My Leadership Philosophy

In any given situation there are two types of people: leaders, and those who follow. When asked about leaders, many will mention famous politicians, influential media stars, or historical figures. However, few will state that we are all leaders within our own social epoch. Leadership can be defined as “the process of influencing the activities of an organized group in its efforts toward goal setting and goal achievement”(Bryman, 2011 , 447). For centuries, society has been captivated with the notion of leadership. Within our every day life, each of us chooses to be either a leader or a follower. One must exhibit a specific and effective skills and characteristics in order to be an exceptional leader. However, the most important characteristic

These experiences have not only taught me a great deal about myself, but have also taught me the importance of working with others. In the United States, I co-teach both pre-school and toddler classrooms. Within the classroom it is crucial for me to be both credible, and exhibit effective behaviors when interacting with both my students and my colleagues. One may argue the taboo that in order to work with young children you must be born with a specific set of traits. For example, one must enjoy small children and have an exuberance amount of patience. The trait theory implies the belief that leaders are born rather than made (448). However, after working as a leader within the classroom, I highly disagree. Becoming a leader takes time, and requires one to learn a variety of skills in order to be effective. Teaching young children requires one to have a situational leadership approach. According to Bryman, “ contingency approaches place situa-tional factors towards the centre of any understand¬ mg of leadership”(449). Every child learns differently and has a different temperament. Therefor, it is important, as a leader, to learn how to modify certain materials to best fit each child’s needs. Working as a leader in the classroom has taught me to communicate well with others, work towards a positive change, motivate my students, build relationships with peers, students, and

In order to become a leader one must develop a series of characteristics or traits, have an understanding of how one’s perception and past can influence leadership behavior, and be able to encourage followers. The styles approach determines a good leader to be democratic. This means that these leaders “encourage participation and responsibility from group members... works to improve the skills and abilities of group members...[and] puts a balanced emphasis on both the task and social dimensions of the group”(Rothwell, 2016, 182). These leaders give followers a say in the decision making process. Inclusion of followers is very important to my leadership philosophy; however, no one style of leadership is effective in all situations. According to Rothwell, “The key to leadership effectiveness is matching the appropriate style to the group environment”(186). This notion falls under the situational, or contingency approach to leadership. Good leaders are able to keep their team on task, provide support, and have an understanding of their team’s readiness level (186). Although one may be viewed as a follower in a certain situation, does not mean they are not a leader in another; leadership is highly