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Empathy, Humility, Lifelong Learner: My Educational Leadership Philosophy
School of Education, Liberty University
EDAS 741
Dr. Orlando
Author Note
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Email:
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Abstract
The relationship that leaders engage greatly influences the staff productivity and impacts
the principal benefactors of the general success. Leadership plays a significant role in
establishing a vision and communicating effectively to all stakeholders in an organization.
Having clear leadership guidelines offers all stakeholders a better comprehension of the
institution’s direction and fosters the realization of their roles and responsibilities. It is the role of
an educator to choose the best leadership strategy in teaching and keenly learning what to apply
in the classroom. Change in teachers’ styles automatically changes upon variation of the
students’ needs; thus, variation in the philosophy of the educational leaders ought to be
encountered on those who will adhere. The leadership philosophy of a person comprises of a
personal statement consisting of guiding principles and the manner in which they structure to
embrace their own practice technique. Educational leaders always need to learn and continuously
grow within their craft for a desire for extra components to enhance their initial philosophy.
Keywords: leadership, relationships, communication, humility, empathy.
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Empathy, Humility, Lifelong Learner: My Educational Leadership Philosophy
Leadership involves an individual’s potential to motivate and influence other people to
deliver the best. It centers on motivating people to add more to the general effectiveness of the
organization. Leadership is all about equipping people to reach their maximum potential. The
traits of exemplary leaders make an intensely positive impact on the commitment and motivation
of the individuals, organizational success, and work performance of people. According to Kouzes
and Posner (2017), people favor leaders who are truthful, capable, inspirational, and avant-garde.
Most leaders in the contemporary world are anticipated to profile course of direction while
advancing a positive school culture or institution to engage a proactive mindset, back up and
enhance the motivation of the staff together with the required commitment to accelerate students’
achievement and enhance success for schools within challenging situations. Leadership is critical
as it established a clear vision and enhances effective communication among all parties.
In all responsibilities every day, a leader is involved in carrying them out anywhere they
help in various capabilities. In my viewpoint, I believe any characteristic leader must initially set
the situation and modify the work idea within the section assigned to oversee. Moreover, the
perfect leader must be at an all-time in how they favor others to act, retort, and behave as
workers under the leader's leadership (Tran, 2020). Another essential attribute of a leader is
listening prudently and consequently responding to the subject raised and speeches the concerns
separately with impartiality and compassion. Also, a perfect frontrunner must be an excessive
organizer and how to performance the allocation process to ensure the substitute tasks are
practical.
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Furthermore, after the designation of tasks, it is vital to follow up the procedure to ensure
adequate performance and time that is owed to the job. Humanistic features and qualities such as
empathy and humility must be the meaning of a great frontrunner; this ensures that the specific
leader is friendly and at a similar time appreciated by all workers or teams underneath the senior.
Stith-Flood (2018) noted the value of humility in leadership, stating that humble leaders are able
to influence and motivate others better and are considered more approachable and inspirational.
Humility also leads to empathy (Stith-Flood, 2018; Brotheridge et al., 2005). According to Stith-
Flood (2018), “leaders who understand the suffering associated with failure can better understand
when team members make mistakes. The team naturally becomes willing to push harder and
strive for greater things when they know mistakes will be forgiven” (p.26).
Creating an appropriate relationship with other shareholders makes an effective leader; thus,
completing it is inevitable in an excellent leader (Tran, 2020). Management effectiveness is
called task-relevant, while positive leaders are that instrument of leadership chic to the individual
or group of individuals they are determined to inspire or lead. The capacity to successfully lead
and motivate a group of individuals in the field of education requires a set of complex skills that
can only be acquired through self-development, experience, reflection, and training (Day &
Sammons, 2016). Remarkable leaders are lifelong learners who strive to continually improve
their skills. Additionally, a respectable leader can familiarize leadership with the goals or
objectives to be proficient.
Founded on my perception, exceptional educational leaders continually refine and
cultivate their skills, guide with humility and empathy, offer productive feedback, recognizes and
celebrate all stakeholders in order to encourage arduous and collaborative work to achieve the
institution's goals.
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Leadership Practices
Care ethics emphasizes the relationship between the leader and the followers, broadly
termed the primary female viewpoint. Gottfredson et al. (2010), who came up with the leader-
member exchange theory, stated that the approach in which leaders are constructed from the
relationship based on respect, trust, and the liking from the other individuals they work with.
With the other connections fails to prosper the employment contract fundamental relations. On
my side, I support the theory and continuously build a strong, suitable, and fruitful relationship
with the persons I am assigned to be their leader. Through this strategy, I wish to attain and
exceed the expected defined goals and objectives using a communication tool as a drive. It is
pivotal to lead as an example and as the role model to the junior staff in which failure to that
there is no need to be a leader. However, one must venture some of the evidence through
showing commitment to make the values tangible.
Relationships
According to my perception, creating a continual communication system with all the
stakeholders as per their crucial importance facet in education. The lack of any member of the
team will become the beginning of our occupation. According to own evaluation, every
stakeholder obligation should encompass the following in the school environment. The principal
should play a key role in building relationships in the school setting. The principal's primary goal
is to conduct the school mission and establish the school vision, that is, uniting the shareholders
to assist in accomplishing the mission and developing the school.
