Philosophy of Leadership 1

Defining Transformational Leadership

I firmly believe that the most effective way to lead a school is through transformational

leadership. Transformational leadership is a form of administrative power that is carried out

through school staff instead of over and above school staff. Transformational leadership requires

a keen perspective on the school’s overall mission and vision, a recurring commitment to

improvement, a community built on shared ownership, and an infrastructure built on teamwork.

Establishing a shared focus on teamwork and collaboration is a time-intensive task that often

requires schools to redefine individual staff responsibilities as well as to execute a shift in

accountability throughout the school. Under a transformational leadership structure, all staff

members play a key role in developing effective strategies to achieve school goals (Gorton &

Alston, 2009). “Positive transformational leadership combines morals and virtue with a desire to

contribute to a collective intent toward real, positive social change” (Larson, 2009, p. 55).

Transformational leadership involves three main elements. First, transformational

leadership requires a collaborative approach in order for school leaders to make decisions that

are in the best interests of the school. Such collaboration allows faculty and staff to be active

participants in critical decision-making processes.

Transformational leadership also requires effective communication on the part of the

administrator. Without effective two-way communication between administrators and faculty or

staff, collaborative efforts lose their value. Finally, transformational leadership requires an

appropriate understanding of change in schools. As administrators strive to generate school

improvements with innovative programs, they must understand how to enact these programs in

such a manner that will bring lasting, positive changes (Gorton & Alston, 2009).

Transformational Leadership Involves a Collaborative Approach Built on Teamwork

Transformational leadership requires teamwork as groups of faculty, staff, and

administrators seek to work together toward common goals. Certainly, there are a host of

problems that may arise as school leadership forms these groups. Gorton and Alston (2009) list

several potential problems, among them:

1. Certain individuals may not understand why they were placed in a particular

group, and thus their commitment to the group may waiver.

2. Group members may not fully understand the task at hand.

3. Conflicting loyalties, competing interests, or selfishness may make it difficult to

establish a constructive atmosphere.

4. There may be difficulty in keeping the attention of group members.

5. Group organization and communication may be lacking.

6. Group members fail to follow through on their responsibilities.

A transformational philosophy requires that school leaders find ways to combat these problems.

First, it is imperative that each group member feels as though he or she is a valued contributor to

the group. Second, members must have a keen understanding of the goals of the group in order

to establish the cohesiveness required to accomplish the task. Next, groups must maintain a

sense of cooperation as they work toward their goal. Cooperation is not merely accomplished by

forming a group; rather, cooperation must be modeled to the group by leadership. Finally, all

groups must establish a sense of trust and mutual respect among members. Without trust and

mutual respect, the desires of the group are superceded by the desires of the individuals, and true

collaborative efforts are lost (Gorton & Alston, 2009).

Transformational leaders promote shared decision-making among group members. These

leaders assume that all decisions involve a certain amount of constraints and that the decision-

making process requires group members to consider these constraints as well as their own

personal values and beliefs as they attempt to make choices that benefit the work of the school.

Further, a shared approach to decision-making gives weight to the context in which every

decision is made, and thus transformational leaders are able to consider context as well as

personality, reason, and values more than their own sense of intellect or expertise. Hence,

transformational leaders rely heavily on the expertise of their staff to make critical decisions,

understanding that a unilateral approach fails to bring the unity of purpose that a school staff so

desperately needs in order to be effective. As an added benefit, shared decision-making and

teamwork among teachers “can reduce teacher isolation, increase collegiality, facilitate the

sharing of resources and ideas, and capitalize on teacher's individual and shared strengths”

(Troen & Boles, 2010, p. 59).

