Introduction to Leadership

What is leadership? How do I show leadership in my school?

Our school has a newly appointed principal and I have been considering his role and actions in context with this subject. I believe a leader needs to have a  clear vision of what could be achieved for the benefit of all but needs to pause and consider the context of implementing changes which could divide people. This requires understanding of people and the context. A leader is someone that recognises when things are working and maintains them rather than changing something for the sake of proving leadership.

A leader is someone who is:

·         available and maintains a positive presence.

·         Listens to various viewpoints whilst keeping the aims  and objectives in clear view.

·         displays a confidence and self belief.

·         Clearly communicates and admits when something may be unknown or more information is required.  Claims not to be the expert.

I always seem to consider leadership in the context of my peers and forget that I am leading students as well. I think this is because I feel more confident leading students than adults. I am developing my leadership skills slowly and have personally found this much easier to do in a small school setting. I do not see myself as a natural leader and do not possess great confidence. I do however make myself available and actively listen to staff, parents and students. I actively promote the library to the school community. I use my knowledge to support others in their learning and provide staff with training and development in aspects of library and in supporting their curriculum needs.