# data[].attributes.body
...of a school counselor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Counselors >> Browse Articles >> Career Profiles

One of the things I liked about being a school counselor was that there wasn't a "typical day" in the sense that there is such a wide variety of tasks inherent in the job description that it never felt routinized. Even when I was preoccupied with scheduling issues for several weeks in a row, I always knew that task was time limited and I'd be moving on to other aspects. Besides, even during those stretches, there were regularly "unscheduled" concerns to deal with - calls from parents, an inquiry from a Juvenile Probation Officer, a teacher expressing a concern about a student.

Unlike when I was a classroom instructor, my heart didn't jump every time a bell rang. I didn't have a prepared lesson plan. I was never bored at work with not enough to do. For instance, I often had a "work in progress," such as a letter of reference, planning for a public presentation, or a report requested by the principal or district office, that I could keep returning to, time permitting. Our counseling office secretary scheduled students throughout the day; sometimes I'd have 7-8, other days only 1 or two, that is, after the start-up of school and the first several weeks of the second semester when we'd be inundated throughout the day with a flood of students with schedule concerns, no matter how carefully we crafted course requests in the Spring nor fine-tuned schedules in the summer months.

My favorite part of the day as a counselor

I really liked when the first-period bell rang and the halls quieted down. I'd entertained any concerns "drop-ins" had before school started, students were in their classrooms beginning their studies, and I could map out the day around whatever scheduled appointments I had in the book. I also liked the time to wrap up loose ends at the end of the day. In a previous career, I'd worked an 8-6 kind of job, so with school letting out at 3, I typically felt like I had ample time to get closure before leaving work.

My Year Outlook

At the risk of sounding trite, I really liked my job most all the time. I was always glad to get "settled" in the Fall after the fast and furious start-up time, i.e. usually midway through the first quarter. I'd say the Spring was a particularly nice time of year for me. I enjoyed watching my students who were playing baseball or softball, running track, or involved with the Spring musical. We did a classy Scholarship Awards Night production in May to acknowledge recipients, their families, and the donors, which was always gratifying. And, of course, the excitement of graduation time is infectious.

Inevitably, in spite of four years of planning, adjusting, compensating, and coaxing, there was a Senior or two on my caseload who would posture themselves to not know if they would complete graduation requirements until the results of their English 4 or American Government final exams, or their credit retrieval BYU correspondence test results, were known a day or two before commencement. It made for some tense moments, especially if Grandma was flying out to Nevada from Florida to watch Johnny or Susie receive their diploma. And, sometimes, they didn't make it. At that point, the "damage control" option was to go to Plan B after the pretty profound sting of not "walking with their class" had slightly worn off, which usually meant getting them signed up for summer school to earn their last half-credit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
day life high school counselor career profiles lifestyle articles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Day in the Life of a High School Counselor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One of the things I liked about being a school counselor was that there wasn't a "typical day" in the sense that there is such a wide variety of tasks inherent in the job description that it never felt routinized.

# data[].attributes.body
Snapshot into 11 ways school counselors serve as leaders in a school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
School counselors are uniquely equipped to bridge the gaps between administration, teachers, parents, and students. As the demands placed on everyone in a school community increase, it's vital that we view and include school counselors as part of our leadership teams. Let's make sure we recognize all they do and put their strengths to work for our students! Here are 11 ways school counselors serve as leaders in your building.

1. School counselors recognize and showcase diversity.

In many buildings, school counselors are considered the "heart" of the school. They help create an inclusive environment that is respectful, welcoming, kind, and open to all.

2. School counselors develop community partnerships.

Counseling staff work collaboratively with universities, community colleges, technical schools, local unions, military reps, and apprentice programs to provide a variety of opportunities for students. They are especially vital in ensuring underserved and first-generation students have access to and the tools to reach all possible post-high school options.

3. School counselors help during difficult situations.

Strengths such as listening, reflecting, and high emotional intelligence make school counselors valuable allies when trying to get buy-in from staff or the greater community on difficult issues. Counselors foster a culture of change via strong lines of communication and valuing input from all parties involved.

4. School counselors maintain strong home-school connections.

Counselors tend to be the liaison for parents when it comes to communicating with the school. This leadership role is especially important when assisting families who are not familiar with the school setting or have issues trusting staff.

5. School counselors maximize educational success.

School counselors can help to maximize the educational attainment of all students by providing students with mental health services (school or community-based) and developmental guidance that takes a proactive approach in helping students set and reach academic goals.