Transformational Leadership Requires Effective Communication

In addition to a collaborative approach built on shared decision-making, transformational

leadership also requires that school administrators establish effective communication with

faculty, staff, and community stakeholders (Gorton & Alston, 2009). First, the transformational

leader must model effective communication. The responsibilities of school administrators

require them to communicate with a variety of individuals about a variety of issues. The

transformational leader must be fully aware of the following aspects of delivering a message:

1. The purpose of the message.

2. The intended audience of the message.

3. The person responsible for delivering the message.

4. The substance of the message.

5. Alternative methods for sending the message.

6. Feedback from the recipient.

Being aware of a message’s purpose involves thinking critically about the objectives. What is

the message meant to accomplish? Is the message meant for informational purposes, to stimulate

a change in attitude, to comfort, or to garner support? While the sender of the message may be

certain of his or her intentions, the recipient may not be as certain. Transformational leaders

must also give sufficient consideration to the person intended to receive the message, or else the

message may go unheard due to lack of interest, insufficient knowledge, bias, or social barriers

(Gorton & Alston, 2009). As McCullough (2009) puts it, “Success in the area of communication

is as simple as abiding by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

(p. 37).

The sender of the message is also critical to its delivery, since a leader’s effectiveness in

delivering information is dependent upon whether or not he or she has established the trust of the

intended recipient. The substance of the message is important as well. Although much

communication between school leadership and students or parents may be casual in nature, many

other situations call for a message in which an administrator chooses words carefully (Gorton &

Alston, 2009). According to Newlin, (2010), “you cannot overcommunicate policies and

practices that affect families” (p. 120).

Transformational leaders also carefully consider alternative channels in which to deliver

a message (Gorton & Alston, 2009). Can the message be delivered via e-mail, or is a face-to-

face conversation warranted? Is nonverbal communication sufficient to get the point across?

Transformational leaders are able to determine the appropriate channel in order to fully

communicate the message at hand. Finally, transformational leaders rely heavily on feedback

from the recipient of a message. They understand that they may not always have the last word,

and the feedback they receive may cause them to change the course of a decision or consider

other alternatives.

Transformational leaders understand how to appropriately receive communication. Due

to their standing in a school, transformational leaders are constantly receiving messages from

parents, students, and teachers. It is the responsibility of the administrator to carefully consider

each of these forms of communication, and to determine if a message is relevant, significant, and

if it requires immediate action. Many studies indicate that since the administrator is the head of

the school, very few of these messages are critical. Even still, transformational leadership

requires that administrators listen intently to each message they receive in order to express care

and concern for every stakeholder (Gorton & Alston, 2009). Transformational leaders must know

that “the conversations that take place in a school reveal a great deal about its culture” (Reed,

2009, p. 56).

Transformational Leadership Requires an Understanding of Change

Transformational leaders are aware that our world today is constantly changing, and

nowhere is that change more prevalent than in our educational system. The dawning of the

information age presents a wealth of opportunities to make our education faster, easier, and more

convenient, while simultaneously eliminating the personal aspect of the learning environment.

New legislation creates clear standards and objectives that serve as barometers for the quality of

instruction at our schools, but with these new standards come a dangerous habit of “teaching to

the test” and replacing a focus on student learning with a focus on standardized tests. As with

any change, our natural inclination is to either counter it or avoid it altogether, rather than to

embrace change and use it for greater success (Hall & Hord, 2006).

Meaningful change in schools begins with strong transformational leadership (Hall &

Hord, 2006). While supporters of bottom-up change believe that teachers are the most likely

sources of positive change in education since they are closest to the students, research suggests

that this is not the case. Instead, in order to affect sustainable change in schools, teachers must

have ongoing support from their administration. Administrators are responsible for managing

teachers, approving budgets, and ensuring the proper use of school facilities. Also, the

administrator is the public face of a school, and thus is called upon to lead by example.

Furthermore, administrators must maintain positive relationships with policymakers and secure

the required financial support for innovative changes to take place. All of the above suggests

that administrators carry the primary burden of affecting change in schools (Hall & Hord, 2006).

Meaningful change results not from individual administrative power, but instead through

effective collaboration efforts (Hall & Hord, 2006). While change begins at the administrator

level, it can only be implemented if the administrator has the support of faculty and staff

(Bowers, 1990). Teachers, specifically, play a critical role in affecting change, as they serve on

the front line of the movement and often carry out the specific techniques for implementing

school change. Hence, it is imperative that the school principal or other administrative leaders

communicate to teachers the expectations for change in their classrooms (White, 1990).

