Leadership Style

Running head: LEADERSHIP STYLE 1

Leadership Style

Monica R. Woods

University Of Phoenix LEADERSHIP STYLE 2

Leadership Style

Introduction

Leadership is a dynamic, interactive process of creating, communicating, and

transforming vision into reality (Northouse, 2016). Leadership is defined as, a process of

influence by one individual over others to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2016).

This paper is a summary of the perceived leadership style of the Dean of

Students/Superintendent for the Christian school that I have been serving for the last eleven years. The Dean of Students/Superintendent position is a high-profile position requiring an individual to display the core characteristics of leadership with an emphasis on spiritual formation and academic achievement. My observations of our Dean of Students/Superintendent has allowed me to identify leadership styles to include Servant Leadership and Situational

Leadership.

Review of the Literature

Christian Education Defined

Christian education can best be defined as the instruction of students on faith, religion, and Christian doctrines (Tye, 2000). Although Christian doctrines vary from one church to another, the primary focus of Christian education is teaching students to imitate the character of

Christ as revealed in the Scripture (Olinger, 2015). The student’s school day is reflective of the purposeful discipline required for the development of Christ-like behavior. According to Olinger

(2015), with the goal of adopting the discipline as a personal worldview, this will extend beyond the campus to the student's entire life. The product of true Christian education will then demonstrate that the student is a born-again Christian, who is intentionally pursuing Christ- likeness in himself and others (Onlinger, 2015). LEADERSHIP STYLE 3

Christian schools deliberately display Christian beliefs within the mission and vision statements as well as Biblical integration in the curriculum. According to Banke, Maldonado,

Lacey, & Thompson (2005), prayer, devotions, scripture, and faith discussions may be the primary difference between Christian institutions and other educational institutions. Therefore,

Christian education goes beyond learning Biblical development. The ability to take Biblical knowledge and move to life-application is an important process (Banke et al., 2005). Christian educators face the opportunity for students to understand how to incorporate Biblical instruction and academics in a natural way of life.

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is defined as the leadership model where the servant-leader is a servant first (Wren, 1995). The servant leadership begins with a natural feeling of a desire to serve others and to be conscious of the needs of others while serving. Leadership makes conscious choice to then aspire to lead. According to Greenleaf (Wren, 1995), a servant leader focuses primarily on the well-being and growth of other people and the communities that they belong. The servant leader also shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps others to develop and perform at their highest potential (Wren, 1995).

Situational Leadership

Situational leadership is the leadership approach that focuses on any given situation

(Northouse, 2016). Situational leadership promotes the idea that different subordinate situations require a different response from leadership. Situational leadership calls for the leader to consider the leadership styles, directive and support needed as key elements to evaluate and discern which style is appropriate to use in a given situation (Northouse, 2016). Leaders must also consider the subordinate’s competence and level of commitment to organizational goals LEADERSHIP STYLE 4 when evaluating how to lead (Northouse, 2016). According to Northouse (2016), a leadership style is to be matched with the subordinate levels of competency and commitment.

Leadership Perception

If I were to conduct an evaluation of my Dean of Students/Superintendent focusing on his leadership style, there are several traits, skills, behaviors, and ethical values that I would view as similar or desirable to my leadership characteristic. The Dean of Students/Superintendent of our school displays a blend of leadership characteristics that are described in a Servant leader and a

Situational Leader.

Style, Traits, Skills, Behaviors, and Ethics

Although the behavior of the Dean of Students/Superintendent sometimes demonstrates a task approach, his general style is more directed toward the relationship approach with administrators, faculty, and staff. The Dean of Students/Superintendent is often seen in the lobby of our school or through the hallways greeting and having a conversation with faculty and students. He is also known to sit in on a classroom and observe a lesson. He schedules himself to be a speaker in our weekly chapel each year where he shares his faith and walk with the Lord through Bible stories. His chapel time further shows him as a spiritual leader as to the students, faculty, and parents of our school. LEADERSHIP STYLE 5

According to Northouse (2016), major leadership traits include: intelligence, which is defined as the intellectual ability, verbal ability, perceptual ability, and reasoning ability in the leadership position; self-confidence, which is the ability to be assured of your skills; determination, the desire to persevere until a job is complete; integrity, includes the moral qualities of honesty and trust; sociability, being friendly, courteous, outgoing, and diplomatic.

