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Types of Difficult Administrators - The ‘Negative’ Leadership Styles

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Types of Difficult Administrators - The ‘Negative’ Leadership Styles

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The Unrealistic, Out of Touch Administrator- This type of leader is often well- meaning, but has not taken the necessary steps to stay in touch and up to date with the changing times.

The "I Know Everything" Administrator- I find this type of leader is actually often insecure about their shortcomings and rather than admit when they are not experts on a subject, merely play it off as if they are and refuse to take feedback from the experts. This is dangerous as it often causes many initiatives to fall flat or fail before they even get started as this leader did not have the necessary information to circumvent problems.

The Bully Administrator- One of the most dangerous and unprofessional types of leaders. This leader threatens jobs, speaks unprofessionally to teachers and about teachers, partakes in gossip, and is generally a negative and cancerous leader.

The "It’s for the Children" Administrator- This leader is often also an “Out of touch” or “I Know EVerything” leader who is probably well-intentioned, but rather than get the necessary information or get caught up to speed on what’s happening in the classroom, would rather hide behind the blanket statement of “It’s for the children” because if he/she is not agreed with, it is implied that the individual disagreeing, if not “in it for the children” which is obviously not the case!

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Real world examples of ‘negative’ leadership styles:

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Real world examples of ‘negative’ leadership styles:

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An example of an administrator who is a “Bully” is one who discusses teachers with teachers that he/she is friendly with, in a derogatory way. The teachers who are in the “inner circle” with this leader now trust this individual. This “Bully Administrator” then elicits their help in gathering negative data and behaviors on other teachers (getting to school late, leaving early, disagreeing with administration, taking a long lunch, etc.).  The information shared is then be used in a punitive fashion to punish the teachers by threatening jobs, punitively changing schedules, or even switching the teacher’s home building.

The out of touch administrator is one who either did not teach for very long, as teaching is a second career or they switched into an administrative role early in their career or (more commonly) one who has not been in the classroom for many years. This person is out of touch due to either a lack of effort to stay in touch, or not realizing that they do not necessarily have the most experience to draw upon. This person is often reluctant to believe that they are, in fact, out of touch, and continues to roll out initiative aafter initiative without a realistic idea about what is actually transpiring in the modern classroom.

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Reflect on how you may or may not be pulled toward one of the ‘negative’ leadership styles and what precautions you might take to avoid those tendencies:

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Reflect on how you may or may not be pulled toward one of the ‘negative’ leadership styles and what precautions you might take to avoid those tendencies:

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I think it’s possible for all administrators to, at some point, run into the danger of being an “unrealistic and out of touch” administrator. I think you have to make a genuine, continual effort to stay in touch with the the student body, the teachers, and keep abreast of what's happening in the classroom to avoid having this happen. A real concerted effort must be given to prevent this, but again I do think it’s possible for all administrators, even those with the best intentions to fall into this category! I would personally maintain a presence in the halls and the classrooms (once trust has been built) and I would attend as many extra curricular activities as my schedule allowed for. I would also continue to learn in an effort to stay in touch. I would conference with the teachers and the chairs to maintain the ever changing needs of the school, asking for feedback often.

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Post your thoughts on each of the ‘positive’ leadership styles and cite one or two generic real world examples

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Post your thoughts on each of the ‘positive’ leadership styles and cite one or two generic real world examples

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The administrator considers teachers’ opinions:

Our current superintendent, principal, and chairperson has formed a committee of teachers to get feedback on the type of furniture we would like to see as part of a new school initiative to modernize and maximize our workspace. We have been brought into meetings with various educational furniture companies, asked to express our concerns and desires, and show our classrooms (that will potentially be used as samples) to both administration and the various companies to discuss the pitfalls of each space and how we hope to improve each.

The administrator plans ahead:

My current chairperson wanted us to create classroom libraries and discussed this with us at length in our department meetings to determine the best way to roll out this initiative within our department. We discussed the concerns (space, storage, etc.) and collectively came up with solutions that were heeded and resulted in a positive classroom library experience.

The administrator is empathetic:

Considering the fact that we are people first, just as we would ask a student “Are you okay?” first before reprimanding them for poor behavior, our chairperson does just that. One of my colleagues was absent often and rather than asking why in a confrontational way, she asked the teacher if everything was okay. Once she learned of personal struggles she was going through (in both her marriage and with one of her children) she asked how she could help her. The teacher indicated that on certain mornings, she had trouble getting her son to daycare and then getting to work on time due to a lack of support at home and an apathetic child (likely due to the difficulties in the home at the time). The chair gave this teacher her cell phone number and told her to simply text her when she was having a difficult morning so that she could start her 1st period class on those mornings. The next year, she gave her a prep period during 1st so that she did not have to rush. After a few years, once her situation settled down, she no longer needed the assistance, but could not have gotten through that difficult time in her life without the empathy exhibited by the chairperson.

Administrator develops talent:

This administrator facilitates the growth of the teachers in the building and taps into their strengths to allow the school community to benefit. This can be done by encouraging the teacher to attend conferences to hone their craft, by having the teachers run workshops or classes to share their techniques, write curriculum projects, and also by encouraging continuing education. Asking for the teachers’ feedback is another positive way to continue to develop talent.

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Reflect on how you may or may not be pulled toward one of the ‘positive’ leadership styles and explain why you may or may not aspire to those type of leadership qualities:

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Reflect on how you may or may not be pulled toward one of the ‘positive’ leadership styles and explain why you may or may not aspire to those type of leadership qualities:

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Although I certainly aspire to have elements of each of these positive types of leaders, I think I would be most inclined to being empathetic. Treating the teachers as people first is something I have been happy to experience in my own experiences with the leadership in my building and one that I would most certainly want to emulate myself. Treating people with empathy is one way to naturally and sincerely build trust in a building or school community. I think it is one of the most effective ways to get good feedback and to improve the overall workplace environment.

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What steps would you take in a role as a leader to ensure a positive leadership culture? When leadership is in place, especially at the higher levels, where the ‘difficult administrators’ or ‘negative’ leadership styles exist, how would you persevere as a new leader in this type of environment - ‘bad’ leadership tends to perpetuate bad leadership?

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What steps would you take in a role as a leader to ensure a positive leadership culture? When leadership is in place, especially at the higher levels, where the ‘difficult administrators’ or ‘negative’ leadership styles exist, how would you persevere as a new leader in this type of environment - ‘bad’ leadership tends to perpetuate bad leadership?

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I would continually take personal inventory about my leadership. I would want to foster each of the above styles of leading and would make efforts to achieve these each day. I do believe, however, that it all begins with a building of trust through being empathetic. I have seen firsthand just how receptive people are to am empathetic leader, and how, in turn, they are then more willing to embrace new initiatives, offer honest feedback, make an effort to contribute to a positive school culture, etc. I believe it all begins with treating teachers like people!

I think it would be extremely challenging to have to lead with any of the difficult models of leadership mentioned. I would do my best to stay true to my personal morals and beliefs and do the best job that I can in  my specific role despite the negativity that might abound. There are ways to be a team player but still not give in to these poor leadership styles, and holding steadfast to your beliefs is the number one way to do that, although I am sure it will present many obstacles.