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The ASAP® course catalog has been published and includes information on all our standards-based ASAP® course modules, as well as the ASAP® assessments, workbooks, case studies and academies. Download the ASAP Catalog today!

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The ASAP® course catalog has been published and includes information on all our standards-based ASAP® course modules, as well as the ASAP® assessments, workbooks, case studies and academies. Download the ASAP Catalog today!

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We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

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People normally think of educational leaders as principals, superintendents, and higher education thought leaders in our schools, communities, and even businesses. However, educational leadership exists outside of the classroom, too, whenever someone in a position of influence works to guide teachers, students, parents, or policymakers toward a common education-related goal.

Karen Reiss Medwed, PhD, assistant dean of academic and faculty affairs at Northeastern University's Graduate School of Education, provides an honest description of what it means to commit to a career in educational leadership-a career that embraces lifelong learning, hands-on experience, and inclusivity. She shares more about the three tenets of the field below.

Download Our Free Guide to Earning Your EdD

Learn how an EdD can give you the skills to enact organizational change in any industry.

Three Elements of Educational Leadership

1. Lifelong Learning

Reiss Medwed says that a personal commitment to lifelong learning is vital to succeeding in an educational or organizational leadership role. She defines a lifelong learner as, "someone who understands that learning is a continuous process and someone who is going to bring their context into that experience." Making lifelong learning a personal priority gives educational leaders the authenticity to share its value to others.

Whether your role is as a classroom leader, educational professional, non-profit coordinator, or corporate trainer, it's important to understand that every stakeholder you will interact with is a part of a learning network in their own classrooms and organizations. By modeling the love of lifelong learning, it influences others to value that trait, as well.

Reiss Medwed shares that part of the working in the educational field requires accepting that no matter your title or role, you must continue to improve and develop throughout your career.

"Each of us is always a learner...we're constantly going to be learning new things," she says. The nimbler the learner, she adds, the better.

2. An Ecosystem of Experiences

Reiss Medwed says that educational leaders should practice critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, and flexibility in a variety of work environments-and with a variety of people-in order to engage, lead, and effect change in a meaningful way.

For this reason, she says, Northeastern University emphasizes experiential learning as a core tenet of their EdD program, offering students the chance to practice these leadership skills in real-world situations that mirror the environments they'll work in after they graduate.

"Experiential learning is a critical quality for leadership today," Reiss Medwed remarks. She also stresses that increased self-awareness and an understanding of tools such as design thinking-two skills that come out of hands-on learning exercises-are essential ways to get "everyone to the table" when trying to effect change.

3. Inclusivity

The third aspect of educational leadership is one that's becoming more prominent in classrooms and companies everywhere-inclusivity. Reiss Medwed explains more about what inclusivity means for today's leaders and what their role will be in bringing a more diverse perspective to learning:

"We speak a lot about inclusive prosperity, which is a way of looking at the world and saying, ' How do I go about doing this in my organization so that everyone has an equitable seat at the table?' I think that the language of inclusivity speaks to the organizational level of educational leadership because you're trying to track that the improvements and the advances that you're bringing are going to serve the broadest possible population and that you're not going to be advancing one side without bringing everyone else along with you."

Leaders intuitively know that being inclusive is the right thing to do, but it also has a positive correlation to the success of organizations. A recent McKinsey & Company study revealed that surveyed companies in the "top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians." This success metric was consistent for gender diversity, as well, as the top quarter in this group was 15 percent more likely to perform better than their respective industry medians.

As workplaces acknowledge the benefit of focusing more on diversity in hiring, there is an opportunity to recognize diversity in thought and experience among the teams already working in an organization. Recognizing and being inclusive of the strengths of your internal workforce, rather than continually pursuing external talent, can strengthen an organization. An equipped educational leader will know the best ways to bring people with all types of backgrounds and experiences together.

The Value of Educational Leadership

It's easy to see how the embrace of lifelong learning and the noble pursuit of inclusive prosperity can change the classrooms and companies that educational leaders work in, but can it be a worthwhile pursuit beyond your day job? Reiss Medwed shares that there is a value in earning a doctoral degree that extends past the offices in which we work:

"An educational leader or organizational leader who is coming to their work with an understanding of inclusive prosperity (or social justice) is carrying with them some deeper insights into the ways in which all of our organizations are connected one to the other," she says. "This interconnectedness is one way to make bigger changes in the world each day."

One of the most effective ways to become adept at educational leadership principles is through a Doctorate of Education, and the program at Northeastern University is helping students achieve their most ambitious goals.

"We are developing scholar-practitioners which means students are experienced educators who already are in the field and are looking to change problems on the ground. As students are moving through their coursework and learning new knowledge and skills they are able to implement that within their organizations," shares Sara Ewell, associate teaching professor for Northeastern's EdD program.

The program artfully combines classroom learning with the experiential practice needed to meet learning communities where they are to provide the best outcomes for leaders and those they lead.

Is a Doctor of Education Degree Right for You?

Those considering a degree in educational leadership are equipped to lead as instructors in traditional schools, but there are also professional opportunities that extend far beyond those more "traditional" roles.

Reiss Medwed says that anyone interested in pursuing a more rewarding career should not look at the requirements of a doctoral program as a checklist of qualities that make you "right" or "wrong" for the program. Instead, she says that prospective students should ask themselves if they have "the passion and the drive" to thrive as an educational or organizational leader. Common traits of a future professional in this field include an insatiable curiosity to explore and learn, along with a desire to go out and change the areas in education that need improvement. Educational leaders aren't generally satisfied unless they are working to promote positive transformation in their learning communities. Reiss Medwood elaborates:

"All of us have questions that we keep asking ourselves and are those nagging questions that keep us up at night. 'How do I change this and make this better?' Someone who has that question-and it just won't go away-would make an excellent candidate for this type of program."

Reiss Medwed's says ideal doctoral candidates have the desire to find and establish a valuable solution for the problems they wish to change. She also believes that the following qualities signify a good candidate for a career in educational leadership and an eventual doctorate degree:

A passion for uncovering the answer to new questions they encounter

A willingness to be a novice and start something in an area in which they're inexperienced

The self-regulation to carve out time on a week-to-week basis for the three years of the program

Reiss Medwed explains more about the personal drive that many students bring with them to the classroom, as well.

