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Assistant principals, also called vice-principals, wear more hats in a day than they take off students. First, they support the principal in the administrative operation of a school. They may plan schedules for teachers or for testing. They may directly supervise lunch, hallways, special events. They may evaluate teachers. They are usually tasked with handling student discipline.

One reason for the multiple roles is that the assistant principal must be ready to take over all the responsibilities of the school principal in the event of an absence or illness.

Another reason is that the assistant principal's position can be a stepping stone to the principal's job.

Typically, mid-size to large schools employ more than one assistant principal. They may be assigned a specific grade level or group. Several assistant principals may be organized to be responsible for a specific duty day-to-day tasks. As a school administrator, assistant principals typically work year-round. Most assistant principals start their careers as teachers.

Responsibilities of an Assistant Principal

Assist the principal in interviewing and evaluating instructional and non-instructional staff.

Supervise instructional and non-instructional staff.

Help create school-wide goals including those related to student learning and student behavior.

Manage student behavioral issues including those in the cafeteria along with those referred by teachers and bus drivers.

Supervise or arrange for supervision of student activities both during and after school hours including school assemblies, athletic activities, and music and drama productions.

Share responsibility for setting and meeting the school's budget.

Set up the academic schedule for teachers and students.

Keep track of all activities on the school calendar.

Conduct staff meetings.

Education Requirements

Typically, an assistant principal must hold at least a master's degree along with state specific certification.

Most states require teaching experience.

Common Characteristics of Assistant Principals

Effective assistant principals share many of the same characteristics, including:

Strong organizational skills. Assistant principals often have to juggle a number of high priority tasks that require them to be organized in order to be successful.

Attention to detail. From keeping track of the school calendar to evaluating teachers, assistant principals find that attention to detail is a necessary requirement.

A desire to help students succeed. While many people see the assistant principals as the disciplinary arm of the administrative staff, their main goal should be to help students achieve to their greatest potential.

Trustworthiness. Assistant principals deal with sensitive information every day. Therefore, they must be honest and discreet.

Diplomacy. Assistant principals often have to deal with heated situations between students, parents, and teachers. Tact and diplomacy can go a long way towards dealing with difficult problems.

Effective communicator. Assistant principals may often be the "voice of the school" in daily operations. They need to be proficient in the use of different media platforms (audio, visual, e-mail).

Familiar with technology. Assistant principals may need to use multiple software platforms such as PowerSchool Student Information System or Administrator's Plus or Blackboard Collaborate for attendance/grades; SMART for agency compliance; Schoology or Curriculum Trak for curriculum; Frontline Insights Platform for evaluation.

​The desire to be active and visible. Students and teachers need to see that the assistant principals are involved in the school in order for them to have the type of authority that makes others want to listen to them.

How to Succeed

Here are a few simple ideas that can help assistant principals improve relationships and contribute to a positive school culture:

Get to Know Your Teachers as People: Knowing teachers as people with families and concerns is important. Caring about them can help improve cooperation and give them a more positive outlook about their jobs.

Be Involved: Notice who are the teachers and students who are the most engaged and the least engaged. Recognize and support the efforts of the most engaged and seek ways to motivate the least engaged. Offer to participate in programs or take students for a half hour mini-lesson.

Respect Teacher Time: Avoid setting up long meetings which put a strain on a teacher's day. Give teachers the gift of time.

Celebrate Success: Recognize the efforts of teachers and how those efforts translate into success. Publicly acknowledge what is going right in the school. Encourage teachers and students in order to motivate them.

Sample Salary Scale

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for principals, including assistants, in the United States in 2015 was $90,410.

However, this varies widely by state. The Occupational Employment Statistics reported these annual mean wages for 2016:

Job Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6 percent growth in jobs for principals in the decade from 2016 to 2024. For comparison, the expected percent change in employment for all occupations is 7 percent.

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The Many Responsibilities of Assistant Principals

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Assistant principals, also called vice-principals, wear more hats in a day than they take off students. First, they support the principal in the administrative operation of a school. They may plan schedules for teachers or for testing. They may directly supervise lunch, hallways, special events. They may evaluate teachers.

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4 Attributes of a Great Assistant Principal

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4 Attributes of a Great Assistant Principal

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cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Big Mind Zen Center

A good friend of mine has just become an Assistant Principal (Vice Principal), which was probably one of the best jobs that I have ever had. Often you get to help guide the direction of the school but you still have many opportunities to be in the classroom and connect with kids, more so than a principal. That being said, I believe that a principal can still connect with kids in many ways, but in my experience, they have a lot more meetings and have to be out of school a lot more.

I have been blessed to have worked with an amazing principal who had taught me a lot and even though we would argue (a lot), it was always about figuring out what was best for the school. To be honest, he encouraged the push-back because he cared more about "what was right" as opposed to "being right". My two years with him was probably one of the best learning experiences that I have ever had and I still connect with him all of the time when I need help because he always focuses on what is best for kids.

On the other side of the coin, as a school principal, I was blessed to work with amazing vice principals who pushed me to be better. They challenged me to be better, but they were also sponges. They were always open to learn and develop; not only from what I would share to them, but from the experiences that they had with staff, students, and parents. I expect (these are non-negotiables) that administrators focus on building relationships with the entire school community, are approachable, are change agents, and ALWAYS have the idea of "what is best for kids" driving their decision-making. My "administrative team" colleagues have had these qualities in spades.