6. School counselors lead staff trainings.

Administrators who use their counseling staff (rather than outside contractors) to lead building-wide trainings can save a lot of money and gain quicker buy-in from staff. School counselors are experts on topics such as student engagement, positive discipline, suicide/self-harm, students-as-leaders, peer mentoring programs, and academic/social interventions for low-performing students.

7. School counselors protect and advocate for disadvantaged students.

Counselors identify and amend policies and practices that negatively impact disadvantaged students and advocate for equitable services for all students.

8. School counselors use expertise to bring data to life.

Like administrators, counselors are trained in data collection and analysis. They are skilled at using this information to drive decisions about placement, intervention, and overall student health and wellbeing.

9. School counselors mediate difficult situations between parents/students and staff.

Counselors are consistently looking for ways to support the relationship between school staff and parents. Acting as a mediator when one or both parties are upset about a situation is a critical way in which school counselors serve as leaders.

10. School counselors organize and lead crisis response.

Counselors are on the front lines after a tragedy has happened in a school or community. Staff, students, parents, and community members look to the counselors for guidance and support immediately following an event. Because of their training in emotional/mental, the counseling staff is critical in advocating for and teaching self-care to staff, parents, and students during a crisis.

11. School counselors empower and inspire.

School counselors inherently believe in people and work tirelessly to communicate that. By being visible and accessible at all times, their calming, caring, and encouraging presence helps support and empower staff in the building.

School counselors serve as leaders in many ways and we need to value their perspectives and strengths. They are vital to building positive learning environments in which students thrive.
Join our Facebook group Principal Life for more conversation about and insights into the challenges of school leadership.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
11 Ways Your School Counselors Serve as Leaders - WeAreTeachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
School counselors are uniquely equipped to bridge the gaps between administration, teachers, parents, and students. As the demands placed on everyone in a school community increase, it's vital that we view and include school counselors as part of our leadership teams. Let's make sure we recognize all they do and put their strengths to work for our students!

# data[].attributes.body
TED Talk playlist of talks on leadership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What makes a great leader? These TED Talks offer surprising, nuanced approaches on how to inspire and empower others to do their very best.

# data[].attributes.headline
Emotional Intelligence: Developing Strong "People Skills"

# data[].attributes.subject
Emotional Intelligence: Developing Strong "People Skills"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We probably all know people, either at work or in our personal lives, who are really good listeners. No matter what kind of situation we're in, they always seem to know just what to say - and how to say it - so that we're not offended or upset. They're caring and considerate, and even if we don't find a solution to our problem, we usually leave feeling more hopeful and optimistic.

Read on to learn more about Emotional Intelligence.

See the transcript of this video below.
Video Transcript
When you think about an effective leader, what characteristics come to mind? Chances are, you picture someone who listens to their team. They stay cool under pressure, know when to trust their intuition, and they never let their emotions get the best of them. People like this have a high degree of emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence - or EI - is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand them, and see how they affect those around you. Having high emotional intelligence also means you understand other people's emotions. This allows you to manage your relationships better, and avoid potential conflicts. There are five elements that define emotional intelligence.

The first is self-awareness. When you're self-aware, you know how you're feeling all of the time, and you understand how those feelings are affecting the people around you.

The second characteristic is self-regulation. This is the ability to control your emotions and actions. You can develop self-regulation by living your values, and by holding yourself accountable when you make a mistake.

The next element of emotional intelligence is motivation. Highly motivated people put off short-term rewards for long-term success.

The fourth element is empathy. This is when you have the ability to identify with other people, and understand their wants, needs and viewpoints.

Finally, having good social skills is also critically important. This helps you work positively with other people, and manage conflict effectively.

Having high emotional intelligence is crucial in today's workplace. If you can build and maintain strong relationships, then you can work happily and productively with the people around you. It's also one of the key attributes of being an effective leader.

We probably also know people who are masters at managing their emotions. They don't get angry in stressful situations. Instead, they have the ability to look at a problem and calmly find a solution. They're excellent decision makers, and they know when to trust their intuition. Regardless of their strengths, however, they're usually willing to look at themselves honestly. They take criticism well, and they know when to use it to improve their performance.

People like this have a high degree of emotional intelligence. They know themselves very well, and they're also able to sense the emotional needs of others.

Would you like to be more like this?

As more and more people accept that emotional intelligence is just as important to professional success as technical ability, organizations are increasingly using it when they hire and promote.