"You have to have a problem that you want to solve. You have to have something that you want to change for the better. You want to be passionate about that transformation. You have to be willing to know that you're going to do things as a doctoral candidate in research that you've never done before in your field," she explains. "And no matter where you are in life, you have to be able to know that you're going to have to give yourself the time you need to actually learn something new. If you're ready to do those things, you're ready to get your doctoral degree."

Certain Advice for Uncertain Change Agents

Even the most qualified students have concerns about their candidacy for the rigor of a doctoral program, but Reiss Medwed insists that being self-aware about your learning is the key to success-during their schooling and even after the degree program is finished. She cautions students not to think of a doctorate as a means to an end, but to consider it the next step in their lifelong learning journey.

If you fit the criteria for a lifelong learner and want to change the world, Reiss Medwed also gives this sage advice to those who still fear they aren't poised to succeed:

"Don't look over your shoulder [at other well-known professionals who are] getting a doctorate and therefore decide that you're not worthy. Too many of the right people don't come in and get their final degree. If you're wondering if your problem is real enough-if you're really going to be a good change agent-then you're probably the right person to be going after this degree."

What change do you want to see in the world? How can a Doctorate in Education make it happen?
To learn more about earning your EdD to advance your career in educational leadership, download our free guide below.

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3 Essential Elements of Educational Leadership

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People normally think of educational leaders as principals, superintendents, and higher education thought leaders in our schools, communities, and even businesses. However, educational leadership exists outside of the classroom, too, whenever someone in a position of influence works to guide teachers, students, parents, or policymakers toward a common education-related goal.

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Effective school leaders are key to large-scale, sustainable education reform. For some time, educators have believed that principals must be instructional leaders if they are to be the effective leaders needed for sustained innovation. Newmann, King, and Youngs (2000), for example, found that school capacity is the crucial variable affecting instructional quality and corresponding student achievement. And at the heart of school capacity are principals focused on the development of teachers' knowledge and skills, professional community, program coherence, and technical resources.

Fink and Resnick (2001) examined school districts' efforts to develop principals into instructional leaders who could achieve a large-scale turnaround in literacy and numeracy. They described some core strategies for developing the role of the principal as instructional leader, including five mutually reinforcing sets of strategic activities: nested learning communities, principal institutes, leadership for instruction, peer learning, and individual coaching.

Characterizing instructional leadership as the principal's central role has been a valuable first step in increasing student learning, but it does not go far enough. Literacy and mathematics improvements are only the beginning. To ensure deeper learning-to encourage problem solving and thinking skills and to develop and nurture highly motivated and engaged learners, for example-requires mobilizing the energy and capacities of teachers. In turn, to mobilize teachers, we must improve teachers' working conditions and morale. Thus, we need leaders who can create a fundamental transformation in the learning cultures of schools and of the teaching profession itself. The role of the principal as instructional leader is too narrow a concept to carry the weight of the kinds of reforms that will create the schools that we need for the future.

Principals Who Lead Cultural Change

Leaders have a deeper and more lasting influence on organizations and provide more comprehensive leadership if their focus extends beyond maintaining high standards. Collins (2001) examined 11 businesses with a minimum of 15 years of sustained economic performance each. The study identified the effective leader, who "catalyzes commitment to a compelling vision and higher performance standards," as well as the executive leader, who goes beyond performance standards and "builds enduring greatness" (p. 20). The best examples of school system success represent accomplishments at the effective level-high performance standards with corresponding results. These accomplishments may be impressive, but they do not represent the kinds of deep, lasting reforms implemented by executive leaders, who establish the conditions for "enduring greatness."

When the goal is sustainable change in a knowledge society, business and education leaders increasingly have more in common. Like the business leader, the principal of the future-the Cultural Change Principal-must be attuned to the big picture, a sophisticated conceptual thinker who transforms the organization through people and teams (Fullan, 2001). Cultural Change Principals display palpable energy, enthusiasm, and hope. In addition, five essential components characterize leaders in the knowledge society: moral purpose, an understanding of the change process, the ability to improve relationships, knowledge creation and sharing, and coherence making.

Moral Purpose

Moral purpose is social responsibility to others and the environment. School leaders with moral purpose seek to make a difference in the lives of students. They are concerned about closing the gap between high-performing and lower-performing schools and raising the achievement of-and closing the gap between-high-performing and lower-performing students. They act with the intention of making a positive difference in their own schools as well as improving the environment in other district schools.

Let me be clear: If the goal is systemic improvement-to improve all schools in the district-then principals should be nearly as concerned about the success of other schools in the district as they are about their own school. Sustained improvement of schools is not possible unless the whole system is moving forward.

Student learning is paramount to the Cultural Change Principal. This principal involves teachers in explicitly monitoring student learning. But the Cultural Change Principal is also concerned with the bigger picture and continually asks, How well are other schools in the district doing? What is the role of public schools in a democracy? Are we reducing the gap between high-performing and lower-performing students in this school? district? state? nation? The Cultural Change Principal treats students, teachers, parents, and others in the school well. Such a principal also works to develop other leaders in the school to prepare the school to sustain and even advance reform after he or she departs. In short, the Cultural Change Principal displays explicit, deep, comprehensive moral purpose.

Understanding Change

The goal is not to innovate the most. Innovating selectively with coherence is better.

Having the best ideas is not enough. Leaders help others assess and find collective meaning and commitment to new ways.

Appreciate the implementation dip. Leaders can't avoid the inevitable early difficulties of trying something new. They should know, for example, that no matter how much they plan for the change, the first six months or so of implementation will be bumpy.

Redefine resistance. Successful leaders don't mind when naysayers rock the boat. In fact, doubters sometimes have important points. Leaders look for ways to address those concerns.

Reculturing is the name of the game. Much change is structural and superficial. Transforming culture-changing what people in the organization value and how they work together to accomplish it-leads to deep, lasting change.

