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Running head: BENCHMARK - LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY

Benchmark – Leadership Style and Philosophy

Nikia Russell

Grand Canyon University:

EAD-501-O101 Educational Administration Foundation for the Developing Leader

August 21, 2019

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Running head: BENCHMARK - LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY

Leadership is much more than commanding authority and gaining recognition from the

outside world. Instead, leadership is about developing people and helping others reach their full

potential. The goal of leadership is to ease the burden of responsibility from the followers so that

they can solely focus on their tasks and purpose. As a leader, my actions will be geared to

inspiring a team to achieve goals through trust and consistency.

My philosophy as an emerging, effective, inspirational leader is to impact the community

and effect change by modeling the expectations through humility. Leaders should set the

standard by doing. My leadership will be a collaborative process that unites the talents of

teachers, students, and parents. Great leaders are ineffective without a strong following. I will

constantly have a growth mindset to build upon the existing factors, make good better and better

great. My spirit is genuine and heart is rooted in nurturing children’s holistic growth. I am fair

and just, always giving respect with authenticity. Operating in honesty, having no favorites, and

treating everyone equally will ensure fairness. The goal is to lead a team that will work together

to promote academic and social success through process, curriculum, and training improvements.

My experiences in leadership will allow me to add to my beliefs and make changes as time goes

by.

This course has allowed me to gain clarity of the different styles of leadership. It is

important for leaders to identify leadership styles and the outcomes. The three styles of

leadership: transactional, transformational, and servant tend to be the styles that are practiced the

most. As I studied the transformational and servant style, I noticed there were quite few

similarities between the two which made it difficult to select one I could identify with.
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Running head: BENCHMARK - LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY

Transformational leadership is solution oriented with the goal of always challenging the

current state for continuous growth. Even though a system or goal may be achieved, the growth

mindset drives toward innovativeness expounding on what is great…. making the good great.

This style is good at balancing short term and long-term plans, communicating new ideas, builds

trust, and operating in empathy. This style works well when systems need retooling (Saint

Thomas University. “What is transformational leader? “ 2019).

A servant leader is a servant first with a socially responsible and participatory style of

leading. This leader understands the need of a healthy and productive team. Therefore, the leader

spends a considerable amount of time the developing their subordinates. A great exemplar of

servitude was Christ. Being an imitator of Christ will send an energy to the community of

genuineness. Building the team will allow the team to be more effective at impacting the

community. The more the leader supports, the more the leader accumulates buy in and get high

performance outcomes from followers. This leadership will require time to work. This is not a

leadership that gets immediate results. Results will occur, but can be Transformational and

servant leadership are similar due to mindset of building a team (Saint Thomas University.

“What is Servant leadership?” 2019).

Transactional leadership works well in organizations where structure is

important. Although transformational and servant leadership styles have similarities,

transactional leadership is quite different (Saint Thomas University. “What is a Transactional

Leadership?” 2019). All leadership lead with the concept of getting results. This type of leader

is fixated on results with a huge focus on penalties and rewards (Ross Pashall, & Mitchell Large.

2019). A transactional leader is someone who values order and structure. Change is hard to

embrace. Transactional leadership depends on self-motivated followers who work well in a

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Running head: BENCHMARK - LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY

structured, directed culture (Saint Thomas University. “What is a Transactional Leadership?”

2019).

All leadership styles require Integrity. Integrity is one of the main attributes that makes a

leader great. It is the commitment of upholding the consistency of actions,

realistic expectations, methods, values, principles, measures, and outcomes. It is the compass that

guides the leader to do the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the circumstances. To

ensure I am always operating in the best interest of students’ academic, social, and emotional

success, I will have a few entrusted mentors and colleagues holding me accountable. Creating a

checks and balance type system also allows others to a voice their concerns in decision - making

along with developing collaborative team. Leaders should always walk in integrity because our

decisions can help or hurt others.

Reviewing the styles of leadership gave me insight on my strengths and weaknesses, this

study also allowed me to define my style with the focus on improving and leveraging my

strengths. Although I am still defining my style, I think it is safe to say I am more or a

transformational leader. I am excited to see my growth within the next year.

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Running head: BENCHMARK - LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY

References:

Saint Thomas University. (2019). What is Servant Leadership? Retrieved August 20,2019.
https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/what-is-servant-leadership.aspx

Saint Thomas University. (2019). What is Transformative Leadership? Retrieved August 21,
2019. https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/what-is-transformational-
leadership.aspx#proscons

Ross Pashall, & Mitchell Large. (2019). Transactional Leadership Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 8, 2016, from https://managementstudyguide.com/transactional-
leadership.htm
Saint Thomas University. (2019). What is Transformational Leadership? Retrieved August
20,2019. https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/what-is-servant-leadership.aspx