Thinking about the work that I have seen from many staff in Parkland School Division, here are some of the other qualities that I noticed the most successful ones have all had:

1. Self-starters - There is often a misperception that a principal should be delegating tasks to the leadership team and I guess sometimes this does happen. With that being said, I rarely had to ever ask my leadership team to do anything because they were already jumping on every opportunity to do different things for our school. One of my proudest days as a principal was when our school started " Identity Day ", not only because it was such a great day for our school community, but this was an idea that was started and lead by my assistant principal. Not only did she come up with the idea, but she worked with every single grade to ensure that the day was a success. Being able to be actively lead initiatives and work alongside teachers gave them instant credibility.

They did not only do the "fun" jobs, but my assistant principals jumped up to take on some of the boring stuff to ensure that we would all work together to better their school. Did they love doing that work? Probably not. But they knew what my strengths and weaknesses were and we would do things that would compliment one another as opposed to say "that is a job for the principal"

2. Determined to work towards success. - I have always been adverse to say things such as, "I am okay with failure", because of the people that I have been blessed to work with. I think of Jesse McLean and " Innovation Week ". When he shared his thoughts with me about the week he was determined to make it a success, yet I know there were a lot of challenges that he, his admin team, and his school worked through to make the day a success. When I think of "failure", I think of it as a step towards success, as opposed to something that determines success. Things may not be perfect, but I know that some of the people I look up to work extremely hard to make whatever they do the best possible. Failure is not finite, but a bump along the way.

3. Always takes ownership when things go wrong, but always gives credit when things go right. - When I think about " Innovation Week" and " Identity Day ", what was humbling was that the people that lead these initiatives gave ALL of the credit to others even though they were the catalysts for the ideas. They repeatedly acknowledge the hard work of the staff and said nothing of their part. On the other hand though, if things would have failed or there would have been trouble, they would have owned that and not blamed others. What that shows me over and over again, is that they are more worried about what is best for kids and the well-being of staff. They carried a lot of weight on their shoulders yet they gave credit so much to others. Not that it wasn't deserving (because it absolutely was), but their focus was on the team and not themselves. Still, they knew they had to do their part to make sure it was a success.

4. They will challenge authority.- I will never forget my interview to become an Assistant Principal with my soon-to-be boss. We actually got in an argument during the interview and I thought that I would have no chance to get the job. A few days later, he called and offered me the job. What he had told me was that he did not want me to say "yes" to everything that he had said, but to push against him when I disagreed. He did not want to go in front of the staff and say something that was ridiculous while I just simply watched him and disagreed in my head. Again, he focused on what was right, not being right. This did not mean that he agreed with everything that I said when I did challenge him, but he always tweaked his ideas based on my feedback.

When I hired my AP, this was a quality I knew that she had because she had pushed me as a teacher when I was an administrator. I knew she was always focused on what was best and I learned so much from her challenges that I thought there would be no better hire. If you are looking for someone to just agree with everything you say as an administrator, then you are better off hiring no one.

I was spoiled as both a Principal and Assistant Principal to work with amazing people that helped me to be successful. I learned a ton from them and they were people that were extremely talented, trusting, yet were sponges; they always wanted to learn and grow. With those that I have worked with, they have taught me that these qualities they possessed were not only for "administrators", but are something that you should expect from others in your organization as well. As an administrator, you sometimes have to make some tough calls, but if you are open to working with your administrative team and build trust with your school, those decisions become easier.

As I write this, I worry that many people new to administrative teams will think that simply implementing these ideas with their "boss" will lead to success, which is not true at all. Leaders of organization would have to be open to these things, but in my opinion, if they are, their schools will be much more successful. The collaborative approach to school leadership (not just administrators, but whole school) is more likely to lead success for kids than would an approach based on one. I am hoping that the "top" of organizations would think about these qualities that I have listed and think about how they create an environment to ensure that these qualities can flourish.

If you are not open to learning from others in your building as "the leader", will you really be able to create an environment where students and staff excel?

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4 Attributes of a Great Assistant Principal

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cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Big Mind Zen Center A good friend of mine has just become an Assistant Principal (Vice Principal), which was probably one of the best jobs that I have ever had.

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Preparing an Educational Leadership Philosophy Statement

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Preparing an Educational Leadership Philosophy Statement

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We often support instructors in creating teaching philosophy statements, and various resources exist to support their development (e.g. Chism, 1998; Kenny, Jeffs, and Berenson, 2015; Schonwetter et al., 2002). However, few resources are available to help faculty in preparing educational leadership philosophy statements.

We recently created a resource to help faculty preparing educational leadership philosophy statements as part of their nomination dossiers for institutional and national awards, such as the University of Calgary Teaching Award for Educational Leadership and the 3M National Teaching Fellowship.

Similar in format to a teaching philosophy statement, an educational leadership philosophy statement "clearly communicate[s] what our beliefs are about educational leadership, why we hold these beliefs and how we translate our beliefs into practice" (Berenson and Kenny, 2015). An example structure for an educational leadership philosophy statement and guiding questions to help those preparing a statement are presented in Table 1 below. While every statement will uniquely articulate the educational leadership beliefs and practices of each author, these questions provide a foundational guide for helping to support faculty in creating an educational leadership philosophy statement.

Dr. Ken MacMillan, 3M National Teaching Fellow, and the 2015 recipient of the UCalgary Award for Educational Leadership) has shared an example educational leadership philosophy statement here.
Table 1: Key components of a teaching philosophy statement with guiding questions for reflection.
Questions adapted from: Kearns, K.D. & Sullivan, C.S. (2011); Kenny, Jeffs & Berenson (2015); Stavros & Hinrichs (2011); Schonwetter et al. (2002); Seldin, P., Miller, J. E., & Seldin, C. A. (2010).