Transformational leadership ensures that community stakeholders also participate in

collaborative efforts. Parents and policymakers will reap the benefits of effective change in

schools just as their children will, and thus they too are crucial to successful change. Again,

while the school administrator leads the charge, he or she must have the support and the

coordinated efforts of all of these groups in order to produce the desired impact on the school

(Hall & Hord, 2006).

No matter the situation, there will always be some who object to change in schools (Hall

& Hord, 2006). A veteran teacher may refuse to accept his need for innovative teaching

methods, or a group of parents may join together to oppose a change to their children’s

educational environment. Transformational leaders have appropriate measures in place to

counter such resistance. First, they are able to effectively communicate with resistors and

understand their point of view, and thus determine if their resistance is legitimate. Second,

transformational leaders impress upon these concerned parties that established changes will truly

result in school improvement. Finally, transformational leaders are able to convince these

resistors that the goal is not to eliminate current policies or procedures, but rather to build upon

them in order to enhance the overall operation of the school (Hall & Hord, 2006).

To affect change is not to make a single announcement of new directives (Hall & Hord,

2006). Neither is change accomplished by a weekend staff retreat or the implementation of a

new curriculum at a school. Instead, significant change in schools requires a substantial time

commitment as administrators, teachers, and staff develop the competency needed in order to

implement innovative techniques. Hall & Hord (2006) suggest a time period of three to five

years for the implementation of sustainable change, but too often, stakeholders and policymakers

demand that change take place in far less time. What many school personnel fail to realize is

that meaningful change is not an event that takes place, but rather a systematic process that

requires the concerted efforts of many individuals over the course of several years. This

systematic process requires long-term focus and consistent evaluation techniques that account for

the length of time necessary for the change to occur (Hall & Hord, 2006).

Transformational leadership comes with the understanding that meaningful change in

schools comes neither easily nor quickly. As an administrator it will be my responsibility to

implement effective change strategies through the diligent collaboration of the administration,

faculty, staff, and members of the community. I must accept the fact that “when initiating major

structural change in schools, collaboration among educators, community members, and business

persons is vital” (Mullen, et. al., 1994, p. 5). I must be prepared to deal with the inevitable

resistance to change and be able to communicate effectively with all types of resistors. Finally, I

must maintain a clear vision of the long-term goals for the school and help others understand that

meaningful change is a long-term process. Hopefully, as we implement effective changes in our

educational system, we will also be able to better prepare our students for the ever-changing

world that awaits them (Hall & Hord, 2006).

Conclusion

Transformational leadership is not for the faint of heart. Transformational leadership

requires a commitment to shared decision-making and teambuilding as administrators, faculty,

and staff work together to promote student success. Transformational leadership also requires

effective two-way communication so that all staff members are united in an effort to achieve

common goals. Finally, transformational leadership requires an appropriate understanding of

change; specifically, how to enact lasting changes that will ultimately promote the values of the

school. Ultimately, transformational leadership requires leaders to invest a wealth of time and

energy as they make critical decisions aimed at achieving the overall mission and vision of the

school (Gorton & Alston, 2009).

References

Bowers, B. C. (1990). Initiating change in schools. Research Roundup, 6(3); 5.

Gorton, R., & Alston, J. A. (2009). School Leadership and Administration. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Hall, G.E. & Hord, S. M. (2006). Implementing Change: Patterns, Principles, and Potholes.

Boston: Pearson Education.

Larson, J. (2009). Transformational leadership: Leading schools in a time of global cultural shifts.

Independent School, 68(3), 50-2, 54-6, 58.

McCullough, B. S. (2009). do unto others: A roadmap for communicating well. The School

Administrator, 66(5), 37-8.

Mullen, B., et. al. (1994). Collaborative leadership for promoting effective school change. NASSP

Practitioner, 21(1), 5.

Newlin, J. (2010). Enhancing school and parent connections. Independent School, 69(3), 120.

Reed, P. (2009). Getting in on the conversation. Principal Leadership, 10(1), 56-8.

Troen, V., & Boles, K. C. (2010) Team spirit: Teachers work together to establish and achieve key

goals. Journal of Staff Development, 31(1), 59-62.

White, G. P. (1990). Implementing change in schools: From research to practice. Planning and

Changing, 21(4), 207-24.