YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS LEFT THE BUILDING?
There are many definitions of leadership. There are also debates as to whether leadership and management are the same. Some claim that leadership and management are distinct, and see management as maintaining and operating a system, whereas leadership is creating the system. Some view leadership as being both. I have my own definition of the concept of leadership and it is simply that leadership means "steer-a-ship." The analogy of steering a ship and leadership is very meaningful, in that the same way in which a ship navigates a course to move from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ in whatever type of waters, be they smooth or rough and bring itself, its occupants and contents safely to a destination point is what leadership is all about. The role of the leader, like that of the captain is to skilfully combine all the resources available to him or her, including and most essential his or her own capacities to chart the course and create the opportunities for the journey to be successful. This view of leadership churns up many important elements necessary to create and sustain a productive, enriching and purposeful society. There is the idea that leadership is something that takes people and other elements from one point to another, which indicates that some forward movement is necessary. It is therefore not unreasonable to think that, if after experiencing leadership for a period of time no forward movement is taking place, or worst, if backward movement is taking place, that some thing may be wrong with the leadership. CHARTING THE COURSE The analogy also points to the fact that leadership is deliberate, and must be guided by some underlying philosophy, (charting the course). In addition, the analogy suggests that leadership is not always smooth running, that there may be rough patches and tough decisions to be made, some things may need to be fixed, changed or repaired. Further, leadership is a journey, or process, not a destination or one- off event. However, the issue of getting to an end point that is different from the beginning is critical. Leadership is about people and relationships. Leadership is also about creativity and more so, in education, creating opportunities for persons to develop. Therefore leadership is about competence and being competent. Finally, leadership is about success. Since education is one of the pillar institutions in our society it is therefore critical that we get leadership right and get the right leadership. I recently completed a Masters in Educational Leadership and Innovation at the prestigious university of Warwick in England, where I had the opportunity, to experience leadership in an educational setting in the developed world, both at the school and university level. I also had the opportunity to study leadership within education. This experience brought home to me the importance of experiencing the developed world when you yourself live in a developing country. While this article is not meant to promote the University of Warwick’s Institute of Education, I must say something about the leadership at that institution, because the two members who head the institute, Professor Alma Harris and Mr Ian Abbott so strongly demonstrate my concept of leadership, and what leadership in education should be. I hasten to add that in our own developing country here in Trinidad and Tobago I experienced the same kind of leadership, though perhaps in a more singular context from persons such as Dr Vena Jules and Mr Carol Kellar of the School of Education at the University of the West Indies St Augustine. SOUND LEADERSHIP I found that at Warwick, the leadership combined very strong interpersonal skills with a profound level of competence and it is this blend that makes leadership work at that institution. At Warwick I also realised that good leadership resonates on the place and persons who experience it. My interactions with the leaders at the Warwick Institute of Education (WIE), also showed me that leadership is about respecting individuals and treating individuals with respect. I was fortunate to have classes with both leaders of the institute; Professor Harris and Mr. Abbott and these were moments I looked forward to with bated breath, simply because within their classes they demonstrated the elements of sound leadership. I looked forward to the opportunity of journeying from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ during those sessions and the lecturers/teachers/leaders never failed to provide that experience. What I came away from that experience with was a renewed commitment to the vision and philosophy that the most critical element in teaching and education is leadership and that as teachers we are all leaders and it is very important for us to understand, appreciate and fulfil our role if we are to engender a more productive, caring and competent society in Trinidad and Tobago.
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"YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS LEFT THE BUILDING?"