Leadership... the challenge is now

Scepticism and cynicism abound in and across quite a number of sectors of society in Malta. A look at the correspondence in our local papers attests to this. Maybe this is a natural phenomenon. Maybe it is just part of our life, of human nature. Some may argue that this is the residue of our colonial heritage, of being a small island state. Some blame it on the colonial mentality that permeates quite a number of institutions. Others blame politicians and unions as having too much of a stronghold on what can happen.

In all probability it is a mixture of all of the above. The Maltese are renowned for criticising negatively things which do not ring a bell, which challenge their set beliefs.

In spite of this, we are experiencing exemplary leadership in a number of sectors, including the one I am directly involved in - education. An appreciation or celebration of this is in itself unusual, to say the least. Over the last decade or so we have witnessed genuine attempts of involving more and more people in the consultation process. There is an evident drive to empower more and more people, to nurture a culture of participation and collaboration. Moving away from a culture of isolation and dependency is not easy, in spite of genuine attempts witnessed at all levels, starting from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment, and the drive to give more and more decision making authority where it matters - at the school site, and in our classrooms, with teachers introducing new ways to democratise the teaching and learning process.

I believe that negativism and destructive criticism, and there is a lot of that, can lead only to a deterioration of morale and a lack of productivity and that the harmful effects will be felt most by the youngsters whom we all - in our varied capacities - must try to serve to the best of our abilities.

Within this environment strong leadership and leaders are in dire need. I do believe that this is one of the reasons why the networking exercise has been undertaken and identified as one way of making a difference to our educational system and provision. Networking calls for strong leadership, starting from the top and identified and nurtured at all levels. Networking encourages a new form of leadership. Through experience I have come to believe that there are times and circumstances when we must identify issues and concerns before others are aware of them, when our leadership must be proactive, when we must anticipate problems and recommend or implement resolutions before they hinder the educational process. This is what networking demands. This is the real challenge and not the concern raised by many as to the further bureaucratisation of the system.

At the same time, school leaders will need to be reactive, as they react to certain situations or issues, groups, or individuals. And, while we can clearly identify with some burning issues that the document For All Children To Succeed (Ministry of Education, Youth & Employment, 2005) fails to address in a concrete manner, or does not mention, it is in this context that leadership becomes vital and for leaders to take the offensive. In a context where goals and objectives are unclear or lacking, the leader needs to bring together the various parties and to establish a philosophical base with future directions toward which all can strive.

In a situation where finances are not unlimited, where enrolments are declining, and where geographic expansion is occurring at seemingly ever-increasing rates, the leader must also look to the future and draw to the attention of the necessary authorities those matters that will require resolution in the next three, five and 10 years. S/he must anticipate future problems or required changes and plan to accommodate them. While it might be more comfortable for school boards to assume low profiles on critical issues or for administrators to adopt the ostrich style of leadership, hoping these problems will go away, I would suggest that on such occasions we must have people in leadership roles who are not afraid to take risks, to develop new policies to meet needs. Not to do so would be irresponsible, indeed, would be to abrogate one's leadership. Only then will we be able to address the challenges that our educational system has become infamous for, such as its system of equity, excellence, streaming, the type of examinations and the role that examinations play, and co-education.

Leadership and doing things differently

School heads have traditionally served mainly as glorified clerks, as office managers dealing with administrative matters. Others have tended to act as mere bureaucrats that follow the book, never creating ripples (or allowing others to do so). What kind do you have? What kind should you have? What kind is best suited for the self-managing schools of the 21st century?

Long ago I worked with a school head whose favourite line was, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It became the hallmark of his administration. When a teacher would discuss implementing a new initiative, the head would say, "I'll get back to you," which we learned was just a euphemism for "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Yet the underlying premise of this leadership style denied creativity, crippled attempts to try new ideas, and routinised school culture to the degree of prompting several staff members to leave the school.

For those of us who remained, we learnt to become entrepreneurs. In spite of the system we still managed to make a difference to children, even though often confined to our classrooms.

The kind of leaders (and I use this word as against the title head of school) we need, and I honestly feel are emerging, are displaying different styles and are assuming new roles. Almost by definition, these "new" leaders work in restructured schools - places where key decisions are made on site, where staff and school leaders share the power.

To characterise the new breed, I would like to use such terms as "instructional leader", "facilitator", and "people developer". These are not new terms or in any way fancy, catchy phrases, but a lot more rewarding to work for.

The school leader as "people developer" may be the central role of the new breed. The manifestation of this role is bringing each staff member to potential. This means helping teachers see that they have skills in leadership which they can use to make decisions in their classrooms and beyond. In this context, the leader takes risks and encourages others to do the same, and stretches them to do new things. In this scenario, school leaders, whose work was mostly clerical, administrative, and the most managerial, are now in the classrooms working alongside teachers and with the students.

The school leader as "instructional leader" is another face of the new breed. This person is one who leads by example and is ready to work with and alongside her/his staff. There is a special interest and focus on what students are learning. The role of the leader is that of creating opportunities for people to forward ideas leading to informed decisions rather than merely asking members of staff to follow blindly the latest bandwagon idea.

The school leader as "facilitator" is the role that follows, perhaps inevitably, those of people developer and instructional leader. The leader does what is needed to get the job done. All those who have taken on leadership positions know that it is difficult to get everyone behind you at all times and for every cause you, or others, may present. One should not wait to get unanimity to take action.

While we appreciate that involving school members is key to development, in itself this is risky. This is the risk that the new breed of school leaders is willing to take. They appreciate, or have learnt to appreciate, that power is not a zero-sum game. One increases power for everybody when it is shared.

In all their roles, new breed leaders are focusers, directing the attention at specific tasks staff need to accomplish. We have learnt that just by focusing the staff's attention on establishing goals does not mean that they get done, or if they do, in the way it was decided. Without leadership, teachers and other staff members are as much at risk for self trivialisation as any traditional school administrator.

The school leader keeps in mind that the whole point of shifting decisions to the school and the staff is to make it easier to focus on teaching and learning. The challenges of leadership proposed here is to encourage each other to do things differently and to possess the courage to "fix it" even if it "ain't broke."

I conclude with a quote from Brian Caldwell which I think helps to challenge the reader to think about the substance behind leadership.

"Leadership exists when people are no longer victims of circumstances but participate in creating new circumstances ... it's not about positional power; it's not about accomplishments; it's ultimately not even about what we do. Leadership is about creating a domain in which human beings continually deepen their understanding of reality and become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world. Leadership is about creating new realities." (Brian Caldwell, 1997).

Next week: What will our new leaders look like?