For example, one large cosmetics company recently revised their hiring process for salespeople to choose candidates based on their emotional intelligence. The result? People hired with the new system have sold, on average, $91,000 more than salespeople selected under the old system. There has also been significantly lower staff turnover among the group chosen for their emotional intelligence.

So, what exactly is emotional intelligence, and what can you do to improve yours?

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

We all have different personalities, different wants and needs, and different ways of showing our emotions. Navigating through this all takes tact and cleverness - especially if we hope to succeed in life. This is where emotional intelligence becomes important.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they're telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. It also involves your perception of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.

People with high emotional intelligence are usually successful in most things they do. Why? Because they're the ones that others want on their team. When people with high emotional intelligence send an email, it gets answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life much more easily than people who are easily angered or upset.

Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence

In his book titled "Emotional Intelligence - Why It Can Matter More Than IQ" 1995, Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist, developed a framework of five elements that define emotional intelligence:

1. Self-Awareness - People with high emotional intelligence are usually very self-aware. They understand their emotions, and because of this, they don't let their feelings rule them. They're confident - because they trust their intuition and don't let their emotions get out of control.

They're also willing to take an honest look at themselves. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they work on these areas so they can perform better. Many people believe that this self-awareness is the most important part of emotional intelligence.

2. Self-Regulation - This is the ability to control emotions and impulses. People who self-regulate typically don't allow themselves to become too angry or jealous, and they don't make impulsive, careless decisions. They think before they act. Characteristics of self-regulation are thoughtfulness, comfort with change, integrity, and the ability to say no.

3. Motivation - People with a high degree of emotional intelligence are usually motivated. They're willing to defer immediate results for long-term success. They're highly productive, love a challenge, and are very effective in whatever they do.

4. Empathy - This is perhaps the second-most important element of emotional intelligence. Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand the wants, needs, and viewpoints of those around you. People with empathy are good at recognizing the feelings of others, even when those feelings may not be obvious. As a result, empathetic people are usually excellent at managing relationships, listening, and relating to others. They avoid stereotyping and judging too quickly, and they live their lives in a very open, honest way.

5. Social Skills - It's usually easy to talk to and like people with good social skills, another sign of high emotional intelligence. Those with strong social skills are typically team players. Rather than focus on their own success first, they help others develop and shine. They can manage disputes, are excellent communicators, and are masters at building and maintaining relationships.

As you've probably determined, emotional intelligence can be a key to success in your life - especially in your career. The ability to manage people and relationships is very important in all leaders, so developing and using your emotional intelligence can be a good way to show others the leader inside of you.

How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

The good news is that emotional intelligence can be learned and developed. As well as working on your skills in the five areas above, use these strategies:

Observe how you react to people. Do you rush to judgment before you know all of the facts? Do you stereotype? Look honestly at how you think and interact with other people. Try to put yourself in their place, and be more open and accepting of their perspectives and needs.

Look at your work environment. Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? Humility can be a wonderful quality, and it doesn't mean that you're shy or lack self-confidence. When you practice humility, you say that you know what you did, and you can be quietly confident about it. Give others a chance to shine - put the focus on them, and don't worry too much about getting praise for yourself.

Do a self-evaluation. Try out our emotional intelligence quiz. What are your weaknesses? Are you willing to accept that you're not perfect and that you could work on some areas to make yourself a better person? Have the courage to look at yourself honestly - it can change your life.

Examine how you react to stressful situations. Do you become upset every time there's a delay or something doesn't happen the way you want? Do you blame others or become angry at them, even when it's not their fault? The ability to stay calm and in control in difficult situations is highly valued - in the business world and outside it. Keep your emotions under control when things go wrong.

Take responsibility for your actions. If you hurt someone's feelings, apologize directly - don't ignore what you did or avoid the person. People are usually more willing to forgive and forget if you make an honest attempt to make things right.

Examine how your actions will affect others - before you take those actions. If your decision will impact others, put yourself in their place. How will they feel if you do this? Would you want that experience? If you must take the action, how can you help others deal with the effects?

See our article on Emotional Intelligence in Leadership for specific tips related to a leadership role.

Key Points

Although "regular" intelligence is important to success in life, emotional intelligence is key to relating well to others and achieving your goals. Many people believe that it is at least as important as regular intelligence, and many companies now use emotional intelligence testing to hire new staff.