In examining the traits of the Dean of Students/Superintendent of our school, other than the self-proclaimed introversion, he speaks and conducts himself in a scholarly fashion. He demonstrates a high level of self-confidence as he holds meetings and other tasks at his level of leadership. He further demonstrates initiative and drive to make sure we are working as a team towards our mission. He also operates with a high moral compass leading with integrity and shows a need to have strong principles throughout our ministry. Lastly, the Dean of

Students/Superintendent is quite friendly and outgoing when he is seen throughout the building.

He shows a great love for the students and faculty that is evident in his interactions with them.

He is also very tactful in dealing with difficult situations or conversations.

Conclusion

There are a number of leadership traits and skills that I have learned in my interactions and mentorship from the Dean of Students/Superintendent of our school, listed above. His style of leadership includes characteristics viewed in leadership styles that encourage others to reach beyond what they believe is their potential as in transformational leadership. He also can match his leadership style according to the given situation as in situational leadership. Overall, the Dean of Students/Superintendent is very transparent in showing that his desire to serve others, his willingness to encourage other to grow past their person expectations, and his strong faith and LEADERSHIP STYLE 6 purpose as a Christian school leader. He inspires other to pursue both academic and spiritual excellence. LEADERSHIP STYLE 7

References Banke, S., Maldonado, N., Lacey, C. H., & Thompson, S. (2005). The Role of Spirituality in Christian

School Leadership: A Qualitative Study. Online Submission.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Olinger, D. (2015). Defining christian education. Retrieved from

https://www.bjupress.com/resources/articles/t2t/defining-christian-education.php.

Tye, K. (2000). Basics of christian education. Saint Louis, MO: Charlie Publishing.

Wren, J. T. (1995). The Leader's Companion Insights on Leadership Through the Ages. New York, NY:

The Free Press, Simon and Schuster.

Written Assignment Feedback Student Name: Monica Woods Assignment: Leadership Style

Content/Development—50%

Subject Matter: Covers key elements of the assignment, and the word count falls within the Very well –written paper, Monica. It is requirement. specific with many tenets of Christian Includes education that are important to comprehensive/accurate/persuasive leadership positions. content. Displays an understanding of relevant theory. 50% States major points clearly, and organizes points logically. Contains specific details/examples that support the major points. Uses research that is adequate/timely. Goes beyond textbook for resources. Integrates theory and practice LEADERSHIP STYLE 8

(application to real world work settings.)

Organization—20%

The introduction provides a sufficient . background on the topic and previews major points within a thesis statement. The structure of the paper is clear and easy to follow. The paper is well organized. The paper’s organization is built around the central theme and is directed toward 20% the appropriate audience. Ideas flow in the most appropriate sequence. Each point is developed in one or two paragraphs that begin with strong topic sentences that encompass what the entire paragraph discusses. The conclusion reviews the .major points, is logical, and flows form the body of the paper

Style/Mechanics—30% LEADERSHIP STYLE 9

Follows APA Format—10% - A few examples: 10% Uses correct format for title page, page headers with page numbers on each page, and margins that are one inch Properly cites ideas and information from other sources. Follows the proper guidelines for citations in the text and on the References page. Does not use the first person(unless specified for the assignment) Grammar/Punctuation/Spelling—10% Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. 10% Spelling is correct Readability/Style—10% Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. Sentences are well constructed, strong, and vary in structure Sentence transitions are present.

Diction is precise and unambiguous 10% The tone is appropriate to the content and to the nature of the assignment. LEADERSHIP STYLE 10

Overall Grade: Nice work! 6/6 points