Philosophy Statement Components Guiding Questions

Beliefs about educational leadership

What are my beliefs about educational leadership in post-secondary education? Why do I hold these beliefs? Who or what has most informed my leadership approaches? How have my beliefs been influenced by my experiences postsecondary educator and/or scholarly literature related to leadership? What difference do I hope to make as a leader? What does it mean to be a good leader in a post-secondary context?

Educational leadership activities and initiatives

What educational leadership activities, practices and initiatives have I implemented? How do these align with my beliefs? When have I felt most engaged and affirmed as an educational leader? What are my key strengths and skills as a leader? What am I most proud of? What sets me apart? What are some of my accomplishments as a post-secondary leader?

Impact and Influence

What difference have I made, and how do I know? What has been the impact and influence of my educational leadership (on me, on students, on colleagues, on my department, on my faculty, on the institution and beyond)? What have others learned from my leadership approaches?

Future Aspirations

How will I continue to develop, grow, and improve as a leader? What interests me most about teaching and learning in post-secondary education? What changes do I most hope to see and inspire? What are my future goals and aspirations as a leader in post-secondary education?

Developing an educational leadership philosophy statement provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own leadership beliefs and activities. This process also makes visible the many ways in which leadership is formally and informally enacted by individuals on our campus.
References:
Berenson, C. & Kenny, N.A. (2016). Preparing an Educational Leadership Philosophy Statement. Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Chism, Nancy. (1998). Developing a philosophy of teaching statement. Essays on Teaching Excellence: Toward the Best in the Academy, 9, 1-3. Retrieved from http://podnetwork.org/content/uploads/V9-N3-Chism.pdf

Kearns, K.D. and Sullivan, C.S. (2011). Resources and practices to help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows write statements of teaching philosophy. Advances in Physiology Education, 35, 136-145.

Kenny, N.A., Jeffs, C., & Berenson, C. (2015). Preparing a Teaching Philosophy Statement. Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Schonwetter, D.J., Sokal, L., Friesen, M., & Taylor, L.K. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements. International Journal for Academic Development, 7(1), 83-97

Seldin, P., Miller, J. E., & Seldin, C. A. (2010). The teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions. John Wiley & Sons.

Stavros, Jacqueline M, & Hinrichs, Gina. (2011). The Thin Book Of SOAR: Building Strengths-Based Strategy: Thin Book Publishing.

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Writing an educational leadership philosophy statement

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We often support instructors in creating teaching philosophy statements, and various resources exist to support their development (e.g. Chism, 1998; Kenny, Jeffs, and Berenson, 2015; Schonwetter et al., 2002). However, few resources are available to help faculty in preparing educational leadership philosophy statements.

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5 Steps to Developing a Leadership Philosophy

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5 Steps to Developing a Leadership Philosophy

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"Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share. Be bold. Proclaim it everywhere. They only live who dare."

To be effective and inspiring as a leader, you must do what Voltaire describes in this quatrain. Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP) will empower you to declare YOUR truth and stand tall within it, to operate from a position of strength that ennobles you.

It is a common practice in all branches of the U.S. armed services for top-ranking officials to develop and declare their philosophy of leadership. The leadership program at the US Army War College in Pennsylvania includes an advanced course called "The Philosophy of Leadership." A prerequisite to that class is called "The Philosophy of Command." In other words, what seems like a long article here is just the starting point - you could take intensive classes about this very subject.

Before sharing and modeling your own PLP, you'll first need to do some of the work done in those classes to consider and craft a meaningful and genuine philosophy. This article will walk you through the steps needed. For more support, you can also use the samples and info on this resource page.

First, a definition of this thing called leadership philosophy. Philosophy is defined as:

Your personal foundation or belief in human nature.

A particular system of thought.

A system of principles for guidance.

An activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other.

Love of wisdom

From these definitions, you can extract some important ideas about the PLP you'll construct:

Philosophy is personal. There is no right or wrong.

Philosophy is something you choose. You can make a choice that is deliberate, intentional, based on reflection and determinations. Or, if you don't do that, you can have an accidental philosophy... one that is vague and unclear to others and, quite possibly, vague and unclear to even you.

Philosophy is meant as a foundation. Getting a solid core means you have clarity to guide decisions and a focus for sorting out all the competing inputs you get in a given day.

Here's one description of what it means to have a PLP. Please note the bolded verbs - we'll be using them as the five action steps in building your PLP.

"Successful Leaders know their Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP) andcommunicate it by living it passionately every day in all they say and do. They have taken the time todetermine who they are, their values and priorities. Theyknow their course and haveset their internal compass, which gives them greater self-knowledge, greater self-confidence, and improved effectiveness as a leader. This is accomplished bywriting a Personal Leadership Philosophy, which states the core values you live by, what you expect of your people, what they can expect of you, and how you will evaluate performance. "

- Ed Ruggerio, The Leader's Compass: A Personal Leadership Philosophy Is Your Key to Success

The action words in bold type are the steps we are going to follow so that you can craft your philosophy and effectively communicate it to others.
STEP 1:
...They have taken the time to who they are, their values and priorities...

Don't jump ahead. Until you work through these questions and have absolute resolve about your own values and priorities, you cannot develop a meaningful PLP. This is the most important step in our process. Take your time in reflecting on these questions:

What do you truly believe?