Emotional intelligence is an awareness of your actions and feelings - and how they affect those around you. It also means that you value others, listen to their wants and needs, and are able to empathize or identify with them on many different levels.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Emotional Intelligence: Developing Strong "People Skills"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We probably all know people, either at work or in our personal lives, who are really good listeners. No matter what kind of situation we're in, they always seem to know just what to say - and how to say it - so that we're not offended or upset.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Messy Process of School Counselor Leadership

# data[].attributes.subject
The Messy Process of School Counselor Leadership

# data[].attributes.body
Erin Sheninger's blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A blog about digital leadership, pedagogy, learning, and transformative change in education.

# data[].attributes.body
Blog by Jimmy Casas on creating school culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This past year while visiting a school district a school principal confided in me his struggles to get his staff to comply to certain things he expected them to do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We typically praise the person who is the last to leave the office and who works during weekends and holidays. Often, however, that person is the first to fall in the war of workplace attrition.

Leadership demands long hours and great effort, but rest and relaxation are just as essential as hard work. Go-getters often feel that every minute of every day must be filled with work, but that is just not a healthy way to live. Because more does not always mean better, a leader must learn to draw a hard line in the sand when asked to take on boundless responsibilities. Learning to say "no" is a matter of self-preservation.
Related: How to Guard Your 'Yes' (and Own Your 'No')​
Leaders must take time for themselves, and they should not apologize or feel guilty for doing so. We are sons, daughters, mothers and fathers before we are professionals, and it is important not to neglect the parts of our lives that make us the most human.

The failure to embrace "white space" can result in an acute decrease in productivity as well as the quality of the work produced. Stress causes mental blocks that hamper creativity. It also increases the likelihood of careless mistakes.

From misspellings to missed details in a contract, errors caused by a lack of focus are usually avoidable. When the brain is not free from undue strain and is not functioning at its maximum potential, confusion and distress muck up the work and even the most mundane tasks become difficult.

Stress also can cause physical ailments. Headaches and high blood pressure are common in the professional world. Overeating, which is a response to stress, is another strain on the body caused by overworking. Because the mind and the body are so intertwined, when one suffers, the other does as well.

Metaphysics teaches that what the mind harbors, the body manifests, and therefore it is imperative that every leader prioritize mental and physical health as part of a daily routine.

To neutralize the stress of work, sometimes you need to forget about it and compartmentalize. Disconnect the brain and exercise the body. Physical exertion increases the body's serotonin levels, which improve mood and memory and decrease hunger and depression. When your body and brain feel well, you perform well. Your productivity, effectiveness and attitude are each measurably better when you take care of yourself.

When you can get to your "happy place" more frequently, you are less likely to get unnecessarily agitated. Besides, when the people around you do not have to worry about setting you off with a careless word or a thoughtless act, your workplace and your home life become more tranquil.

Because of this increased positivity, your overall demeanor and performance will likewise improve. This funnel of beneficial outcomes is magnified by incorporating R&R into the rigor of the workday.

A leader who prioritizes downtime, relaxation and self-care discovers an increase in overall well-being and in multiple dimensions of performance.

Even though we know that work-life balance is a myth, work-life integration and prioritizing need the most time and attention. Agile leaders treat these principles with the same regard as the technical components of their work.

Knowing that they do not have to choose between a harried professional life, family or self-care to be successful, leaders create a life they hold dear that reflects their greatest priorities. By learning to relax and reboot, the most effective leaders ensure their lives do not resemble the bleakness of zero-sum games.

I knew a partner at a top law firm who worked extremely hard as a young associate, which paved the way for a successful and rewarding career. Work was clearly a priority for him. He would get there early and on most nights, stay late. He frequently would take work home and work on weekends, too.

Not only that, he would also take on big projects outside of work that were unrelated to his primary specialization. Additionally, he sat on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. One day, I noticed that he looked a little sluggish and asked him if he was OK.

The law partner said that despite all the work he had put in over the past 40 years, all the value that he provided to others, all the personal and professional success that he collared, he had not taken the time to really enjoy his life.

Even the occasional golf games and weekend getaways did not feel like rest, he said, adding that his mental, emotional and physical health suffered because he chose not to incorporate regular rest and relaxation into his daily routine.

To my surprise, he mentioned wanting to make an immediate and significant shift in his work-life priorities. He wanted a better quality of life. It never occurred to me that someone so accomplished could feel anything other than joy and enormous pride. However, he taught me that no one, not even the most successful leaders, can be effective without integrating rest and relaxation into their lives.

