TRANFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1

Transformational Leadership

Christine Haley

EDUA: 563

September 6, 2020

Dr. Kristen Nelson

Concordia University Irvine

School of Education
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Transformational Leadership

Educators are often colloquially considered the worst students. A teacher’s professional

practice is built upon being isolated in the classroom and the sole leader of a group of students.

Years may go by until a teacher wants to transition to leading their own peers. As an educator

moves from their classroom to administration one may often start by leading in a similar way

that they may have led in their own classroom. Was the teacher a leader in their classroom or a

dictator of their classroom? Was the teacher able to find a balance of loose and tight in their

classroom? How will these qualities/characteristics of leadership transition into an administrative

leader role? Leadership and the qualities of effective leadership is a message shared widely by

Dr. Anthony Muhammad. On August 22, 2020, Dr. Muhammad virtually presented to Concordia

University School of Education on the attributes of effective leaders. Dr. Muhammad has served

in education as both a teacher and administrator and now travels to spread his message on

effective instructional leadership. Dr. Muhammad has written a number of books on

instructional leadership, but his focus for this presentation can be found in ​Time for Change:

Four Essential Skills for Transformational School and District Leaders ​(2019).

Transformational leadership is centered around four essential skills or - as Dr. Muhammad refers

to them- critical behaviors; communication, building trust, support, and accountability are Dr.

Muhammad’s focus in developing as an effective and transformational leader.

Four Traits, One Leader

Dr. Muhammad’s focus on four critical behaviors highlights that an effective leader does

not have one characteristic that sets them apart from ineffective leaders; that in fact, it is a

combination of characteristics that work together collectively to ensure a positive and productive
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environment. However, Dr. Muhammad qualifies this by stating that it is “rare for a leader to be

good at all four” and encourages his listeners to “​hire staff that is complementary to your skill

levels so you have a fully talented team” (Time for Change, 2020). This message reminded me

of the leadership team at my own school site. One principal and three assistant principals work

together to effectively lead our school. I have been fortunate that through my years on the

Leadership Team, I have been included in the interview process for five different administrators.

In these interviews, we have discussed some of these very ideals: filling a role for what is needed

and missing from the team. Sometimes these conversations surround needs in expertise or

gender, but most often it is the quality of character of the leader we are looking for. This can

also be seen in the way in which teachers seek out and approach certain administrators based on

the purpose, or goal, in the meeting. Depending on the situation I need to work through with my

administrator, I find myself naturally seeking the one that will match the given outcome or

response hoped. As Dr. Muhammad reiterated at the end of his presentation, “If you cannot do it

yourself, put together a team that can collectively meet the needs of these four critical behaviors”

(Time for Change, 2020).

Relevance and Reflection

One of the four critical behaviors Dr. Muhammad spoke to have a certain relevance to

leading during times of COVID. Critical behavior number two is building trust which appeals to

one’s emotional intelligence. As Dr. Muhammad spoke about trust he began to explain that

“likeability” is not the same as “trustworthiness”​ (Time for Change, 2020). These comments

ignited my reflection ​on leadership during times of crisis. Today, my school administration is

working to effectively lead during this time of crisis as in-person school closures challenge our
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system for education; today, as leader of the English department, I need to earn the trust of my

colleagues for us to move forward with confidence and security. During Dr. Muhammad’s

presentation, he showed an interview with model leader General Colin Powell. In this interview,

Colin Powell championed, “No matter how terrified you are, lieutenant, you must never look

terrified. Because if you are scared, tired, hungry, and cold….they will be scared, tired, hungry

and cold.” I found this empowering as I thought about facilitating my next department meeting

or interacting with the next teacher that sought me out for advice. Today, I have worked to lead

with transparency and confidence to guide my team. Unfortunately, that sometimes means that I

may not always be liked, but Dr. Muhammad gave me confidence when explained that likeability

may - at times - distract from the reliability that trust ensures.

Conclusion

Dr. Muhammad’s presentation to future leaders at Concordia University opened my eyes

to the behavioral and emotional needs of being accepted as an effective and transformational

leader. I was able to see the four critical behaviors built into my own administrative team, and I

was able to connect the importance of trust in effective leaders, especially during times of crisis.

As I move forward in my own practice of developing as I leader I will continue to build off of

Dr. Muhammad’s commentary, and work - as a leader - to “get everybody on the bus” ​(Time for

Change, 2020).
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References

Muhammad, Anthony. (2020, August). ​Time for Change! The Four Essential Skills of a

Transformational School and District Leader. ​Lecture conducted from Concordia

University Irvine, United States.