Which values do you refuse to compromise?

How comfortable are you with who you are?

What causes you to have these core values?

What is the single most important thing to you?

STEP 2:
...This is accomplished by a Personal Leadership Philosophy, which states the core values you live by, what you expect of your people, what they can expect of you, and how you will evaluate performance.

No short-cutting on this step either. These are the benefits of putting your PLP in writing:

Putting it in writing provides clarity, objectivity.

Putting it in writing implies you are serious.

Putting it in writing makes a commitment.

Putting it in writing keeps it consistent.

Putting it in writing causes you to self-reflect, to be sure you mean what you say.

Putting it in writing makes you accountable.

Putting it in writing makes it easier to share.

These benefits are primarily for you. It's you initially who needs clarity, commitment, consistency and accountability. Also, the process of putting something in writing forces us to take a step back and evaluate it more objectively. This leadership philosophy isn't something you want to do with emotion alone - you want thought and analysis to go into it, too. Writing it down will help it to be more balanced.
STEP 3:
Successful Leaders their Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP) and communicate it by living it passionately everyday in all they say and do. They have taken the time to determine who they are, their values and priorities. They their course...

Isn't this interesting? After all this reflection and writing, there is a wholly separate step related now to KNOWING your own personal leadership philosophy. Don't gloss over this!

You have to know your own PLP so well that you live and breathe it. If it is to guide your actions and provide examples to others of who you are and what you stand for, then you need to be intimately familiar with your PLP. This can't be an occasional thing that you bring out when it suits you... It needs to be a constant expression.

When you know your leadership philosophy, you also know your course of action. It's this knowledge that guides your decisions and choices.

These are the outcomes of knowing, in your bones, what you believe in and what you stand for:

Authenticity

Credibility

Consistency

Confidence

Believability

Trustworthiness

Clarity

Self-Assuredness

Determination

STEP 4:
...have their internal compass, which gives them greater self-knowledge, greater self-confidence, and improved effectiveness as a leader...

Once you determine, write down and get to know your own PLP, you can set yourself to live by it.

When you've done that, it's just as powerful as it sounds - imagine that you are no longer going to get lost in the woods and that you will always be able to find and navigate by a bright north star. Think of the confidence you'll project when you know exactly where you are going and no doubts about how you are going to get there. Others will notice, be inspired by this and be more willing and eager to follow you. And you will have fewer qualms about leading them.

What would it be like for you to have this level of clarity and confidence? You'll have:

Discernment (to uncover what you already know).

Clarity that points toward your truth.

Assurance that you won't get lost at crossroads.

An abiding ability to find your way.

Persistent confidence.

Inspiring effectiveness that others will want to follow.

Clear direction.

STEP 5:
...communicate it by living it passionately every day in all they say and do...

The first four steps helped you to craft your leadership philosophy. This step is equally important. But before you communicate your PLP, you must first take those set up steps so that you don't begin communicating before you are clear and certain in what you stand for. Your PLP isn't something that should change very often, so give it time to take shape and get it to a point where you can live with it for a good long time.

Our description is pretty clear in saying that the way you communicate your PLP is by living it passionately every day in all you say and do. That's a very high standard. But that's what it takes to be credible as a leader.

It all starts with getting clarity, first, for yourself so you can later communicate with clarity, conviction and credibility to others.
About the Author: Deb Calvert has worked as a Corporate Director in a Fortune 500 company and as a consultant, coach and trainer to nearly 400 businesses of all sizes. Deb is a certified executive coach, and a Top 50 Sales Influencer. She is Certified Master with The Leadership Challenge conducting workshops and coaching to help liberate the leader in everyone.

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5 Steps to Craft Your Own Personal Leadership Philosophy

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"Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share. Be bold.

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Hey school leader, what is your "Leadership IDENTITY?"

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The Essence of Authentic Leadership | Sean Georges | TEDxEvansville

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Leadership styles describe the differing types of leadership that leaders use. But what's your leadership style? Are you like a tech CEO or a world leader? More like Steve Jobs or Gandhi? Take this Leadership Styles Quiz and see what style of leadership you have!

Some are leaders and managers are competitive, others collaborative, and others structured. Research identifies four types of leadership styles: Pragmatist, Idealist, Steward and Diplomat.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

It's time to really understand your style. We're going to dig deep into leadership styles, but feel free to jump to any section that interests you:

Now that you have your personal leadership styles results, let's dig deeper into each of the four fundamental leadership styles: Pragmatist, Idealist, Steward and Diplomat. Here's a quick overview of the 4 types of leadership styles:

Pragmatists are driven, competitive, and they value hitting their goals above all else.

Idealists want to learn and grow, and they want everyone else on the team to do the same.

Stewards are dependable, loyal and helpful, and they provide a stabilizing and calming force for their team members.

Diplomats are the affiliative force that keeps groups together and typically build deep personal bonds with their employees.

Remember that leaders can be effective or ineffective within each of these four styles, and there are a million subtle variations, but these four leadership styles give us a way to pinpoint some major philosophical differences between leaders. Now let's take a deeper dive...

The Pragmatist Leadership Style

Pragmatists have high standards, and they expect themselves, and their team members, to meet those standards. Pragmatists are driven, competitive, and they value hitting their goals above all else. They can be bold thinkers, unafraid of visionary leadership, even when others feel anxious). They are also hard-driving and often enjoy smashing through obstacles.

