Organizational Leadership

In organizational leadership, leaders help set strategic goals for the organization while motivating
individuals within the organization to successfully carry out assignments in order to realize those
goals. Organizational leadership works towards what is best for individual members and what is
best for the organization as a group at the same time. Organizational leadership is also an attitude
and a work ethic that empowers an individual in any role to lead from the top, middle, or bottom
of an organization.

Leadership Versus Management

MANAGERS versus LEADERS

Managers
Administer
Their process is transactional;
meet objectives and delegate
tasks.
Work Focused
The goal is to get things done.
Have Subordinates
They create circles of power
and lead by authority.
Do Things Right
Managers enact the existing
culture and maintain status
quo.
Source: Dubrin, Andrew E. (2006) Essentials of management 70, Mason, OH 45040
Leaders
Innovate
Their process is
transformational: develop a
vision and find a way forward.
People Focused
The goals include both people
and results
Have Followers
They create circles of influence
and lead by inspiring.
Do the Right Thing
Leaders shape the culture and
drive integrity.

Types of Skills Demanded of Leaders

Leaders use 3 broad types of skills:
 technical
 human
 conceptual
Technical skills refers to any type of process or technique like sending e-mail, preparing a power
point presentation.
Human skill is the ability to work effectively with people and to build teamwork. This is also
referred to as people skills or soft skills.
Conceptual skill is the ability to think in terms of models, frameworks and broad relationships
such as long range plans.
Leadership styles

Autocratic leaders do decision making by themselves. Consultative leaders allow participation of the
members of the organization by consulting them but make the decision themselves. This is what
happens in consultation meetings called by schools when they increase tuition fees. Sometimes
education stakeholders get disappointed that their suggestions are not carried after school leaders have
consulted them. They do not understand that consultation does not necessarily mean approval of
stakeholders suggestions.

Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership, is a leadership style in which members of
the group take a participative role in the decision-making process. Leaders allow the members of the
organization to fully participate in decision making. Decisions are arrived at by way of consensus. This is
genuine participation of the members of the organization which is in keeping with school
empowerment.

In laissez faire or free-rein leadership style, leaders avoid responsibility and leave the members of the
organization to establish their own work. This leadership style leads to the kanya-kanya mentality, one
wealmesses of the Filipino character. There will be no problem if the situation is deal, i.e. each member
of the organization has reached a level of maturity and so if members are left to themselves they will do
only what is good for the organization. On the other hand, it will be chaos If each member will do as
he/she please even if it is against the common good.

Servant Leadership was first coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 in his essay entitled “The Servant as
Leader”. According to Greenleaf, “The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling
that one wants to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. The best test, and
difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become
healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the
effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“
(Greenleaf, 1977/2002, p.27)

Public servants to refer to appointed and elected officials of the government to emphasize the fact that
they indeed are servants of the people. Their first duty is to serve and in serving, they lead. They don't
think of their power as leaders first. If they do, they tend to become more conscious of their importance
felt over their conscious of their power over their constituents and tend to impose that power or make
their importance felt over their constituents and forget that if ever they are given power it is to serve
their people. Someone said "power corrupts". And i need it does, when leaders think first of their power
and forget the very reason why such power was even, i.e. to serve. The greatest teacher said: and
whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave." (Matthew 20:27)

"The geatest among you shall be your servant." (Matthew 23:11)

"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all" (Mark 9:35)
"You how the pagan rulers make their powers felt. But it shall not be this way among you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant."(Mark 10:43)

Servant leadership seeks to involve others in decision

Transformational leadership is a leadership style in which leaders encourage, inspire and motivate
employees to innovate and create change that will help grow and shape the future success of the
organization.
Robert Kennedy once said: "Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never
were, and ask why not." Those who dream of things that never were and ask "why not" are not
transformational leaders. The transformational leader is not content with status qou and sees the need
to transform the way the organization thinks, relates and does. things. The transformational school
leaders sees school culture as it could be and should be, not as it is, and so plays his/her role as
visionary, engager, learner, collaborator, and instructional leader. As a transformational leader he/she
makes positive changes in the organization by collaboratively developing new vision for the organization
and mobilizing members to work towards that vision.

To do this the transformational leader combines charisma, inspirational leadership and intellectual
stimulation to introduce innovation for the transformation of the organization.

Sustaining Change

For reforms to transform, the innovations introduced by the transformational leader must be
institutional and sustained. Or else that innovation is simply a passing fad that loses its flavor after a
time. A proof that an innovation introduced has transformed the organization is that the result or effect
of that change persists or ripples even when the transformative leader is gone or is transferred another
school or gets promoted in the organization.