Philosophy

Introduction

Much like the horses in the photograph, students go about their lives, working and playing, completely unaware of old philosophies that governed the educational arena in which they live; philosophies that are now giving way to new ones leaving only a headstone to remember them by. Like the markers left behind, one must go out of one's way to review those old treasures even though they are foundations for the new. Here in this document are some points regarding my own philosophy of educational leadership. These ideas were not meticulously developed as a consequence of the study of existing philosophies; rather, they are a culmination of thoughts shaped by my personality, belief in God, experiences at Azusa Pacific University, observations at work, and selected readings.

The Uniqueness of Leadership in the Educational Arena

The goal of higher education is to a) “enable and encourage faculty, students, administrators, and other staff to change and transform institutions so that they can more effectively enhance student learning and development, generate new knowledge, and serve the community,” and b) “to empower students to become agents of positive social change in the larger society” (Astin, 2002, p. 9).

It is impossible to count the number times that I have read or been told that an organization is only as good as its leadership. It is a statement that I have believed, and continue to believe for the most part. However, the uniqueness of the educational arena allows for exceptions to this rule. A leader who does nothing in regard to vision or those other things that we expect from leader, and stays out of the way of the visionaries under him or her, may not do as much damage to an organization as one may anticipate. That is, faculty who care can supply vision, strategic plans, and goals sufficient to a successful program. Therefore, all can be leaders. However, an inept leader who insists upon having his or her hand or way in every thing can reduce faculty efforts to a pile of rubble fit only for providing comfort to philosophies buried under the grave-stones above.

Although leaders should strive to be state-of-the-art in their field, the educational arena requires more than striving, it is an imperative. Technology is growing at such a rate that instructors are unable to keep abreast of the advances. Distance education is growing at an alarming rate as well due to the technological advances, but instructors either are unable to find the time, or unable to drum up the incentive to learn such technologies to develop classes. If one function of leadership is to be mentor to those under their wing (Engstrom, 1989), then leadership needs to be abreast of technology to effectively model their desire for faculty to stay abreast of implementing these trends.

Due to the large amounts of information available, there has been a movement from a focus on inputting information into students to a focus on outcomes (Dawson, 1997). Students graduating from prestigious educational institutions are expected to provide new ideas for company growth and product development. Unlike leadership in most other organizations, this expectation places an exclamation point behind the imperative that educational leaders must be at the top.

A Leader Must be Willing to Embrace Technology

As discussed to earlier, contemporary leaders require an understanding of technological advances in society. In my belief, it is not an issue of being familiar with the technology; it is an issue of being intimate in its use. The speed at which information is available (and the need to categorize it) is at such an alarming rate that old conventions for keeping abreast of, and collecting information are inadequate. An educational leader must be able to quickly sift through that information and cash those items of interest. Five years ago, Dawson (1997) wrote about a "movement from information acquisition as the primary focus of schooling to information management and knowledge creation" (p. 1). In order to make realistic decisions and establish a strategic plan for the organization, those in leadership must be able to navigate the information highway effectively.

With each passing year the work demands upon leadership increase. Institutions are required to hire more full and part-time faculty to address the increases in student population. The use of technology can make leaders more efficient. In my case, I created web pages for instructors to submit information regarding which classes they would like to teach the following semester. The link is found at: www.cadnstuff.com/sched. Pick on "Next Semester" and a schedule with a submission form at the bottom is available for faculty use.

Change is inevitable and usually is good (Johnson, 2002). Dawson (1997) wrote in his monograph that a leader must be flexible always looking for new ways to address challenges stating, “if a nation continues to make the same once successful response to the new challenges, it inevitably suffers a decline and eventual failure” (p. 3). This comment is no less true at the institutional level. Clearly, can be that new way. However, there are other ways to address change that require a constant review of ones philosophy.

A Leader Must be a Willing Servant

In order “to cope effectively, and creatively with these emerging national and world trends,” Astin (2002) wrote, “future leaders will not only need to possess new knowledge and skills, but will also be called upon to display a high level of emotional and spiritual wisdom and maturity.” Leaders do not have the luxury to simply manage an organization. They must be servants to those they lead. Greenleaf (1977) published an idea that took the leadership world by storm, calling it servant leadership. It is a philosophy that has roots going as far back as the first century. Since his publication, the concept of servant leadership has made its way into many other works. It is a process that works very well and was modeled in Christianity; indeed, by Christ himself. The workers do not serve those in leadership. Leadership provides service to those who work for them. By meeting the needs of those you are serving, you demonstrate loyalty and commitment to them. Moreover, you are equipping them to serve the customer. If the Leader is a model of service, those who follow will serve as well.