Pragmatists rate very high on Challenge, moderately high on Directiveness and Structure, and much lower on Feeling.

Working for Pragmatists can be difficult but rewarding. The job is not for the faint-of-heart or thin-skinned, but the opportunities to learn and become expert under the Pragmatist's tutelage are second-to-none. The job can sometimes feel like an apprenticeship to a master artist or professor. This offers the potential for exceptional intellectual growth, but also for burnout and criticism. Their leadership skills provide a great situation for the right individuals, but employees who work for Pragmatists may find that bottom-line results can sometimes outpace softer measures like employee engagement.

The Pragmatist style is the least common of all the leadership styles, accounting for around 8-12% of American leaders. But, it's interesting to note that top-level executives have a higher percentage of Pragmatists than other groups, like Managers, Directors and Vice Presidents. Based on my observations, I consider Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) and Steve Jobs to be Pragmatists.

The Idealist Leadership Style

Idealists are high-energy achievers who believe in the positive potential of everyone around them. Idealists want to learn and grow, and they want everyone else on the team to do the same (they're very much a coaching leader). They're often charismatic, drawing others to them with their intuition and idealism. Their leadership skills are often quite refined, they're open-minded and prize creativity from themselves and others.

Working for Idealists offers the chance to be creative and to express oneself. Team members find they have an equal voice and that they learn by doing. Working for the Idealist often provides a very democratic experience. There isn't as much process and structure as with some other leaders (like Stewards), and that can be a plus or minus depending on the employee. Idealist leaders are often found doing creative work, brainstorming around a table with like-minded individuals. For the appropriate people, working for the Idealist is a great situation.

The Idealist leadership style accounts for about 15-20% of American leaders. And based on my observations, famous Idealists include Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook), Tony Hsieh (Founder of Zappos) and Meg Whitman (CEO of Hewlett-Packard).

The Steward Leadership Style

Stewards are the rocks of organizations. They're dependable, loyal and helpful, and they provide a stabilizing and calming force for their employees. Stewards' leadership behavior value rules, process and cooperation. They believe that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and they move only as fast as the whole chain will allow, taking care and time to help those who struggle to keep up.

Working for Stewards offers the chance to be part of a well-oiled machine. Here, employees find security, consistency and cohesion. The job may not offer great opportunities for individual glory or an adrenaline rush, but it does provide great opportunities for team success. Stewards can often be found in mission-critical areas of the organization and they are often relied-upon by leaders in other divisions. For the appropriate people, working for the Steward is a great situation.

Similar to the Idealist, the Steward leadership style accounts for about 15-20% of American leaders. And based on my observations, famous Stewards include George Washington, Mother Teresa and Ginni Rometty (CEO of IBM).

The Diplomat Leadership Style

Diplomats prize interpersonal harmony. They are the social glue and affiliative force that keeps groups together. Diplomats are kind, social, and giving, and typically build deep personal bonds with their employees. They're often known for being able to resolve conflicts peacefully (and for avoiding conflicts in the first place).

Working for Diplomats is often more fun and social than working for other leaders (especially the Pragmatists). Diplomats put less emphasis on challenging their employees, focusing instead on putting their people in positions that leverage their strengths in order to achieve success. Diplomats work to avoid having people feel uncomfortable or anxious. The Diplomat is an affiliative leader. Traditional measures of employee satisfaction are often very high for Diplomats. For the appropriate people, working for the Diplomat is a great situation.

The Diplomat is the most common of all the leadership styles, accounting for around 50-60% of American leaders. And it's interesting to note that, unlike the Pragmatists, top-level executives have a lower percentage of Diplomats than other groups, like Managers, Directors and Vice Presidents. Based on my observations, Mohandas Gandhi and David Glass (former CEO of Wal-Mart) would be examples of Diplomats.

One of the most popular questions about leadership styles is whether different departments employ different styles of leadership. And the answer is YES. As you can see in the chart below, for example, in Operations departments the Pragmatist style is twice as common as in Human Resources. And Finance uses considerably less of the Diplomat leadership style than for example, Marketing departments.

Contrary to what most business books would have you believe, there is no one right way or one perfect way to be a great leader (or even an effective leader). Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower were both incredibly successful leaders, but their styles were a study in contrasts. And leaders like Tim Cook from Apple, Sheryl Sandberg from Facebook, and Jeff Bezos from Amazon, are all successful leaders with wildly different approaches.

It seems intuitively obvious that leaders should embody and employ different leadership styles; companies aren't all the same, so why should their leaders be the same? And yet, every year there are a wealth of books purporting to illuminate the "one path" to great leadership. It's an absurd conceit, and a damaging one.

A different leadership style will be necessary at a hard-charging Wall Street investment bank than at a small community hospital in Mississippi.

The leadership style that works best for a team of ambitious, competitive go-getters (the Pragmatist) is not the style that works best for a group of affiliative collaborators (the Diplomat) or detail-oriented, rule-followers (the Steward).

Truly great leaders understand their leadership style, when to embrace it fully or dial it back, in which environments they are most likely to succeed, and how to choose followers who fit well with their leadership style.

It's great for every leader and manager and executive to be transformational rather than use transactional leadership or authoritarian leadership. And few people love working for autocratic leaders. But you can still be a transformational leader with any of the four primary leadership styles.

The essence of the situational leadership model is that there's no one perfect leadership style or one path to effective leadership. Instead, managers and executives should adjust their approach to the task at hand, including the abilities and willingness of the employees being led. In that regard, situational leadership and leadership styles are similar.

