To get things done, leadership is essential. However, leadership is also situational. It depends on a specific time, place, position, and situation. A good leader is someone who unlocks potential, whether individual potential or that of a group. Effective leadership is not about telling people what to do; it is inspiring them to envision what they can do and helping them to do it.
This means that in the end, it is the leader’s qualities that determine the difference between a team of followers who do exactly what they are told and a team of individuals who are passionate about the work they do. If the leader has the qualities necessary to achieve this, then the result is a group of very productive individuals.
Being a principal or a teacher is a job of immense responsibility because it affects the future of children. As a teacher, you are a leader of the students in your classroom. As a principal, you are the leader of the teachers and the entire school staff. There is a big difference between having a leadership role in an organization and actually being a leader. Those who assume the two are the same are gravely mistaken. The main goal of an educational leader is to make that the students learn to their maximum capacity and that they are cared for immensely so that they grow up to be balanced, intelligent, and secure adults.
In order to reach these goals, education leaders need to do their job well.Effective leaders keep intently focused on their goals and objectives, and positively approach issues in order to find alternative ways to get things done, rather than becoming negative and giving up. Effective leaders are ethical leaders who are honest, moral, supportive, and consistent. School leaders, namely principals, need to follow certain fundamental operational norms , which are based on the teachings of the great philosophers Immanuel Kant, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and Jürgen Habermas and their ideas of duty.
Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative states: “Always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of the maxim of your action should become a universal law” (Rebore, 2003, p. 91). This means that one must always act in a way which everyone should be able to do, in a way which should become the norm. Kant believed his principle was applicable to all aspects of life to the moral requirements of duty to oneself and others. Therefore, his Categorical Imperative can be applied to me and everyone on my staff. Every member should feel the duty of being a role model in his/her actions towards others. We, as educators, all have a responsibility to behave in an ethical exemplary manner.
Kant presents four examples to illustrate the idea of duty based on the Categorical Imperative. The first example deals with the internal conflict a suicidal person experiences. The second is about borrowing money while knowing it cannot be returned. The third is about a person’s many useful talents while the fourth is about leaving everyone to deal with his or her usable and useful talents. Kant’s four examples are applicable to principals and persons in leadership positions because they deal with higher degrees of daily stress than other people. When educational leaders are faced with disasters and despair, like in the first example, they can sit in their offices and contemplate solutions calmly and wisely in order to make the right decisions. Furthermore, trust is very important in a principal’s job. The whole school community, internal and external, needs to have a high level of trust in the principal so s/he can do an efficient job. This relates to the second example; the community has to be able to trust their educational leader and count and depend on him or her to do what is best for the school and the children. Thirdly, a principal has to take full advantage of his or her talents and develop himself or herself to the highest potential. This is necessary for personal and professional growth. It is tragic when an individual, especially in a leadership position, allows static to set in. Talented educational leaders should constantly challenge themselves to become more skilled, better at their jobs because this will reflect on their staff, students and community. Lastly, the fourth example can apply to principals because they are in a powerful position to help many other people. Good human relations are founded on the ability of the school community, internal and external, to trust their principal to be calm and reflective, honest and dependable, ambitious and proactive, and helpful and giving. These are Kant’s four examples of duty which can be applied to principals, administrators, and all educational leaders.
In addition, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus also believed that a leader must have reason. Reason is the common bond that unites all humans. Antoninus was a Stoic, who denied himself pleasures of the world and lived a purely simple life. In his teachings, all people have intelligence; we are all the same throughout the world because we have reason. Nature makes no distinction between good or bad people; she disperses pain equally. Therefore, human reason can help people to deal with difficulties, exercise self-control, and overcome problems. Principals, according to Marcus, should live their lives and carry out their duties with indifference and without caring or waiting for recognition because nature does not discriminate and because they have a duty to fulfill. As such, a principal should not do his/her duties with the intentions of self-recognition; instead, s/he should do his/her best because it is his/her duty.
Thirdly, when a principal is faced with a dilemma or a conflict with parents, s/he cannot make isolated decisions. According to Jürgen Habermas, public discourse is the only method by which conflicts can be resolved and right decisions can be reached. Issues must be discussed openly with administration and others involved. Each person should be able to express his or her point of view and to accept the opinions of others; this is necessary to build empathy. In such a context, all decisions are made based on reason and not intimidation. When a principal is faced with unhappy parents, he should listen to their side of the story and try to establish a relationship with them based on rational discourse and not on personal feelings. This would dissuade their anger and calm the situation. Before coming to any decision, the principal must discuss the matter with others in the administration, this way the decision would be made through reasonable discourse. A good principal does not monopolize decisions, but in contrast, s/he shares them and the responsibility of making them. No one can understand what effects their decisions have unless they are engaged in a discourse and a dialogue with the people involved in the decision. Also, there are rules to dialogue; an orderly way in which people with reason can put an argument together and discuss it with the others. It is the principal’s duty, like every other human, to enter into dialogue before making a decision.
Finally, there is the idea of Human Freedom which must be considered. In that context, it is essential to compare the ideas of Victor Frankl and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Frankl’s teachings tell us that human existence is created from choices, decisions, and the actions that flow from them. A man is the sum total of his choices; everything is a choice. Individuals must look into themselves and make choices based on their own interpretations and experiences. Knowing that we are alone and free in our decisions can be terrifying and liberating at the same time. Principals are faced with immense decisions and responsibility and they must reflect if their professional careers have made a difference on others. This deep reflection should lead them to insights on the quality of their professional relationships and on the meaningfulness of their professional existence. Frankl’s Will to Meaning applies to principals and educational leaders because the search for meaning is connected to their professional lives. We must be able to see and feel the difference we make in the lives of those we work with and for. Our tool to reach this level of meaning is deep personal reflection and contemplation of our unique gifts and talents. The meaning of life is always about our relationships with other humans, and so is our freedom. We, as educators, are lucky that our occupations are people centered. We work with students, faculty, administration, staff, parents, and the community as a whole. Thus, we have the honor to serve humanity and practice human relations. The will to meaning gives each one of us the freedom to choose how to handle our lives in general as well as our daily activities. When we are faced with a human tragedy, we choose how to react; we decide to react positively or negatively based on our freedom. Moreover, in Sartre’s teachings, we learn that with freedom comes responsibility for without freedom of choice, there is no responsibility. A person can only be guilty of neglect if s/he makes the choice to ignore his or her duty freely. Principals know that they are ultimately alone in making our decisions and that they are formed by these decisions. However, the freedom of these decisions must be within the boundaries of the school board regulations, the policies of the state, and the rules of the community. These decisions are free choices because principals incorporate these regulations, policies, rules and make them their own when they choose to enforce them.
To sum up, I believe that leadership is a learned skill. It is not a natural state; however, there are certain characteristics and abilities which must be naturally present in an individual to develop and hone to become a good leader. These qualities include personality traits such as honesty and tolerance. A leader must be confident in order to inspire confidence in others to get them to give their best efforts. He or she must have exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy and honest to lead others. A successful leader easily earns the respect of his or her team. Moreover, a good leader is tolerant, can remain calm and composed. S/he is able to keep a cool head amidst crises. S/he can stay focused on the main goal and does not lose heart or passion. Finally, a good leader not only views the situation as a whole but is able to break it down into parts for a closer look, into manageable steps. The only way to make progress in one’s career is to be ethical as a leader.