Never a checklist, always complexity. There is no step-by-step shortcut to transformation; it involves the hard, day-to-day work of reculturing.

The Cultural Change Principal knows the difference between being an expert in a given content innovation and being an expert in managing the process of change. This principal does not make the mistake of assuming that the best ideas will carry the day. Instead, the Cultural Change Principal provides opportunities for people to visit sites that are using new ideas, invites questions and even dissent, and expects the change process to proceed in fits and starts during the first few months of implementation. Nevertheless, such a principal forges ahead and expects progress within a year because he or she has nurtured the conditions that yield results sooner rather than later.

Improving Relationships

The single factor common to successful change is that relationships improve. If relationships improve, schools get better. If relationships remain the same or get worse, ground is lost. Thus, leaders build relationships with diverse people and groups-especially with people who think differently. In complex times, emotional intelligence is a must. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to build relationships because they are aware of their own emotional makeup and are sensitive and inspiring to others (Goleman, Boyatzis, &amp; McKee, 2002).

The Cultural Change Principal knows that building relationships and teams is the most difficult skill for both business and education leaders (Hay Management Consultants, 2000). This leader works hard to develop the full range of emotional intelligence domains, especially self-management of emotions and empathy toward others (Goleman et al., 2002). Focusing on relationships isn't just a matter of boosting achievement scores for next year, but rather a means of laying the foundation for year two and beyond. The Cultural Change Principal's efforts to motivate and energize disaffected teachers and forge relationships among otherwise disconnected teachers can have a profound effect on the overall climate of the organization. Well-established relationships are the resource that keeps on giving.

Knowledge Creation and Sharing

Creating and sharing knowledge is central to effective leadership. Information, of which we have a glut, only becomes knowledge through a social process. For this reason, relationships and professional learning communities are essential. Organizations must foster knowledge giving as well as knowledge seeking. We endorse continual learning when we say that individuals should constantly add to their knowledge base-but there will be little to add if people are not sharing. A norm of sharing one's knowledge with others is the key to continual growth for all.

The Cultural Change Principal appreciates that teaching is both an intellectual and a moral profession. This principal constantly reminds teachers that they are engaged in practicing, studying, and refining the craft of teaching. The Cultural Change Principal is the lead learner in the school and models lifelong learning by sharing what he or she has read lately, engaging in and encouraging action research, and implementing inquiry groups among the staff. Teachers who work with the Cultural Change Principal know that they are engaged in scientific discovery and the refinement of the teaching knowledge base. Knowledge creation and sharing fuels moral purpose in schools led by Cultural Change Principals.

Coherence Making

Because complex societies inherently generate overload and fragmentation, effective leaders must be coherence-makers (Fullan, 1999, 2001). The other characteristics of the change leader-moral purpose, an understanding of the change process, the ability to build relationships, and the creation and sharing of knowledge-help forge coherence through the checks and balances embedded in their interaction. Leaders with deep moral purpose provide guidance, but they can also have blinders if their ideas are not challenged through the dynamics of change, the give-and-take of relationships, and the ideas generated by new knowledge. Coherence is an essential component of complexity and yet can never be completely achieved.

Principals not attuned to leading in a culture of change make the mistake of seeking external innovations and taking on too many projects. Cultural Change Principals, by contrast, concentrate on student learning as the central focus of reform and keep an eye out for external ideas that further the thinking and vision of the school. They realize that overload and fragmentation are natural tendencies of complex systems. They appreciate the creative potential of diverse ideas, but they strive to focus energy and achieve greater alignment. They also look to the future and strive to create a culture that has the capacity not to settle for the solution of the day. Cultural Change Principals value the tensions inherent in addressing hard-to-solve problems because that is where the greatest accomplishments lie.

Leadership and Sustainability

To develop and support Cultural Change Principals, we must turn our attention to sustainability-the likelihood that the overall system can regenerate itself toward improvement. Key components of sustainability are developing the social environment, learning in context, cultivating leaders at many levels (and ensuring leadership succession), and enhancing the teaching profession.

Developing the Social Environment

Those concerned about the depletion of resources in the physical environment were the first to discuss the issue of sustainability. Our concern is the depletion of resources in the social and moral environment (Hargreaves, in press). In the social and moral environment of the school, we need the resources to close the achievement gap between high and low performers, to develop all schools in the system, and to connect schools to the strength of democracy in society. Further, if school leaders do not concern themselves with the development of the social and moral environment of the entire district (in addition to the development of the environment within their own school), then not only will the school system deteriorate, but eventually their own school will also fail.

Learning in Context

Recruiting top-performing principals and rewarding good principal performance are both important. Providing strong principal training is useful, too. But as Elmore (2000) points out,What's missing in this view [of focusing on talented individuals] is any recognition that improvement is more a function of learning to do the right thing in the setting where you work [my emphasis]. (p. 25)

Learning at work-learning in context-occurs, for example, when principals are members of a district's intervisitation study team for which they examine real problems-and the solutions they have devised-in their own systems. Learning out of context takes place when principals go to a workshop or conference. Such learning can be valuable for further development, but it is not the kind of applied learning that really makes a difference.

Learning in context has the greatest potential payoff because it is more specific, situational, and social (it develops shared and collective knowledge and commitments). This kind of learning is designed to improve the organization and its social and moral context. Learning in context also establishes conditions conducive to continual development, including opportunities to learn from others on the job, the daily fostering of current and future leaders, the selective retention of good ideas and best practices, and the explicit monitoring of performance.

Cultivating Leaders at Many Levels

An organization cannot flourish-at least, not for long-on the actions of the top leader alone. Schools and districts need many leaders at many levels. Learning in context helps produce such leaders. Further, for leaders to be able to deal with complex problems, they need many years of experience and professional development on the job. To a certain extent, a school leader's effectiveness in creating a culture of sustained change will be determined by the leaders he or she leaves behind.

Also crucial to sustained improvement is the effective succession of leaders. Leadership succession is more likely if there are many leaders at many levels. Organizations must set their sights on continual improvement at all levels, and for that they must nurture, cultivate, and appoint successive leaders who are moving in a sustained direction.

