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Benchmark - Leadership Style and Philosophy

Anthony Wevers

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

EAD 501: Educational Administration: Foundations for the Developing Leader

Dr. Sylvia Borja

July 21, 2021

Benchmark - Leadership Style and Philosophy

My personal values and belief have been the backbone of every important decision I have

made in my life extending back to my teenaged years. My father described a value as something

that I would climb out on a thin I-Beam extended far off the top of a skyscraper to grasp. I

continue to use the same model today. My faith in God and family will always be at the top of

my values for this is where I draw my strength and courage to be my best. Through my

experiences in scouting and the United States Army I have developed a strong need for integrity,

loyalty, trustworthiness, equality, and service. A good leader, soldier, scout, and family member

should be loyal and treat all members with equality and respect. Putting the needs of others

before my own is a major part of being a father and a Non-Commissioned Officer. All of these

relationships are built on a foundation of trust.

Growth of my values continued through college, teaching and school leadership roles.

High standards of excellence, open communication, vision and innovation are all values that I

fostered as a leader. High standards are achieved when leaders set clear goals and work with all

levels of followers to meet these goals. Open communication builds on the values of loyalty and

trustworthiness to ensure a working environment that followers feel supported and listened to by

their leaders. I have always admired leaders who were approachable and welcomed

conversations about how things were going. The need for equality is supported by leadership that

listens and cares for followers. I have utilized these values to build organizations that are willing

to accept my vision and push it forward. Open communication has also allowed for innovation

within the organization. I admit to my staff that I don’t always have the answers or best answer.

Leadership with my organizations has grown by empowering followers to be innovative,

creative, and service minded. Supporting those around us to achieve high standards is everyone
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job. Through these values, I try to thread faith in God to ensure that my number one value is

always my compass and hopefully a compass for those I lead.

A transformational servant leadership style requires a balance between empowering

teachers and completing the mission of education. My goal of a hybrid transformational servant

leadership is teachers and staff being empowered to make decisions and facilitate the change and

innovation needed to achieve high standards through a transformational approach. According to

Atasoy (2020), “educational organizations have to be more innovative, dynamic and proactive to

improve core competence in the context of change which forces school outcomes.” The needed

innovation to meet these goals will result from a supportive servant leadership approach that

instills the vision for the school and students success at every turn. Teachers need the confidence

to take risks to creatively meet these expectations. Transformational leadership promotes

creativity in followers Kark et al. (2018). Creativity alone will not change an organization or a

school. “The attitude, attention, and behaviors composing service by a leader directed toward a

subordinate would enhance the effectiveness of leadership directed toward change, innovation,

growth, and self-leadership as expressed within transformational leadership” (Brown et al., 2020,

p. 68). The balance achieved between these two styles will provide an optimal learning

environment for students. Teachers who are inspired to be innovated will continue to develop

themselves and make positive contributions to our school. The positive example from the

teachers inspires students to work hard and meet the passion of their teachers. The net result is a

positive culture in the school where all levels are striving to be their best.

The values that I live my life by are seamless with my profession as an educator and

educational leader. My integrity and character are key components to how I identify myself and

how I try to have others see me. Being a leader who follows through with what they say and
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holds themselves to same standards of excellence that they require of others earns the respect

from followers. My decisions will always be made based on equality for everyone with complete

transparency. My goal will always be to build a community that treats others, as Christ taught us,

with love and respect. Student success, social and emotional learning, and an atmosphere of

kindness will grow. “At the heart of servant leadership is an attitude of compassion and service

that serves as the foundation of trust, credibility, and relationships” (Brown et al., 2020, p. 67).

My staff will be trained to handle situations that arise and work with students from a pastoral

approach to help them through problems, incorporate parental involvement, and strive to identify

and resolve core issues when necessary. Empowering my staff through servant leadership will

foster transformation and create a school that emulates my values of fairness and integrity.

A hybrid approach to leadership will be effective at transforming the school to a new

vision while building a staff in a nurturing and supportive environment. Transformational

leadership has been shown to build learning organizations better then servant leadership Xie

(2020). The transformational phase will set the foundation for an empowered staff that reaches

students’ needs and changes with the times. Every change is met with a transitional phase before

a new norm is established. The hybrid model ensures the school can remain progressive while

consistently supporting staff. Students will hopefully find inspiration from the examples of their

teachers and the positive atmosphere of the school culture.

References

Atasoy, R. (2020). The relationship between school Principals’ leadership styles, school culture

and organizational change. International Journal of Progressive Education, 16(5), 256–

274. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.29329/ijpe.2020.277.16

Brown, S., Marinan, J., & Partridge, M. A. (2020). The moderating effect of servant leadership

on transformational, transactional, authentic, and charismatic leadership. Journal of

International Business Disciplines, 15(2), 67–86.

Kark, R., Van Dijk, D., & Vashdi, D. R. (2018). Motivated or demotivated to be creative: The

role of self-regulatory focus in transformational and transactional leadership processes.

Applied Psychology: An International Review, 67(1), 186–224. https://doi-

org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/apps.12122

Xie, L. (2020). The impact of servant leadership and transformational leadership on learning

organization: a comparative analysis. Leadership & Organization Development Journal,

41(2), 220-236. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1108/LODJ-04-2019-0148