Philosophy of Educational Leadership
Leaders should be role models and mentors to both students and teachers. They should
have authority in the school's daily activities and motivate the staff, teaching and non-teaching
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staff. They should involve all stakeholders in the decision-making of the school to avoid their
resistance to changes. Resistance to change emanates from failure to involve all members in the
decision-making process. Also, the principal should offer support to all the school stakeholders to
understand their mistakes to improve themselves. Being a team builder and fostering cohesion
enables the principal to achieve an excellent performance of the students and teaching staff. They
should be involved in activities of the school which concerns them. They should be involved in
making decisions of the school in matters of development, performance and co-curricular
activities. They should be active participants in the learning process via closely working with
their tutors and parents (Humphreys & Blenkinsop, 2017). The above will lead to self-
accountability, which characterizes the positivity of the school at all intervals. Those cordial
relationships of the students with their educators and parents result in better results.
Teachers also play a significant role in building and maintaining relationships in school
settings. The teachers should assist the management in executing the mission as well as the
vision of the school. They should set a conducive learning environment that connects the
students and the school contemplating their influence on students' thoughts and attitudes. They
should be constant learners in issues of conveying new concepts to the scholars. The community
should support the school mission and the vision of participating actively in school matters
(Humphreys& Blenkinsopp, 2017). They volunteer in classroom trips and field matters and
mentor the students. Each of the stakeholders should foster success ideals and achievement for
exploiting both current and future generations.
Diversity
With the rapid migration of individuals from one state to another United States is
becoming a multicultural society, even though the educational system in the country is remaining
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the same with minimal changes in accommodation of the need of every culture. For example,
there is diversity in race, gender, learning styles, sexuality, social, economic status, and ethnicity
in schools. Making it a rule for the administrators to consider all the factors before deciding on
the style and technique that fits the leadership practice (Speranza & Pierce, 2019). Over the
decades, there have been changing social norms which have been concentrating on the gender-
neutral atmosphere. However, there is no other neutrality application to the other factors
highlighted on the subtopic. Additionally, learning institutions must anticipate these issues when
deciding the people they serve. The administrators should ensure that the staff and the student
diversity do not affect the fairness in the institute negatively. The variety experienced in the
school setting may challenge the participants if factors in question are uncovered. Thus this is
pivotal that the learning institutions offer various opportunities for everyone to understand the
diversity and equity concept through professional development.
Philosophy of School and Learning
Education in our country is a right and a privilege. Children who are at school should feel
treasured by having the freedom of learning. They are supposed to be allowed to take the benefit
of such opportunity or chance. Even though every person has a right to learn, the place and the
way of learning are much different. For my view on this, I do believe that nurturing is more
critical as compared to enabling a youngster. It is important to empower children with knowledge
and a seed of curiosity that will allow them to get a solution when they face a particular problem
(Panahi et al., 2017). It enables that child to gain a self-accountability virtue. There has been a lot
of responsibility which is a burden to the educators when they leave the scholar without any
academic career ownership.
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I do not support leniency when it fails to discipline a child in education. It is our high
time to start addressing potential difficulties immediately as they start emerging. We need our
children to succeed in all operations in our society, even in our absentia. We also require our
children to gain skills for solving conflicts in our community (Panahi et al., 2017). For those of
us who have the privilege to be in education, we have to create admiration, trust together with
logic for commitment in our schools, homes, and community if we need to prosper in life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we as Christians have to portray Christ's love to our encounters, especially
those that have the privilege to lead us. Students should be allowed to take responsibility when it
comes to their education. Education will enable them to gain a sense of pride which concerns the
way of learning, which makes them feel accomplished with their success in education. When
trying to create leadership skills, we should consider employing diversity and equity. An
operative leader should develop a flexible and workable philosophy. Therefore, philosophy is
supposed to be accompanied by theoretical frameworks that validate the cultural beliefs of all
leaders. All Christian educators should practice Christ’s love and His teachings through their
actions which makes them be called Christ’s ministers through leading.
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References
Brotheridge, C. M., Morris , J. A., & Urbanski, J. C. (2005). Bringing humility to leadership:
Antecedents and consequences of leader humility. Human Relations, 58(10), 1323–1350.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726705059929
Day, C., & Sammons, P. (2016). Successful school leadership. Education Development Trust.
Humphreys, C., & Blenkinsop, S. (2017). White paper concerning philosophy of education and
environment. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 36(3), 243-264.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary
things happen in organizations. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Panahi, G. H., Ghaedi, Y., Zarghami, S., & Abdollahi, M. H. (2017). Explaining the philosophy
of learning with an emphasis on Winch's learning theory. Jiera, 11(36), 181-208.
Speranza, C. R., & Pierce, A. (2019). Development of a personal leadership philosophy: An
experiential and reflective opportunity in the graduate classroom. Development, 18(3).
Tran, H. (2020). Revolutionizing school HR strategies and practices to reflect talent centered
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