The good news for most of us is that charismatic leaders are actually a liability for sustained improvement. Collins (2001) compared 11 companies with long-term, positive financial performance profiles (a minimum of 15 consecutive years) with other companies that made short-term shifts from good to great, but failed to sustain their gains. Collins suggests that leaders who build enduring greatness are not high-profile, flashy performers but rather "individuals who blend extreme personal humility with intense professional will" (p. 21). Sustainability depends on many leaders-thus, the qualities of leadership must be attainable by many, not just a few.

Enhancing the Teaching Profession

We will not have a large pool of quality principals until we have a large pool of quality teachers because quality teachers form the ranks of the quality principal pipeline. Individualistic strategies-signing bonuses, pay hikes-will not work to boost the ranks of quality teachers; the conditions of teacher work must be conducive to continual development and proud accomplishment. And this is certainly not the case now.

In 2001, PriceWaterhouseCoopers published the results of a teacher workload study they had conducted in England and Wales. The researchers concluded that if the government is to transform the teaching force,An essential strand will be to reduce teacher workload, foster increased teacher ownership, and create the capacity to manage change in a sustainable way that can lay the foundation for improved school and pupil performance in the future. (p. 2)

Principal-leaders should work to transform teachers' working conditions. From the standpoint of sustainability, the principalship itself benefits from these improved conditions: We will only get quality principals when we have quality teachers.

The role of the principal as instructional leader has taken us only so far in the quest for continual school improvement. We now must raise our sights and focus on principals as leaders in a culture of change. School improvement depends on principals who can foster the conditions necessary for sustained education reform in a complex, rapidly changing society. Never has the time been riper for change leaders than right now.

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Effective school leaders are key to large-scale, sustainable education reform. For some time, educators have believed that principals must be instructional leaders if they are to be the effective leaders needed for sustained innovation. Newmann, King, and Youngs (2000), for example, found that school capacity is the crucial variable affecting instructional quality and corresponding student achievement.

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Educational leaders play a pivotal role in affecting the climate, attitude and reputation of their schools. But what makes a truly effective leader? Here we offer insight on 10 educational leadership qualities that make for a truly effective school leader.

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Leadership, Management & Life in the Workplace

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Authentic leadership and servant leadership are leadership approaches frequently written about these days. So what's the difference? In my last blog I talked about servant leadership and a Journal of Business Research article on servant leadership and creativity. Earlier this year JBR published an article on authentic leadership and creativity. Just as Yoshida and associates found a positive relationship between servant leadership and creativity, likewise Arménio Rego and his colleagues found a similar relationship between authentic leadership and creativity. So what's the difference between servant leadership and authentic leadership? Or are there differences?

Robert Greenleaf introducing the term "servant leadership" to the leadership lexicon. After retiring from AT&T, he published an essay, The Servant as Leader, in 1970 that was followed by the book, The Servant Leader, in 1976. Servant leaders:

Are self-aware

Are empathetic, listen, promote healing and wholeness

Serve others, committed to stewardship, build community

Persuasive

Good foresight and conceptual skills

As best I can determine, Bill George, now of the Harvard Business School, introduced the term "authentic leadership" into the leadership lexicon with his 2003 book, Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. Afterwards management scholars advanced the concept in research and writing. In 2013 Kevin Kruse offered a concise summary of this work in a Forbes article. Authentic leaders:

Are self-aware, have good self-esteem, are genuine

Are empathetic, lead with mind and heart, revealing both through actions and emotions

Service before self; mission and the organization supersede self-interest

Focus on long term

My take-aways:
1. Neither of these leadership styles is new. They have been around for centuries. What is new is naming, conceptualizing, and researching these approaches. My look at Google trends (see above) shows "servant leadership" is by far the more searched for term. Reasons are speculative. Authentic leadership is the newer term.

2. There does appear to be some overlap in the characteristics above, such as self-awareness and empathy. My guess is the overlap may not be as telling as it appears to be. For example, while important to both, my guess is that self-awareness is more critical to authentic leadership than servant leadership.

3. Both authentic leadership and servant leadership are hard. The authentic leader's creed must be "be myself." The authentic leader is authentic, not playing games, not trying to be someone else's idea of what a leader should be. For the authentic leader, there is no gap between the role of leader and the role of self. This is tough. The authentic leader must have the confidence to be vulnerable.

4. The servant leader may be authentic wholly, in part, or not. For example, one may appear self-aware and empathetic but not be. These perceptions may be cultivated as part of the leader image but not necessarily reflect the inner life of the person. Even in this situation, the servant leader can do great good. My guess, however, is that most leaders who choose this style do so out of a commitment to their fellow human beings.

5. My thoughts here on authentic leadership and servant leadership are just that. My thoughts. Research could clarify. Regardless, I am drawn to the underlying strengths of these approaches.
Rego, A., Sousa, F., Margues, C., & Cunha, M. P. (2014). Hope and positive affect mediating the authentic leadership and creativity relationship. Journal of Business Research, 67, 200-210. Becker, D. V., & Srinivasan, N. (2014). The vividness of the happy face. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23 (3), 189-194.
Image of trends for these leadership approaches made using Google Trends™ tool. Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc., used with permission. http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=authentic%20leadership%2C%20servant%20leadership&cmpt=q

© John Ballard, PhD, 2014. All rights reserved.

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Authentic Leadership, Servant Leadership: How Do They Differ?

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Authentic leadership and servant leadership are leadership approaches frequently written about these days. So what's the difference? In my last blog I talked about servant leadership and a Journal of Business Research article on servant leadership and creativity. Earlier this year JBR published an article on authentic leadership and creativity.

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Another Leadership Model

Relational Leadership refers to a model or perspective on leadership that focuses on the idea that leadership effectiveness has to do with the ability of the leader to create positive relationships within the organization. Wheatley (1992) describes the principle as follows:
Leadership is always dependent on the context, but the context is established by the relationships we value.
In the book, Exploring Leadership for College Students Who Want to Make a Difference, by Susan R. Komives, and Timothy R. McMahon, the authors map out the concept of relational leadership in more detail.

Their model includes the following components:

What is Relational Leadership?