But one key difference in the leadership theory is that a good leader doesn't just adjust to the tasks and abilities of their followers; they also take into account the personalities, histories, and motivations of their people. The situational leader will evaluate the knowledge of their employees, but they typically miss their employees' unique personality styles. Here's what we mean:

If you're leading a team of ambitious, competitive, demanding and audacious goal-setters, the Pragmatist style is a good choice. This doesn't mean using an autocratic leadership style, it simply means that when you've got these types of followers, you can use a Pragmatist style and challenge them to achieve really big goals.

If your followers are driven by affiliation and teamwork, and if they're harmonious, forgiving, and highly collaborative, then the Diplomat style is ideal.

If your employees are detail-oriented, rule-following, consistent performers, then try the Steward leadership style. The Steward's emphasis on formal procedures, rules and policies, and on setting clear expectations, will work well here.

If your employees love learning, and they've thrived under more democratic leaders or a boss who practiced participative leadership, they'll generally respond very well to the Idealist's coaching leadership style.

The creator of servant leadership, Robert K. Greenleaf postulated that the servant leader should ask, "Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?"

With that definition, the Idealist and Diplomat leadership styles most closely resemble the servant leader.

Idealists are the closest style to servant leadership. They're high-energy achievers who believe in the positive potential of everyone around them. Idealists want to learn and grow, and they want everyone else on the team to do the same. They're often charismatic, drawing others to them with their intuition and idealism. They're open-minded and prize creativity from themselves and others.

Second would be the Diplomats, who put less emphasis on challenging their employees, focusing instead on putting their people in positions that leverage their strengths in order to achieve success. Diplomats work to avoid having people feel uncomfortable or anxious, and Diplomats are typically thought of as highly likable.

Transformational leadership describes leaders who inspire, empower, and stimulate followers to exceed normal levels of performance. And the research shows that a transformational leadership style delivers better results, like employee engagement, job satisfaction and even productivity, than does transactional leadership (a style whereby leaders foster compliance through punishments and rewards).

Now, here's the surprising part: All 4 types of leadership styles can act as transformational leaders; they each just do it in their own unique ways.

Pragmatists evidence transformational leadership by challenging and inspiring their team members to achieve bigger goals. For example, in the study Are SMART Goals Dumb? we discovered that only 14% people say that their goals for this year will help them achieve great things. But with the Pragmatist, those numbers can increase significantly.

Idealists are transformational by continually learning and growing, and encouraging everyone else to do the same. For example, in the study The State Of Leadership Development, we learned that only 20% say their leader always takes an active role in helping employees to grow and develop their full potential. But with the Idealist, that improves greatly.

Diplomats display transformational leadership by empowering and building deep personal bonds with their employees. For example, in the study The State Of Leadership Development, we see that only 26% of employees say their leader always responds constructively when employees share their work problems. But with a Diplomat, employees' concerns would always be responded to constructively.

Stewards act as transformational leaders by providing a stabilizing and calming force for their team members. For example, in the study Fewer Than Half Of Employees Know If They're Doing A Good Job, we know that only 29% of employees know whether their performance is where it should be, and that's causing major problems for employee engagement. But the Steward corrects that issue almost immediately.

Transactional leadership is focused on controlling and organizing, using primarily rewards and punishments as motivation. Unlike transformational leadership, which inspires and empowers followers, a transactional leader focuses on more on ensuring compliance.

Transactional leadership generally involves using formal power, reward power and coercive power. Formal power comes from having a title. It generally comes from a place in a hierarchy, so I have more power as a VP than I did as a director. I have more power as a director than I did as a manager, and so forth. Coercive power is the power that comes from being able to punish people; 'If you don't do this thing by Friday you will be fired.' Reward power is the flip side of that; 'If you do this by Friday, then you can take Monday off.'

The two leadership styles most susceptible to using transactional leadership are the Pragmatist and the Steward.

The Pragmatist is not someone who gives assignments and, as long as the work gets done well, leaves it up to the employee to determine how. The Pragmatist uses structured and directive leadership, and people who work for a Pragmatist can expect to receive clear and detailed instructions on exactly how tasks and projects should be performed. Like a transactional leader, this can include equally strong communications regarding performance expectations and the consequences of unsatisfactory work.

The Steward stresses stability and predictability, typically retains the final decision-making authority, tells employees exactly how tasks and projects should be performed and works harder and longer than anyone else on the team. If you work for a Steward, then there's no mystery around what happens if you fail to do your work satisfactorily; this management style makes consequences abundantly clear, before poor work has a chance to occur.

Participative leadership means that employees are involved in decision-making that would typically be the sole purview of managers and executives. This involves sharing the challenges facing the organization and then accepting input and responding constructively when employees share suggestions, ideas or information.

Democratic leadership takes participative leadership one step further. A democratic leadership style means that leaders actually allow employees to vote or determine a course of action. The democratic leader doesn't just solicit input, they let employees make the decisions.

The Diplomat is the style most likely to use democratic leadership. Here's an example. Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart, but his successor, David Glass, grew sales more than tenfold, to $165 billion and earnings soared from $628 million to $5.4 billion.

David Glass was quiet and egoless. In a Fortune interview, he said, "Most people have enough ego that they want to distinguish themselves from a charismatic leader, and that's what creates the problem. I've never had much ego, and I'm not worried about things like that. I'm more interested in the satisfaction that we are doing the right things and we're getting it done and being a part of it. I like being part of a winning team. I don't have to be the winning team."

