There is a dominant belief that only those who are in the high ranking and managerial positions are considered leaders or who have some followers or subordinates. This general notion about a leader could affect how people behave in an organization where initiative and creativity are important ingredients to success.
In one of the leadership trainings I attended, it was emphasized that leadership starts with oneself. All leaders have followers and the first follower of a leader should be himself or herself. “As teachers, we ought to follow what we teach, we ought to be good examples to our students and colleagues,” says the trainer. This seems to be a hackneyed statement but taking it into deeper consideration reveals that most just go with the motions of just fulfilling the requirements of a job without minding how one should lead himself to be a better influence.
Looking at my experience as a teacher, I found that it is necessary to lead myself and follow my convictions as well as principles. I likewise found it is not easy to lead. When I teach, I feel and understand that I am also leading a group of students and my failure to lead shall influence the quality of the teaching and learning process.
After attending some more leadership trainings, I am able to add more to my qualities and values to be better. Studies on leadership show many factors making up a good leader. The study Exploring the Qualities of a Good Leader Using Principal Component Analysis by Olanrewaju, Oludolapo & Okorie, Victor. (2019) could be a good guide for teachers who would like to improve their leadership.
Although the said study was done for multinational companies, it can be contextualized to the teaching field and most can be put into practice.
The findings revealed the principal qualities of a good leader to be: 1) accessibility and dedication, 2) neutrality and modesty, 3) aspiration and attentiveness, 4) believe and aptitude, 5) dignity and amiability, 6) insight and confidence, 7) vitality and concentration, 8) originality and honesty, 9) responsibility and team spirit, 10) decency and self-assurance, 11) charitable, 12) comical and maintenance culture, and 13) reliability.
According to the study, these are the most common qualities they found in leaders of successful multinational companies. I have tried to consider adjusting my way of managing my class, dealing with my students, and going about my work and I believe that by doing so I have made progress in leading myself, thereby leading my students better.
The recommendation of the study is that leaders should demonstrate these leadership qualities to enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Teachers work in an organization and are expected to be effective and efficient, perhaps it can be good to experiment with oneself. We are all leaders and we should be our own followers. If we have a good leader to follow, then we will have a good destination to get too.
In the field of education, I think it is helpful to consider strengthening the leader within teachers.
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