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What is Relational Leadership? (Leadership Questions and Answers)

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Relational Leadership refers to a model or perspective on leadership that focuses on the idea that leadership effectiveness has to do with the ability of the leader to create positive relationships within the organization. Wheatley (1992) describes the principle as follows: Leadership is always dependent on the context, but the context is established by the relationships we value.

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At some point in their careers, many educators desire to pursue roles that take them out of the classroom and into the supervision of a school. As with anything, this requires additional education, certification, and even licensing beyond that of a classroom teacher or counselor. Interestingly enough, some colleges and universities offer this additional training under the label of educational administration while others under the label of educational leadership. It is common to hear these terms used interchangeably but there are some key similarities and differences between them that you should be mindful of prior to pursuing them in study.

What Do You Learn in an Educational Administration Program?

Educational administration programs prepare you for a shift in perspective from the classroom-level or teacher perspective to one that is building-level and school-wide. In most of these programs you will find a focus on the management of schools. You will learn about how schools are organized and how to manage protocols and procedures that keep schools organized.

You will also learn about managing people in terms of hiring, evaluating, and monitoring performance. There is normally an emphasis on the basics of school finance, effective communication with multiple stakeholders, understanding assessments and data, and, in some programs, the improvement of instruction. All of the nuts and bolts that make a school run are unpacked and expounded upon in an educational administration program, and educators are prepared to become effective school managers.

What Do You Learn in an Educational Leadership Program?

Educational leadership programs prepare you for a shift in perspective from the school-wide or building-level focus to one that is more global. These programs will emphasize the knowledge and skills that are needed to lead schools to success. You will learn effective practices that are progressive in schools and how to determine if schools are not successful. There is normally an emphasis on developing a vision/mission, cultivating a positive school climate/culture, strategic planning, data analysis, educational policy and laws, and, in some programs, transformational leadership. Educators who enroll in this type of program will be prepared to understand what it takes to increase the capacity and improve the performance of schools.

Career Paths
What roles does each program prepare you for?
Educators who complete educational administration programs are generally prepared to serve in any leadership role within the P-12 school setting. The skills and knowledge obtained in this program lends itself more closely to prepare educators to serve as assistant principals, principals, and some district-level leadership positions that involve managing principals or assistant principals.

Educators who complete educational leadership programs are prepared to serve in any leadership role within the P-12 school setting and generally for higher educational settings as well. These programs prepare educators to serve as assistant principals, principals, assistant superintendents, superintendents, and other district-level leadership positions that involve evaluating and managing principals, assistant principals, or other district administrators.
How are these programs similar/different?
School administrators must be skilled at management as well as leadership. As a result, much of the course work for both of these programs is very similar and, in many cases, identical. Courses such as school law, school finance, data analysis, family and community engagement, and instructional supervision are usually found in both programs.

Courses such as organizational culture, professional learning, instructional coaching and teacher mentoring, leadership styles, and other special topics usually are only found in educational leadership programs.

Both programs offer internships, capstone projects, thesis research, or practicums. However, those offered in educational leadership programs are often specific to the principalship, district-level program leadership, or the superintendent role. It is not uncommon for educational leadership programs to also offer a dissertation component as well to educators.
How do you decide which program is for you?
The best way to decide whether you would like to start study in an educational administration or educational leadership program is to first decide what roles you would like to serve within education. In most cases, the educational administration program is geared more for those who want to excel at the management of schools and serve as an entry-level school leader or in a supportive capacity alongside executive school leaders. The educational leadership program will best suit those who would like to serve as executive leaders, managers of district-wide programs, or evaluators of school leaders.

It will also be important to examine the course catalogues, as well as the course listings and descriptions prior to making your decision. These items will reveal the amount of courses that you will have to take as well as the amount of internships or practicums that are required. Because these programs involve a considerable time commitment, you will need to find one that aligns with your lifestyle and amount of available time for study.

These items also provide the focus of the program. Because educational administration and educational leadership are still sometimes used interchangeably, you want to look deeper into the specific courses and work requirements to see which best compliments your career goals.

Ready to get started on your next journey? Explore our educational administration and educational leadership programs to get started today!

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Educational Administration vs. Educational Leadership: What's the Difference? - Graduate Programs for Educators

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At some point in their careers, many educators desire to pursue roles that take them out of the classroom and into the supervision of a school. As with anything, this requires additional education, certification, and even licensing beyond that of a classroom teacher or counselor.

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Transactional Versus Transformational Leaders

Transactional leaders are concerned about the status quo, while transformational leaders are more change-oriented.

Learning Objectives

Differentiate between transactional leaders and transformational leaders in a full-range approach, particularly from a behavioral perspective

Key Takeaways

Key Points

Transactional leadership works within set established goals and organizational boundaries, while a transformational approach challenges the status quo and is more future-oriented.

Transactional leadership emphasizes organization, performance evaluation and rewards, and is task- and outcome-oriented.

Transformational leadership focuses on motivating and engaging followers with a vision of the future.

Key Terms

Buy-in: In management and decision making, the commitment of interested or affected parties (often called stakeholders) to agree to support a decision, often by having been involved in its formulation.

Leadership can be described as transactional or transformational. Transactional leaders focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. They are concerned about the status quo and day-to-day progress toward goals. Transformational leaders work to enhance the motivation and engagement of followers by directing their behavior toward a shared vision. While transactional leadership operates within existing boundaries of processes, structures, and goals, transformational leadership challenges the current state and is change-oriented.

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership promotes compliance with existing organizational goals and performance expectations through supervision and the use of rewards and punishments. Transactional leaders are task- and outcome-oriented. Especially effective under strict time and resource constraints and in highly-specified projects, this approach adheres to the status quo and employs a form of management that pays close attention to how employees perform their tasks.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership focuses on increasing employee motivation and engagement and attempts to link employees' sense of self with organizational values. This leadership style emphasizes leading by example, so followers can identify with the leader's vision and values. A transformational approach focuses on individual strengths and weaknesses of employees and on enhancing their capabilities and their commitment to organizational goals, often by seeking their buy-in for decisions.