Journal Questions

1. When do you make time to unplug during the week?

2. Create a list of 10 favorite activities that generate excitement and enhance your ability to unplug and relax.

3. Describe your work rhythm. Do you know when to stop, re-evaluate and recharge?

4. How did this principle help you better understand your role as a leader? How will its mastery enable you to cultivate greater effectiveness?

5. How will you use the preceding strategies to advance your commitment to unplugging and relaxing?

Leadership Challenge

Create a workweek calendar that includes time for you to relax and unwind.
Related: 4 Tips for Reclaiming Your Weekends, From Self-Confessed Workaholics​
When do you schedule "me time"? What do you plan on doing? Plug in blocks of time for play that complement the blocks of time for work. Now see how this new rhythm feels. After a week, assess your physical and mental state. Did it feel good to have time for self-indulgence?

Karima Mariama-Arthur, Poised for Excellence, published 2018 Palgrave Macmillan, reproduced with permission of SCSC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Leaders Need to Make Time for Self-Care

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We typically praise the person who is the last to leave the office and who works during weekends and holidays. Often, however, that person is the first to fall in the war of workplace attrition. Leadership demands long hours and great effort, but rest and relaxation are just as essential as hard work.

# data[].attributes.body
Includes concise summaries/introductions of Lewin's leadership styles and other models

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating, guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative (laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.

Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person leads.

Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different leadership styles.

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles of leadership.﻿﻿ While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian, democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership. The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring followers to perform well.

Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)

Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership.﻿﻿ Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions. However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers against the domineering leader.

Participative Leadership (Democratic)

Lewin's study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is typically the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin's study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)

Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made less progress, and produced less work.

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in negative, often disapproving, terms. Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience, and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others. People who work under such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and Models

In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass. Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive changes in groups.

These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved group satisfaction than other leadership styles. One study also found that transformational leadership led to improved well-being among group members.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.

One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. People know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

Situational Leadership

Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership stylesis one of the best-known situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of leadership, including:

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages

3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making process

4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders. Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance

2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support

3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction

4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It seems like there are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. Discover some of the most common leadership style frameworks.

# data[].attributes.body
Classmate's presentation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LeadershipCharismatic & TransformationalBy: Ashley BatesHow is leadership defined?Or better yet...What defines a good leader?* John Maxwell * Peter Drucker* Warren BennisDifferent Philosophies of Leadership...(Kruse, 2013)So which philosophy is correct and which one is incorrect?According to Kruse (2013), "leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal".

# data[].attributes.body
Classmate's presentation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As teachers protested education funding in Frankfort, Northern Kentucky superintendents used social media to call foul on budget cuts since millions of dollars and hundreds of teacher jobs were on the line.

State lawmakers passed a budget on April 13 by overriding Gov. Matt Bevin vetoes of budget bills.

► Matt Bevin's veto of budget bill overridden by full legislature

►​​​​​​​ 'It doesn't really feel like a win.' Kentucky teachers see veto overrides as hollow victory

Teachers in Bellevue and other school districts were not working Friday. They were protesting in the state capital against slashing school funding.

More: More NKY school districts closed Friday to protest bill veto in Frankfort

Northern Kentucky school superintendents were vocal on social media this spring voicing their opposition to deeper cuts that didn't come to pass.

Bellevue Independent Schools Superintendent Robb Smith named four state senators on Twitter April 2 while stating he agreed with an Owensboro-area superintendent's statement that "trust has been completely eroded in the KY Legislature."

The school district in the small Ohio River city of Bellevue with views of Cincinnati has a budget of $7 million and 100 employees. The district's worst-case scenario would have put five of the 50 teachers out of a job, Smith said.

Smith makes no apologies for what he calls holding lawmakers accountable while still being nonpartisan.

"If you are proposing or supporting legislation that has a negative impact on kids I will challenge you," Smith said.

More: State cuts could lead to layoffs: NKY teachers protest

Lawmakers have been complimented and criticized for their votes and public stances on Twitter by Boone County Superintendent Randy Poe.

"I've been stern against issues and not against the people," said the superintendent of Kentucky's third-largest public school system.

Buy Photo

Protesters fill the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Ky., on Monday, April 2, 2018. A pension reform bill quickly passed the House and Senate last week. (Photo: The Enquirer/Sam Greene)

The stakes were too high not to speak out, Poe said. Boone County Schools must notify teachers if they won't have a job by May 15, he said.