Being a servant leader requires a high level of personal integrity (Astin, 2002). Modeling behavior steeped in integrity will provide a mentoring example to faculty and staff being lead. If faculty adopt such behavior of those leading them, they themselves will be excellent models for students. The idea that higher education should be “value free” is remarkable in that it is impossible to be a model for student and not communicate some type of value system. Personal integrity requires that the value system modeled be honorable. Value systems “underlie virtually every educational decision, including criteria for admissions, course requirements, pedagogical techniques, assessment procedures, resource allocation and governance procedures, and hiring and personnel policies (p. 9, 10). The real issue is not whether or not values should be addressed in education, but which values will be the ones chosen for the infrastructure of the institution. Being highly ethical will insure a good value system is set in place and will make it very easy for those under your leadership to trust you.

Being a servant leader requires that the leader be aware of their own limitations. Paul wrote in Romans 12:3 “do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (New International Version). Being aware of such limitation keeps one from treading where angles fear, and opens the door for another to demonstrate their talents. If one understands that he or she has limitations, then failures can be more easily seen “as nothing more than an icon of their humanity and as learning opportunities” (Astin, 2002, p. 1).

A servant leader is not aloof. How can one serve when one is unaware of the needs of those being served? A collaborative community must be fostered. Naturally, in order to serve, one must be aware of the context of the service. Having an understanding of the mission, vision, and value system of the educational institution would be required in order to properly serve. With this context in place, the “aloof free” leader will be well equipped to provide useful service while moving about the community.

A Leader Must be a Life Long Learner.

The above statement almost goes without saying. It would seem obvious, given the discussion above, that the leader must be a life long learner, but sometimes it is good to state the obvious to insure the point is not missed. This “not being aloof” mentioned above opens the door for the servant leader to learn from those he or she is serving. This is in keeping with the philosophy that educational leaders must be life long learners. Moreover, they should be taking leadership from others. Such a system of accountability is of great benefit to all leaders Astin (2002) and fosters learning oppertunities.

A Leader Must be Willing to Honestly Consider New Philosophies.

I have met many a leader that thought the principles put forth in the Bible were excellent before they found out they were from the Bible. Once the source of information is realized, the principle is rejected out of hand while citing the importance of maintaining the separation of church and state. It is regrettable. If one under your leadership comes to you with an idea or philosophy that will benefit the organization, then it should be honestly considered. Moreover, if the person bringing the information is someone that you may not like, or feel they are a poor employee, it does not follow that the suggestion is bad.

A Leader Must be Holistically Healthy

In order to be effective in leadership one must be healthy, not only physically through proper exercise and eating habits, but intellectually, vocationally, spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. Intellectual health involves thinking, studying, developing new horizons, and musing. The healthy leader must take time to be quiet and allow their mind to simply think. This opens the opportunity for God to communicate new ideas to him or her. Vocational health in this context refers to maintaining good safety practices at work and play. Spiritual health occurs when one remains in fellowship with other believers, spends time in communion with Christ through prayer, and maintains a habit of remaining in God’s Word. Relational health has to do with maintaining healthy relationships by not involving themselves in relationships where one a) is involved in dependency extremes, b) is being used, c) does not feel a sense of belonging or family, and d) is encouraged to go against their value system in order to maintain the relationship. Emotional health requires good mental health and can be measured by the self dialogue with which one engages. Paul recorded in Philippians 4:6-8, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - - think about such things” (New International Version).

Conclusion

In today’s society leadership is increasingly difficult. However, using technological resources available can make it easier. With the new social problems that are emerging, leadership is no longer a system of merely providing a vision and helping those being lead to implement that vision. It is a system that needs a leader who is willing to be a servant, as Christ was servant, by holistically addressing the needs of those being lead. The leader must be mentor, which has a prerequisite of being mentored. The leader must be ethical, willing to operate under the banner of integrity, and have a system of values in keeping with the needs of those being lead and the mission of the organization. The leader must be a life long learner, and finally, a leader must be holistically healthy.

Citations

All of the citations can be found in the annotated bibliography. Picking here will take you there.