Comparing Leadership Types

Transactional and transformational leadership exhibit five key differences:

1. Transactional leadership reacts to problems as they arise, whereas transformational leadership is more likely to address issues before they become problematic.

2. Transactional leaders work within existing an organizational culture, while transformational leaders emphasize new ideas and thereby "transform" organizational culture.

3. Transactional leaders reward and punish in traditional ways according to organizational standards; transformational leaders attempt to achieve positive results from employees by keeping them invested in projects, leading to an internal, high-order reward system.

4. Transactional leaders appeal to the self-interest of employees who seek out rewards for themselves, in contrast to transformational leaders, who appeal to group interests and notions of organizational success.

5. Transactional leadership is more akin to the common notions of management, whereas transformational leadership adheres more closely to what is colloquially referred to as leadership.

Key Behaviors of Transactional Leaders

Transactional leaders focus on performance, promote success with rewards and punishments, and maintain compliance with organizational norms.

Learning Objectives

Identify the different behaviors attributed to transactional leaders and how they can motivate an organization

Key Takeaways

Key Points

Transactional leaders focus on managing and supervising their employees and on group performance. They monitor their employees' work carefully to assess any deviation from expected standards.

Transactional leaders promote success by doling out both rewards and punishments contingent on performance.

Transactional leaders work within existing organizational structures and shape their work according to the current organizational culture.

Key Terms

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: A psychological theory, proposed by Abraham Maslow in the 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation," which depicts lower- and higher-level human needs in the form of a pyramid.

Transactional leaders focus on managing and supervising their employees and on facilitating group performance. The role of a transactional leader is primarily passive, in that it sets policy and assessment criteria and then intervenes only in the event of performance problems or needs for exceptions. Transactional leaders seek to maintain compliance within existing goals and expectations and the current organizational culture. They are extrinsic motivators who encourage success through the use of rewards and punishment.

Transactional leaders are expected to do the following:

Psychologist Abraham Maslow characterized people's motivating factors in terms of needs. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs describes levels of needs ranging from the most essential, such as physiological (e.g., food and sleep) and safety, to higher levels of esteem and self-actualization. Transactional leadership satisfies lower-level needs but addresses those at a high level only to a limited degree. As such, transactional leaders' behavior appeals to only a portion of followers' motivating factors.

Transactional leadership can be very effective in the right settings. Coaches of sports teams are a good example of appropriate transactional leadership. The rules for a sports team allow for little flexibility, and adherence to organizational norms is key; even so, effective coaches can motivate their team members to play and win, even at risk to themselves.

Key Behaviors of Transformational Leaders

Transformational leaders exhibit individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence.

Learning Objectives

Explain the varying approaches and behaviors that define transformational leadership

Key Takeaways

Key Points

Transformational leaders show individualized consideration to followers by paying attention to and meeting the needs of followers.

Transformational leaders stimulate ideas and creativity from followers by creating a safe environment to challenge the status quo.

Transformational leaders have a vision that inspires and motivates followers to achieve important goals.

Transformational leaders serve as role models for their followers, allow them to identify with a shared organizational vision, and provide a sense of meaning and achievement.

Key Terms

Transformational Leadership: An approach to leading that enhances the motivation, morale, and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms.

Transformational leaders challenge followers with an attractive vision and tie that vision to a strategy for its achievement. They engage and motivate followers to identify with the organization 's goals and values. Transformational leadership comprises four types of behavior:

Individualized consideration or compassionate leadership

Intellectual stimulation

Inspirational motivation

Idealized influence or charismatic leadership

Individualized Consideration

Individualized consideration is the degree to which the leader attends to each follower's needs, acts as a mentor or coach to the follower, and listens to the follower's concerns. This behavior can include the following actions:

Discussing and empathizing with the needs of individual employees

Making interpersonal connections with employees

Showing genuine compassion

Encouraging ongoing professional development and personal growth of employees

Intellectual Stimulation

Transformational leaders encourage followers to be innovative and creative. Intellectual stimulation springs from leaders who establish safe conditions for experimentation and sharing ideas. They tackle old problems in a novel fashion and inspire employees to think about their conventional methods critically and share new ideas. This type of behavior includes:

Inspirational Motivation

Leaders with an inspiring vision challenge followers to leave their comfort zones, communicate optimism about future goals, and provide meaning for the task at hand. Purpose and meaning provide the energy that drives a group forward. The visionary aspects of leadership are supported by communication skills that make the vision understandable, precise, powerful, and engaging. Followers are willing to invest more effort in their tasks; they are encouraged and optimistic about the future and believe in their abilities. Behaviors that demonstrate inspirational motivation include:

Idealized Influence

Transformational leaders act as role models for their followers. Transformational leaders must embody the values that the followers should be learning and internalizing. The foundation of transformational leadership is the promotion of consistent vision and values. Transformational leaders guide followers by providing them with a sense of meaning and challenge. They foster the spirit of teamwork and commitment in the following ways:

A Blended Approach to Leadership

The full-range leadership theory blends the features of transactional and transformational leadership into one comprehensive approach.

Learning Objectives

Assess the intrinsic value of blending transactional leadership behaviors with transformational leadership behaviors

Key Takeaways

Key Points

Transactional and transformational leadership are not mutually exclusive, and leaders often demonstrate traits associated with both approaches.

The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire is used in diagnosing leadership styles and for developing leadership.

Leaders use elements of transformational and transactional leadership as the situation calls for them.

Key Terms

Transformational Leadership: A theory of leading that enhances the motivation, morale, and performance of followers through a variety of mechanisms.

Transactional Leadership: A theory of leading that focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance; leader promotes compliance through rewards and punishments. Also known as managerial leadership.

The full-range theory of leadership seeks to blend the best aspects of transactional and transformational leadership into one comprehensive approach. Transactional leadership focuses on exchanges between leaders and followers. Transformational leadership deals with how leaders help followers go beyond individual interests to pursue a shared vision. These two approaches are neither mutually exclusive, nor do leaders necessarily exhibit only one or the other set of behaviors. Depending on the objectives and the situation, a leader may move from using one approach to the other as needed.