Superintendent Randy Poe of Boone County Schools (Photo: Provided)

"If the veto overrides go through, I don't have to lay off 110 people," Poe said.

Boone County has 3,600 employees and is one of the top 10 biggest employers in Northern Kentucky.

Poe has been demanding lawmakers override the governor's veto on Twitter.

Poe and other superintendents including David Rust of Campbell County Schools are pushing for more revenue growth instead of education cuts.

Campbell County's Superintendent Rust said he feels he has spent more time addressing proposed legislation than working on education of the nearly 5,000 children in the district's schools.

Rust penned his disdain for this year's budget wrangling in a blog post. He put the blog on Twitter as an open letter to lawmakers.

Rust said he hasn't had negative feedback from legislators about his social media advocacy against funding cuts.

"The conversations I've had publicly I've also had privately from them," Rust said. "One of the biggest was my discussions with (Sen.) Chris McDaniel about the legislatures' lack of considering new revenue," Rust said. McDaniel, a Taylor Mill Republican, chairs the Senate Budget Committee.

McDaniel and others have put some revenue enhancements into laws they supported in an attempt to lessen education cuts, he said. The revenue enhancements have not been enough to match rising costs of pensions and other areas.

David Rust, Campbell County Schools superintendent (Photo: Provided)

"You can't pay rent, but you're unwilling to go out and get another job," he said of Kentucky's unwillingness to tax or find other ways to create revenue.

Rust said he doesn't have an estimate of how many teachers or other school staff would be out of a job. Bevin's proposed cuts would have meant more "pink slips" went out as part of $2.5 million in lost funds for the district, he said. Lawmakers overriding the governor's vetoes will result in many fewer cuts to staff, Rust said.

"I have never ever been through as turbulent of a staffing time as we have right now," Rust said.

Read or Share this story: https://cin.ci/2GVExqi

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NKY school superintendents vent budget frustration on social media

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As teachers protested education funding in Frankfort, Northern Kentucky superintendents used social media to call foul on budget cuts since millions of dollars and hundreds of teacher jobs were on the line. State lawmakers passed a budget on April 13 by overriding Gov. Matt Bevin vetoes of budget bills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Share to email

Share to facebook

Share to twitter

Share to linkedin

Share to google

We mentor the world's most promising female business professionals. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

By Alexia Vernon
"How do I become a transformational leader?"

It's a question I get asked a lot, and one I've changed my answer to over the years. As a coach and mentor to executives and entrepreneurs, I thought the ability to transform was an inborn quality for a long time. I thought it was something one could develop his or her skills in, but ultimately did or did not possess an affinity toward. I have never subscribed to the belief that only certain people can lead, but I did have a bias that only certain people possessed the genetic make-up to be transformative through their leadership because, truthfully, I struggled to elicit this ability in many of the people I worked with.

I could develop leaders ' ability to speak with confidence and competence and to coach staff or clients. Yet the ability to truly transform others with words - whether those people were employees or attendees at a motivational seminar - well, that eluded me.

Transformational leaders are people who, irrespective of audience, possess the ability to create big shifts in their audiences' thinking, which leads to big shifts in their behavior, which enables them to achieve extraordinary results. Many leaders are facile at inspiring their audience or getting them on board with a big initiative, but that isn't the same thing.

Then, I began to study the masters, from former GE CEO Jack Welch to former Luxor and Excalibur President Renee West (the first woman to run a Las Vegas Strip casino) to Oprah Winfrey and Tony Robbins. Each of these transformational leaders may have a predilection towards transforming others. They also, and just as importantly, have many similar habits; habits that were created from behaviors that my most successful clients also practice.

There are certain key behaviors (that through practice become habits) that empower transformational leadership. Here are three that you can begin to put into action today in order to activate or dial up your transformational leadership abilities.
Drop Down From the Head to the Heart
Page 1 / 3 Continue

Share to email

Share to facebook

Share to twitter

Share to linkedin

Share to google

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Developing The 3 Habits Of Transformational Leaders

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Share to email Share to facebook Share to twitter Share to linkedin Share to google We mentor the world's most promising female business professionals. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. By Alexia Vernon "How do I become a transformational leader?"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For years we were taught that management has to do with forecasting, budgeting, planning and controlling. Managers were taught to manage, not to lead.