One of the hallmarks of Diplomats is their tendency to put the needs of others ahead of their own. They're likely to care deeply about people, and support and cheer their success. And that is going to involve lots of participative leadership (and even democratic leadership).

Charismatic leadership occurs when a leader uses persuasiveness, influence and communication skills to motivate and inspire others. The charismatic leader's power comes not from their formal authority but from the power of their personality. It's very closely related to referent power. [You can test whether you're someone who uses referent power on the quiz Which Types Of Power Do You Use?]

But every one of the four leadership styles can display charismatic leadership. George Washington and Mother Teresa were Stewards and incredibly charismatic leaders. Mohandas Gandhi was a Diplomat and a historically charismatic leader. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a Pragmatist, and I think we would all agree that he had a remarkably charismatic leadership style.

That being said, of the 4 different leadership styles, the one that is likely to find charismatic leadership most natural is the Idealist.

Remember that Idealists are high-energy achievers who believe in the positive potential of everyone around them. Idealists want to learn and grow, and they want everyone else on the team to do the same. They're often charismatic, drawing others to them with their intuition and idealism. The Idealist is a collaborative leader, and they're open-minded and prize creativity from themselves and others.

Two of the characteristics that make someone charismatic are optimism and empathy, and Idealists have both of those qualities in spades. Optimism reflects the belief outcomes of events or experiences will generally be good or positive. And when the Idealist tells employees, "I believe you can be great at this," they're connoting optimism.

And empathy comes from being to see the world through another's eyes, to take their perspective. [You can test your empathy with the quiz Do You Know How To Listen With Empathy?] When the Idealist says to employees, "I love your creativity, walk me through your great idea," they're employing empathy.

Famous CEOs like the late Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are all Pragmatists. Why? Because each one is incredibly hard working, a visionary leader, focused on BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals), and they're willing to leave their comfort zone.

The Pragmatist pushes employees to work on strengthening their weaknesses, not just focus only on their strengths, and to give maximal, 100% effort. The Pragmatist doesn't ask employees to do anything that they're not willing to do themselves. They typically work harder and longer than anyone else on the team.

Elon Musk, a famously hard-working CEO, certainly challenges his people to a high level of performance, but he has also admitted in interviews to personally putting in long hours, even up to 100-hour work weeks, to achieve his big goals. (He can also be considered a pacesetting leader).

Jeff Bezos said, "If you want to be a pioneer, you have to get comfortable being misunderstood. In some ways it's a much more pleasant life, probably, we wouldn't know from personal experience, to not - you know, once you have something good just to hone it and hone it and hone it and not try anything new."

Steve Jobs offered one of the most famous statements of a visionary leader ever, noting, "At Apple, people are putting in 18-hour days. We attract a different type of person: a person who doesn't want to wait five or ten years to have someone take a giant risk on him or her. Someone who really wants to get in a little over his head and make a little dent in the universe. We are aware that we are doing something significant. We are here at the beginning of it and were able to shape how it goes. Everyone here has the sense that right now is one of those moments when we are influencing the future."

The Pragmatist style is the least common of all the leadership styles, accounting for around 8-12% of American leaders. But, it's interesting to note that top-level executives have a higher percentage of Pragmatists than other groups, like Managers, Directors and Vice Presidents.

This does not mean that CEOs can't employ other leadership styles. But, at least in the realm of legendary CEOs, a Pragmatist leadership style is fairly common.

Most people want a manager or executive who evidences a modicum of common decency, tolerates at least a bit of disagreement, and minimally shares some occasional good news. These are fundamental leadership behaviors that most followers desire and that, ideally, are embraced by all leaders, regardless of their leadership style.

There are also leadership behaviors that are fundamentally bad. I regularly receive emails from managers whose bosses are mentally and cognitively unfit to be leaders, and they'll ask something like, "Is there a management style that encompasses 'crazy?'" The answer is simply, "No." To even enter the discussion about one's leadership style, a person must first demonstrate some foundational mental, emotional and cognitive competence. We can discuss the leadership styles of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower because, even though they both made mistakes, they were mentally, emotionally and cognitively competent.

Perhaps you've witnessed someone in a leadership role who didn't cope well with ordinary stresses such as basic criticism or unflattering news. Or they lacked a basic grip on reality. Or they consistently demonstrated belligerent, instigating and vitriolic behavior. A person like that does not have a leadership style; they don't even deserve the moniker of leader. They may hold an impressive title, but they are not a leader. And aside from the rare masochist, no one loves following someone who displays those kinds of behaviors.

Autocratic leaders like control over decisions, like to control how people perform their work, and no, they're not especially warm-and-fuzzy. But while it's not a universally idealized leadership style, the study, "Autocratic Leadership: New Data Reveals Who Likes It" revealed that some people actually like autocratic leaders.

That being said, being an autocratic leader is best avoided, except in certain circumstances. Two of the key characteristics of autocratic leaders are that they believe that people should do what they're told and that they generally retain the final decision making authority. Unlike laissez faire leadership, these managers and executives maintain strict control. One note: This not the same as being an authoritarian leader, who wants personal dominance and obedience.

Of the 4 types of leadership styles, the Steward and Pragmatist are most susceptible to veering towards autocratic leadership.

In the ideal state, Stewards are dependable, loyal and helpful, and they provide a stabilizing and calming force for their employees. Stewards value rules, process and cooperation (To some people, Stewards can feel a bit like a bureaucratic leader). They believe that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and they move only as fast as the whole chain will allow, taking care and time to help those who struggle to keep up. This is the opposite of a laissez faire leadership style.