Management researcher Bernard Bass developed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), consisting of 36 items that reflect the leadership aspects associated with both approaches. The MLQ also includes several characteristics of a more passive leadership approach known as laissez-faire. Respondents are asked to think about a leader they work with and to rate how frequently the individual exhibits the leadership behaviors. The MLQ is used to help leaders discover how their followers perceive their behaviors, so they can develop their leadership abilities. The questionnaire is most effective with eight to twelve respondents, as this feedback gives leaders a broad set of perspectives from the people who interact with them.

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Transactional leaders are concerned about the status quo, while transformational leaders are more change-oriented. Differentiate between transactional leaders and transformational leaders in a full-range approach, particularly from a behavioral perspective Key Points Transactional leadership works within set established goals and organizational boundaries, while a transformational approach challenges the status quo and is more future-oriented.

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Behavioral leadership theory is a management philosophy that evaluates leaders according to the actions they display in the workplace. Supporters of this theory believe that all you need to do to be an effective leader is to learn a certain set of behaviors. If you are interested in becoming a more efficient leader or in implementing a new leadership style, you can benefit from learning about behavioral leadership theory. In this article, we define behavioral leadership and discuss the different types of behaviors associated with certain leadership styles.
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What is behavioral leadership theory?

Behavioral leadership theory argues that the success of a leader is based on their behavior rather than their natural attributes. Behavioral leadership theory involves observing and evaluating a leader's actions and behaviors when they are responding to a specific situation. This theory believes that leaders are made, not born. Proponents of this theory suggest that anyone can become an effective leader if they can learn and implement certain behaviors.

Behavioral leadership theory is highly relevant in several fields. Every project manager, CEO, activities coordinator or any other kind of professional leader can all be evaluated according to the criteria developed by the behavioral leadership theory. This theory promotes the idea that all leaders are capable of learning and developing through adopting beneficial behaviors and performing them in their workplace. Behavioral leadership theory also encourages leaders to be self-aware of their behavior and to recognize how it affects the productivity and morale of their team.

Read more: How to Demonstrate Leadership Skills at Work

Types of behavioral leadership

There are several key styles of behavioral leadership. Each one involves a different set of behaviors and may be more or less effective in certain work environments:

People-oriented leaders

People-oriented leaders focus on behaviors that allow them to meet the needs of the people they interact with, including supervisors, employees and clients. They are primarily driven by interpersonal connection and communication. People-oriented leaders build relationships with their team members to motivate them to perform well. This type of leader favors behavior related to:

Read more: 10 Common Leadership Styles (With Examples)

Task-oriented leaders

Task-oriented leaders are primarily focused on setting goals and achieving objectives. Task-oriented leaders thrive in a well-structured environment and often show authoritative behavior. They are typically more focused on their team's final results rather than the day-to-day developmental process. Behaviors that are common for a task-oriented leader include:

Participative leaders

Participative leaders make an effort to include their entire team in decision-making processes. They prioritize active communication, collaboration and feedback. Participative leaders know their team's strengths and weaknesses and assign tasks accordingly. This leadership style allows every team member's voice to be heard and considered. Participative leaders are likely to:

Read more: Leadership Skills: Definitions and Examples

Status-quo leaders

Status-quo leaders make an effort to prioritize both productivity and employee satisfaction. They ensure that all tasks are finished on time while also providing support and encouragement to their team members. Staus-quo leaders typically meet the needs of their team without going above or beyond expectations. Some behaviors associated with status-quo leaders include:

Indifferent leaders

Indifferent leaders do not prioritize interaction or communication with their team. They usually oversee progress from a distance and do not contribute to their team's daily efforts. They are primarily focused on personal success and advancement. Due to the lack of cooperation, an indifferent leadership style is widely considered the most ineffective of the behavioral leadership types. Behaviors typical for indifferent leaders include:

Dictatorial leaders

Dictatorial leaders often value results more than they do people. They may pressure their team members to perform well even during stressful or challenging periods. Dictatorial leaders are often successful in delivering high-quality results but may experience high-turnover rates due to employee dissatisfaction and burnout. The behaviors of a dictatorial leader include:

Country club leaders

Country club leaders prioritize their team members' happiness and satisfaction level. They believe that a team that is comfortable and well-provided for is more likely to be successful. Team members are likely to show high levels of trust and loyalty when working with country club leaders. Some country club leaders might sacrifice productivity in exchange for improving their team's morale or workplace relationships. Country club leaders' behavior often involves:

Sound leaders

Sound leadership is considered the most effective type of behavioral leadership. However, it is typically difficult to practically implement. Sound leaders equally prioritize productivity and team morale. They value their team members, set achievable goals and deliver high-quality results. They are intrinsically motivated to succeed and find satisfaction in supporting their team's progress. Sound leaders exhibit behaviors like:

Opportunistic leaders

Opportunistic leaders pick and choose different behaviors from the previous styles. They can adjust and adapt their leadership style to fit a particular situation. They are goal-oriented and will use whatever methods are necessary to achieve their objectives. For example, they might adopt a dictatorial persona in the weeks leading up to a major deadline and then shift to country club leadership afterward to repair their relationship with their team. The specific behaviors of an opportunistic leader vary, but may include:

Paternalistic leaders

This leadership style strives to be stern but fair, much like a father with a child. Paternalistic leaders are goal-oriented but are willing to be flexible regarding methodology. They frequently set lofty goals and reward team members that achieve them. They value their team members' individual skills and offer opportunities for them to develop professionally. Other behaviors associated with the paternalistic style include:

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What is Behavioral Leadership Theory? Definition and Types of Behavioral Leadership

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Behavioral leadership theory is a management philosophy that evaluates leaders according to the actions they display in the workplace. Supporters of this theory believe that all you need to do to be an effective leader is to learn a certain set of behaviors.

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Spread the loveThere are four major styles of leadership which apply well in the educational setting. While each of these styles has its good points, there is a wide berth of variation, and in fact, transformational leadership is truly an amalgamation of the best attributes of the other three.

