high degree of importance and a low rate of relationship effectiveness

* Ask – What are their sources of power and influence? How might I best use these?

* Discuss your analysis with a trusted colleague or friend (perhaps from outside H.E.). Develop a plan for managing each of these important stakeholders. Then review these relationships again in three months time.

Managing power and politics is a challenge for managers in higher education, but it can be mastered. As managers, too often we are so tied up in the moment of trying to achieve results that we do not take the time to reflect and plan an effective leadership strategy.

Hopefully the approach discussed here will generate a structure where distributed leadership copes with the day-to-day processes, freeing you up to focus on important management content issues. Great when our people can say, “Yep, we know the challenges facing us, the direction we have to go and that we will support one another. We can really make a difference here.”

Leadership styles are approaches used by various leaders to guide the people. They are used to get various plans and tasks accomplished successfully. They vary according to the situation, leader, or the task to be accomplished.

One of the leadership styles is the authoritarian type. Here the the leader gives instructions regarding the task or tasks to be accomplished and how they should be accomplished. The leader does not accept any questions from the people they are leading but only gives orders. this method will only work well when the people being led are highly motivated and the leader knows exactly how to accomplish the given task.This method should be used very occasionally.

In participative leadership styles, the leader involves a few of the people he or she is leading in decision making. This method is best suitable for occasions when the leader does not have complete information regarding the task to be accomplished. some people think that using this style indicates the weakness of the leader, on the contrary it does not.

There is the derogatory type. Here the leader allows the people the people he or she is leading to make their own decisions regarding tasks to be accomplished. The leader however remains responsible for the actions taken by the people he or she is leading. This method is mostly used where the people being led have proper knowledge of how tasks should be accomplished and are also trustworthy. The other methods of leading are the charismatic and bureaucratic methods. The method a leader chooses to lead will depend on the people being led, the kind of task to be accomplished and the duration within which the task should be accomplished.

Do you exhibit excellent organizational skills, communicate effectively, enjoy working with the latest technology, and want a rewarding career in education? Then, perhaps you should consider obtaining a degree in higher education if working at a college or university sounds appealing. Higher education professionals are also very dedicated to their work.

This education will not only prepare you for career advancement, but also allow you to help individual students develop personally and professionally, obtain their degree, and find future work as leaders and inventors. The importance of higher education spans across many areas from culture to technology advancements and plays a crucial role in the economic well-being and scientific achievement of our country.

Offered at the master’s and doctoral level, these degree programs prepare students for work in educational leadership positions, such as administrators and managers. They train students to work with both staff and students in a variety of disciplines, ranging from instruction to curriculum development to educational management. Students learn about curriculum development, classroom management, and educational technologies. These programs integrate current theory, best practices, and practical application opportunities. They also provide students opportunities to conduct independent research projects, network with other academic professionals, and complete internships. Higher education students also gain the skills they need to develop curriculum, manage staff, and work within a budget.

Coursework typically includes foundations of theory and practice, survey of research methodology, leadership, adult education methods, curriculum development, and the management, assessment, and legal issues relevant to an advanced education. The politics, history, philosophy, administration, and leadership of higher education, and the funding and managing of education enterprises encompass additional material covered in these programs. Students also attend courses in the future of teaching and learning, instructional design, applied research and qualitative methods, adult development, learning and education, and workplace training and development. Program development and management of community education, human resources foundation development, grant writing, and student personnel services are additional classes provided in advanced programs. Others include distance and online learning programs, college teaching principles and the organization, administration, and supervision of adult education programs.

Many rewarding career options open up to higher education graduates at both public and private universities nationwide. Most work as deans, department chairs, researchers, professors, or hold other higher-level education administrative positions in high schools and colleges. Higher education administrators maintain academic quality and reputation, establish academic policies, coordinate and develop academic programs, manage budgets and finances, and recruit, hire, and manage faculty. Those seeking teaching positions in adult education programs, universities, and colleges must also take the necessary courses and meet certification requirements, often including and not limited to student teaching. Others find employment within corporate settings as benefits administrators, instructors and training, curriculum and development, or labor relations specialists. Some work as employee assistant program managers, agency counselors, community activists, media organizers, and program designers or planners.

There is no single statement that one can give as the definition of leadership. It is a term that has many aspects to it. Extraordinary is an attribute of a good leader. Most people regard them as the “X” leaders. This is because they go the extra mile to ensure things are working the way they ought to. Such leaders always keep rediscovering themselves by acquiring new skills. They care deeply for their followers.

Different people have contradicting ideas as whether leaders are made or if they are born. Whichever you stand for, there is one common thing. All leaders must be able to influence others. He must be a catalyst that quickens a positive reaction in people. Great leaders are those who put the interest of the people before them. Some have even died in their quest for justice and equality.

Keeping a keen eye on current events is important in the definition of leadership. A leader should be able to understand the environment in which he lives. He should be very flexible to allow changes to occur. Proper guidance and responsibility is needed to train young leaders. This is the only way that they will be able to be effective in the future.

Charisma is one aspect that can’t be forgotten in the definition of leadership. Discipline is one thing that a good leader must have. Without it, the leader cannot be able to instill positive values in his followers. A leader can easily loose credibility among his followers. Once it is known that all he does is for his own gain, a leader will lose popularity.