“Leadership is a process of influence leading to the achievement of desired purposes” (Bush & Glover, 2014)
It’s the start of the final subject of my Master of Education, which explores the Teacher Librarian’s role as a leader.
I have never studied leadership before and, to be honest, did not think it would be of particular interest to me. To my surprise, however, I am realising that leadership is far more expansive than I expected. It is not just about leadership or personality styles, but encompasses influence, goal-setting, decision-making and strategic direction more broadly.
I have found it helpful to differentiate between leadership and management, as I think I previously used these terms interchangeably.
- Leadership is about inspiring and motivating staff, setting a vision, and driving change. Leaders focus on innovation, influence, and empowering others to reach their potential.
- Management involves onplanning, organising, and controlling resources to meet specific objectives. Managers ensure processes run smoothly, maintain order, and solve problems efficiently.
While both are important, leadership fuels direction and growth whereas management is focused more on structure and stability. Successful schools need a combination of strong leadership with effective management to thrive.
I’m looking forward to learning more this semester, and putting theory into practice.
Reference List
Bush, T., & Glover, D. (2014). School leadership models: what do we know? School Leadership & Management, 34(5), 553–571. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2014.928680
Image Source: Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash
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