After completing the readings I pulled out 3 ways effective administrators create a
biblically-based climate of motivation and morality. The first thing I noticed was from The
Superintendents Fieldbook: A Guide for Leaders of Learning. An effective leader will
“Start With the Heart” (Harvey et al., 2013). A good leader knows change is hard, and it
can be difficult for people to accept the changes. In order to implement those changes,
the leader needs to make the adjustments in small chunks so they can process it and
then execute it (Harvey et al., 2013). An individual may resist change because they see
it as a personal attack that what they are doing was not up to par. I experienced this as
a young Second Lieutenant when I took over my first platoon. I had ideas that I learned
from training that I wanted to implement. I had to make the changes slowly. My platoon
sergeant had been in the army since the gulf war. He led the way that he thought was
best based on experience. If I showed up as a green LT and changed things day one,
he would have naturally resisted.
The Superintendents Fieldbook: A Guide for Leaders of Learning also discussed the
importance of building trust through competence (Harvey et al., 2013). On page 37 the
text discusses the importance of building trust by solving technical problems.
Demonstrate to your team you are capable and can solve problems, then you can begin
to challenge the team to tackle complex issues (Harvey et al., 2013). The text made me
think of problems in the past where a leader brought up an issue. I did not have a
history working with the leader and we had not built up a relationship at all. My first
thought was that he did not have the ability to solve the problem. If I had trusted the
leader, I would have been more likely to think my help was needed, and not that they
did not have the abilities.
The final point I pulled was from The Helmsman. Coley is discussing values, he
writes a leader must “be prepared to speak and act boldly when these standards are
violated” (Coley, 2006.). As followers of Christ, our values need to be rooted in the Bible.
We must always be ready to stand up for what is right and defend the faith. I feel this
will be the most difficult thing to do as a leader and follower of Christ.
The three leadership questions I hope to be answered are:
1. In the Kansas City Metro, we have a terrible teacher shortage and high turnover.
What can district level leadership even do to address these shortages?
2. My district has had an increase in students who are telling adults they want to be
the opposite gender and are asking to change their names. As public-school leaders
and Christians how do we even approach this topic?
3. My final question is vague, yet complex. What can district level leaders do to
address school safety across multiple buildings and keep the community feeling
safe?
References
Coley, Kenneth S. (2006). The Helmsman: Leading with Courage and Wisdom.
Purposeful Design.
Harvey, J. S. J., Cambron-McCabe, N. H., Cunningham, L. L., & Koff, R. H. (2013). The
superintendents fieldbook : A guide for leaders of learning. Corwin Press.
https://ebookcentral-proquest .com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/reader.action?
docID=1363588&ppg=48&_ga=2.114616325.320239570.1661130887-
1373649056.1660755164
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