Lonnie's Approach To Leadership

1. Discuss the introduction to Leading a Learning Organization. What are your initial reflections to the scenario offered for Lonnie, the new principal? Do you agree with the author’s reflections as to his approach to leadership? Explain your reasoning. Used to be that school principals were considered as building managers - an overseer of buses, boilers and books. Today, brought about by the rapidly changing public education needs, principals can no longer function simply as building managers. They have to be leaders of a learning organization who can develop a team that delivers effective instruction. Researchers who have examined education leadership agree that effectual principals are responsible for building a school-wide vision of commitment
In The Steep Slope of Change scenario, Lonnie, a self-described traditional leader, approached leadership as a singular power of authority; he believes in longevity and in preserving the status quo rather than embrace change. I agree with the author’s reflections to Lonnie’s approach to leadership. It’s true that in a highly integrated, technologically-evolving culture, learning organizations need new approaches and perspective in leadership. Portin, Schneider, DeArmond and Gundlach (2003), described three different leadership approaches by principals as a musical metaphor. School leaders determined to do it all themselves are described as “one-man bands”; those inclined to delegate responsibilities to others operated like the leader of a “jazz combo”: and those who believed broadly in sharing leadership throughout the school could be thought of as “orchestral leaders”, skilled in helping large teams produce a coherent sound, while encouraging soloists to shine. The point of the matter is that rather than resist the steep slope of change, learning organizations need to recognize the importance of leadership team,
Administrators work with and through others to accomplish school goals efficiently. Managers like administrators plan, organize, lead and control. Managers also define objectives, work closely and support the work of others, and evaluate performance (Brennen, 2002). On the other hand, leadership is the execution of high-level conceptual skills and decisiveness. A leader inspires and motivate (Murray, 2010). To put it in perspective: administration is seeing that the planes take off on time, and leadership is articulating why the planes need to take off on time and enlisting others in the purposeful endeavor of making the planes take off on time (Marcuson, 2009). The difference between being a manager and being a leader is clear. Management is a career, while leadership is a calling. A leader is someone who people naturally follow through their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed. The perspective on leadership and management are often used interchangeably. However, these are actually two different concepts. “Leadership is the main component of change, providing vision, and dedication necessary for its realization. Leadership is a skill that is formed by education, experiences, interaction with people, and of course, practice. Effective leadership depends largely on how their leaders define, follow and share the vision to followers” Popovici, 2012,