We welcome as a guest blogger, John R. Jones, Ed.D., currently Clinical Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education at the University of Oklahoma, He has 46 years of experience in education and 30 of those years have been in public school and higher education administration.
There is no doubt about it: the American educational system has been undergoing some significant transformations in the past few decades. To maneuver through these changes and those to come, we must examine our beliefs and feelings about instructional leadership more rigorously than ever before. If our schools are to succeed in the years to come, leaders must not only have their heads in the right places, but their hearts as well. We must keep the major focus at the forefront, and they are, teaching and learning. Quality teaching is the underlying principle that makes a school great. At the same time, we must never forget that quality teaching must be nurtured by great leadership.
Particularly, compelling - especially considering some of the teacher evaluation systems so prevalent in schools today, is our role of inspiring teachers of doing a great job of teaching and becoming leaders in the classroom. In Instructional Leadership: A Research Based Guide to Learning in Schools, Wayne and Anita Hoy tell us that “good teaching matters, it is the sine qua non of schooling; in fact, good teaching is what instructional leadership is about: finding ways to improve teaching and learning”. We have simply spent too many years attempting to motivate teachers with bribes and threats. This must change! It is time we learn the value of intrinsic motivation, in which motivation, as well as its reward comes from doing an excellent job. It is time to create schools in which administrators and teachers work together and inspire each other. This inspiration should then be utilized in creating an environment where students have a desire to learn. All of this starts with quality leadership.
There are three questions that must be asked about instructional leaders and those who lead our schools. They are:
- What makes people want to follow a leader?
- Why do people reluctantly comply with one leader while passionately following another, anywhere?
- What separates leadership theorists from those who really can lead effectively?
The answer to these questions lies in the character of the individual leading, not in knowledge and application of leadership theory. At its essence, leadership touches the heart and soul of everyone in the school. Therefore, leading is based on an emotional connection, rather than a rational one. Leadership is about making connections, and it requires instructional leaders to be focused in their purpose and intense in their beliefs. It must also be understood that success does not depend on one’s title, but rather on the choices that are made, and based on the principles one holds dear. These principles must be based on the relationships one makes.
It has been said that management techniques are essential, but what matters is leadership. To understand leadership, it must be understood it is not about a “system” of leadership that can be learned and then implemented. There are no systems or theories that can be installed that would help anyone effectively lead others. Therefore, instructional leadership is an art that must be learned and not a theory that is put into practice.
Leaders must learn to attract followers for pragmatic reasons. They must offer them something they feel they need, even if they help them create that need. I cannot give you a system or teach you about one that can be imposed on a school or group of followers that will cause them to accept you as their leader. Leadership must be done by the leader. He or she must lead and learn how.
It is important to know that everything rises and falls on leadership and leadership develops from the inside out, just as schools do. If you can become the leader you should be on the inside, chances are you will become the leader you need to be on the outside, and so will your school. The bottom line is this; people will desire to follow you, and when this happens you and whomever you are leading will accomplish great things. For many people, this is a complete change and some just cannot change. That is why I have always said that change is certain, but growth is optional. We must learn to grow as change takes place.
Real leadership is putting yourself in a position where your teachers will place their complete confidence in your skills and abilities and gladly follow you. As a leader in any school, it is important to learn and study what great leaders do and have done. One thing that must be learned is that great leaders surround themselves with great people, and then get out of their way and let them do their jobs. If your desire is to become a great leader, you must understand those great leaders who have paved the way and understand that leadership involves three things: relationships, trust, and influence (RTI). Once great relationships are developed, teachers will begin to trust you; then, and only then will you have the influence that is necessary to lead them somewhere. In Leadership 101 John Maxwell says, if you don’t have influence, you will never be able to lead others.
Resources:
Hoy, Wayne & Hoy, Anita (2012). Instructional Leadership: A Research Based Guide to Learning in Schools (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Maxwell, John (2002). Leadership 101. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
Ann Myers and Jill Berkowicz are the authors of The STEM Shift (2015, Corwin) a book about leading the shift into 21st century schools. Connect with Ann and Jill on Twitter or Email.
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