New supervisors and grizzled management veterans were taught how to assign work to subordinates, how to evaluate their teammates' work, how to counsel people on performance problems and how to hire and fire staff members. Everything we were taught about management assumed that the manager would know what to do and was calling the shots.

These days we understand that the old-fashioned view of a manager's duties is wholly insufficient for the new-millennium workplace.

Responsibility for a team of people and its success -- not to mention each team members' well-being and professional development -- is a big assignment to take on. Leadership has very little to do with controlling, budgeting and so on. It has little overlap with assigning work and evaluating it.

Our traditional view of management is task-based and mechanical. In that worldview, we don't think about topics like "How are my teammates holding up? Are they stressed out? Are they feeling good about the future and about the energy on the team?"

For years we pretended that human energy isn't a factor in a team's success, even though anybody who has ever been on any kind of team knows that the team energy, also known as trust level, is the whole ballgame!

We can use the carrot and the stick to get people to perform for a while but eventually, if they don't care about the mission, about their leader and/or about one another, the team will fracture and lose steam. It's inevitable! Today we know that empathetic, trust-based human leadership is not only the most effective way to lead a team but also the most profitable way to run a company.

Here are five enormous differences between managers and leaders. If you hold a leadership role now or aspire to do so in the future, think about steps you can take in each of these areas.
Mission
The traditional view of management assumes that a manager's job is to run an apparatus -- perhaps a corporate Credit Department or a team of programmers. There are clear inputs and outputs and expected results from the engine each manager is responsible for. The manager's job is to keep the machine running smoothly.

In that worldview, the people on the manager's team are essentially machine parts. They are interchangeable. Once they are hired into a role, their job is to perform that role (to run their piece of the machine) according to goals and standards that preceded them and that will outlast their tenure in the job. The presumption is that the machine is more important and more powerful than anyone who helps to run it.

Leadership takes just the opposite view! The energy on your team powers everything you will accomplish.

The machine can change whenever it makes sense to change it, even many times a day. Maybe your machine should change, or maybe it's time to junk the machine and invent something totally new. People are creative. Machines in general are not.

Leaders allow people to design their own jobs as much as possible and to put their own stamp on their jobs.

A leader is not working to achieve machine-like process perfection to be repeated over and over until the end of time.

A leader and his or her team have a mission. They all know what the mission is and they know their piece in it. Maybe at one point your mission is to replace your outdated Credit Department procedures with new procedures that are faster and simpler. Apart from the fact that they have a job and need the paycheck, your teammates know what the Credit Department modernization means for customers, for themselves and for the company.

A mission has a beginning, a middle and an end, no matter what the mission is. When you complete the mission, you'll start a new one.

Maybe your mission is to produce an off-Broadway play or to invent a better mousetrap. Leadership is inextricable from a specific mission that people are excited about. Without a mission, there is no place to lead your team toward! Without a mission, where are you headed?

Who can get excited about doing the same things day after day, year after year, to no visible end except to make a few executives rich? There has to be more to the mission than that, and part of a leader's job is to explore and exalt the connections between his or her team's mission and each team member's personal mission.

This is why I write about plugging into your power source at work, whether that means using a different part of your brain or getting to teach what you know or another element that important to you. We all need that power jolt at work. We all deserve it, too!
Self-Awareness
The old-fashioned, command-and-control view of management did not require that a manager look in the mirror, but leadership requires that activity of a leader every day.

A leader is someone who get outside his or her busy brain to see him- or herself rather than being controlled by his or her emotions, especially fear.

Fear is the emotion that makes managers freak out and bring the hammer down. It makes some of them yell at subordinates or put the fear of termination into them so that people skulk around in terror that they'll make a mistake.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Management Vs. Leadership: Five Ways They Are Different

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For years we were taught that management has to do with forecasting, budgeting, planning and controlling. Managers were taught to manage, not to lead. New supervisors and grizzled management veterans were taught how to assign work to subordinates, how to evaluate their teammates' work, how to counsel people on performance problems and how to hire and fire staff members.

# data[].attributes.headline
Servant vs. Relational Leadership Styles

# data[].attributes.subject
Servant vs. Relational Leadership Styles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is the Difference Between Servant-Leadership & Relational-Leadership Styles?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The style of leadership in a business has a significant impact on the productivity and culture of the workplace. No two leaders are exactly alike, though there are some characteristics they may share. Servant and relational leaders share the same broad focus on employees and customers that transcends company profits ...