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Educational Leadership Theories in Practice

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Educational Leadership Theories in Practice

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The Global Emotional Intelligence Test uses 40 questions which are derived from, the Global instrument, which contains 158 items. These are based on Goleman's four quadrant Emotional Intelligence Competency Model (2002). Click EI Capability Assessment here for more details. Short EI quizzes such as this are meant to be fun, and to give you a guide to which EI areas you are doing well in and those which perhaps you need to focus on for development.

This Test, is a forced-choice psychological test which requires you to choose Instructions for the FREE EI Test one statement in each pair of statements that describes you best. For each pair of statements, select the statement that best applies to you. Do not over-analyse the questions, or try to think of "exceptions to the rule." Be spontaneous and choose the statement that comes closest to the way you are.

Occasionally there will be questions that ask you to make a close call between two choices. This is because the Test is trying to distinguish between specific areas. If a question is very close and you can't decide which statement applies to you best, you can come back to it after you have completed the other questions.

The Test usually takes about 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the test, click on the Score Test button, and wait for the computer to generate an EI profile of your scores. If you have answered honestly and accurately, your scores will reflect your capability level within each of the EI quadrants.

We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results of this Test - only that it can help you begin your journey of self-development!

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Emotional Intelligence Test - Global Leadership Foundation

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Free emotional intelligence test developed by Global Leadership Foundation

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Emotional Inteligence - A Minute With John Maxwell, Free Coaching Video

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. It says the three main reasons for failure are difficulty in handling change, inability to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience. Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in "human engineering", personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. In other words people skills or skills highly related to emotional intelligence were crucial skills. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

People would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

To test out his findings, think of the last time you purchased a major item, a home, automobile, or large appliance where you had to dealings with a salesperson. Was the person someone who you liked and trusted? In my talks, I have found that whenever I asked that question, inevitably the entire audience answered that, yes, the person they bought a large item from was someone they liked and trusted. This theory about why salespeople with the right people skills do better than those who lack them is borne out by a study carried out by the Hay/McBer Research and Innovation Group in 1997. In a study carried out in a large national insurance company in 1997, they found that sales agents weak in emotional areas such as self-confidence, initiative, and empathy sold policies with an average premium of $54,000, while those strong in 5 of 8 emotional competencies sold policies on the average worth $114,000.

Much of the research that has been done on emotional intelligence has been at the executive leadership level. The higher up the organization, the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization. There have been some studies, however, that show impacts at all levels.

The higher up the organization the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization.

For example, a study by McClelland in 1999 showed that after supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better, lost-time accidents decreased by 50% and grievances went down from 15 per year to three. The plant itself exceeded productivity goals by $250,000.

The same principles apply in all areas of life, whether at work or in relationships. Everyone wants to work with people who are easy to get along with, supportive, likeable, and can be trusted. We want to be beside people that do not get upset easily and can keep their composure when things do not work out according to plan.

Self-awareness. The first thing that is essential for any degree of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. People with a high degree of self-awareness have a solid understanding of their own emotions, their strengths, weaknesses, and what drives them. Neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful, these people are honest with themselves and others. These people recognize how their feelings impact them, other people around them, and their performance at work. They have a good understanding of their values and goals and where they are going in life. They are confident as well as aware of their limitations and less likely to set themselves up for failure.

We can recognize self-aware people by their willingness to talk about themselves in a frank, non-defensive manner. A good interview question is to ask about a time that the interviewee got carried away by their emotions and did something they later regretted. The self-aware person will be open and frank with their answers. Self-deprecating humor is a good indicator of someone who has good self-awareness. Red flags are people who stall or try to avoid the question, seem irritated, or frustrated by the question.

Ability To Self-Regulate Emotions. We all have emotions which drive us and there is nothing we can do to avoid them. People who are good at self-regulation, however, are able to manage their emotions so that they do not control their words and actions. While they feel bad moods and impulses as much as anyone else, they do not act upon them. People who act upon their negative feelings create havoc, disruptions, and lasting bad feelings all around them. We feel before we think and people who constantly react from an emotional state never wait long enough to allow their thoughts to override their emotions.

People who self-regulate have the ability to wait until their emotions pass, allowing them to respond from a place of reason, rather than simply reacting to feelings. The signs of someone who is good at self-regulation are reflection, thoughtfulness, comfort with ambiguity, change, and not having all the answers. In an interview, look for people who take a little time to reflect and think before they answer.

Empathy. Empathy is another important aspect to look for when hiring. Someone who has empathy will have an awareness of the feelings of others and consider those feelings in their words and actions. This does not mean that they will tiptoe around or be unwilling to make tough decisions for fear of hurting someone's feelings. It simply means that they are aware of, and take into consideration the impact on others. They are willing to share their own worries and concerns and openly acknowledge other's emotions. A good way to look for empathy in an interview is to ask a candidate about a situation where a co-worker was angry with them and how they dealt with it. Look for a willingness to understand the source of the co-workers anger, even though they may not agree with the reasons for it.

Social skills. Social skill is another area of emotional intelligence that is highly important in the workplace. To have good social skills requires a high level of the other skills aforementioned as well as the ability to relate and find common ground with a wide range of people. It goes beyond just friendliness and the ability to get along with others.

People with social skills are excellent team players as they have the ability to move an agenda along and keep focus while at the same time remaining aware of the emotional climate of the group and possess the ability to respond to it. These people are excellent at making connections, networking, and bringing people together to work on projects. They are able to bring their emotional intelligence skills into play in a larger arena. To look for social skills in an interview, ask questions related to projects and difficulties encountered around varying agendas, temperaments, and getting people to buy in.

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Why Emotionally Intelligent People Are More Successful

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies.

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Why Emotional Intelligence in Essential in Leadership

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Why Emotional Intelligence in Essential in Leadership

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Anyone trying to come up to speed on emotional intelligence would have a pretty easy time of it since the concept is remarkably recent, and its application to business newer still. The term was coined in 1990 in a research paper by two psychology professors, John D. Mayer of UNH and Peter Salovey of Yale. Some years later, Mayer defined it in HBR this way:

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How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill

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A reading list to bring you up to speed.