Leadership Style and Philosophy
Leadership Style and Philosophy
Leadership Style and Philosophy
Anthony Wevers
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
References
Atasoy, R. (2020). The relationship between school Principals’ leadership styles, school culture
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
Kark, R., Van Dijk, D., & Vashdi, D. R. (2018). Motivated or demotivated to be creative: The
org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/apps.12122
Xie, L. (2020). The impact of servant leadership and transformational leadership on learning