But when Stewards take that style too far, their rules can be overly rigid and their control can be stifling. Again, the Steward leadership style can be just as effective as any of the others, but when this style becomes extreme, autocratic leadership could become a dangerous temptation.

The same can be said of Pragmatists. Working for Pragmatists is often intense and not for the faint-of-heart or the thin-skinned. Bottom-line results will always outpace softer measures such as employee engagement. In the ideal state, the opportunities to learn and become expert under the Pragmatist's tutelage are second to none. The job can sometimes feel like an apprenticeship to a master artist or professor. But in the extreme, it can be exhausting and dictatorial. The Pragmatist is not a laissez faire leader, so lots of participation from employees is unlikely.

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Leadership styles describe the differing types of leadership that leaders use. Some are leaders and managers are competitive, others collaborative, and others structured. Research identifies four types of leadership styles: Pragmatist, Idealist, Steward and Diplomat.But what's your leadership style? Are you like a tech CEO or a world leader?

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CQ Net - Management skills for everyone!

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Authentic leadership emphasizes how a leader can gain legitimacy and build trust through developing honest relationship with followers (Avolio & Gardner, 2005). Authentic leadership is defined in the following way:

" A pattern of leader behavior that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical climate, to foster greater self- awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development." (Walumbwa et al., 2008 p. 94).

This approach to leadership focuses on the ethical dimensions of the relationship between follower and leader and describes those behaviors that result in a trusting relationship. Authentic leaders have a positive outlook on life and are truthful and open in their interactions with others. They build trust with their subordinates and generate enthusiasm for project which enables effective individual and team performance.

Many researchers and practitioners have advocated for organizations to embrace the concept of authentic leadership because it can lead to stronger relationships and a commitment to the vision of the organization. The authentic leadership approach advocates for ethical standards rather than a focus on profit (Garner, Cogliser, Davis & Dickens, 2011).

Authentic leadership consists of four components

The research on authentic leadership suggests that there are four major components including

1. self-awareness,

2. relational transparency,

3. balanced processing, and

4. an internalized moral perspective.

An authentic leader shows self-awareness through reflecting on their own strengths, weakness and values. An authentic leader truly knows themselves and values their gifts and recognizes their limitations.

When authentic leaders demonstrate relational transparency, they openly share their own thoughts and beliefs yet do not overly display their emotions to followers; they maintain a good balance.

Moreover, authentic leaders are balanced in their approach because they solicit opinions from subordinates and welcome opposing viewpoints and consider the value of these viewpoints in a fair manner.

Authentic leaders also display a strong moral code that they demonstrate in their relationships and decision-making; this ethical foundation resistant to external forces.

Authentic leaders are characterized by a high level of self-awareness

Some researchers have questioned whether authentic leadership includes a moral component because authentic leaders might be true to corrupt ideas. However, Bruce Avolio and other scholars have argued that faking ethical constraints is a sign of inauthenticity and that authentic leaders need to be both truthful and ethical.

Moreover, it is difficult to be self-aware, transparent, and balanced in processing information without the moral maturity associated with a positive personal value system (Avolio & Gardner, 2005). Authentic leaders show self-awareness through ensuring that their internal values reflect their behaviors and this process of self-regulation enables authentic leaders to withstand external pressure and influence.

Authentic leaders admit mistakes and share their successes

It is important to distinguish relational transparency from impression management. Authentic leaders do not engage in impression management strategies yet persist in aligning their core values with their intentions and behaviors within the firm. Both leaders and followers who engage in relational transparency have authentic relationships that derive from building trust and honesty. When a leader displays relational transparency they share both their strengths and weaknesses with others. They display authenticity through admitting when they make mistakes and sharing their successes with their subordinates.

Authentic leadership is connected with sharing feelings and motives

In displaying relational transparency, authentic leaders share their feelings and motives. Authentic leaders are connected with their values and morals and share these values openly with others. When authentic leaders show relational transparency they communicate openly and are "real in their relationships with others" (Northouse, 2013, p 264).

Without sharing sensitive information, authentic leaders are open and honest in a genuine way and choose to share appropriate information. This aspect of authentic leadership demonstrates high self-awareness because authentic leaders understand what drives them to do well and allows them to build strong and authentic relationships with their followers.

Authentic leaders have an internalized moral perspective

This level of relational transparency is based on authentic leaders having an internalized moral perspective so they regulate their behavior according to their moral values. This internalized moral perspective results in ethical decision-making and behavior. Moreover, authentic leaders balance information before making a decision and they based these decisions on their core set of values.

Organizations can implement authentic leadership programs

It also appears that organizations can implement authentic leadership programs to enable managers to become more authentic. The concept of authentic leadership is based on a mixture of individual differences and skills so is a multi-dimensional concept. These types of training and development programs can focus on allowing managers to become more self-aware so they are in tune with their values (Avolio, Griffith, Wernsing, & Walumbwa, 2009).

For organizations to gain a competitive advantage through positive leadership, researchers and practitioners have advocated for identification and development of authentic leadership. This CQ Dossier describes the four key components of authentic leadership with a particular focus on development of self-awareness in order for managers to process information more effectively, be transparent and honest with their subordinates, and to develop a strong moral core that is congruent with their values and ethics. The dossier also suggests that organizations can develop authentic leadership interventions that allow managers to become more self-aware.

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The power of authentic leadership: How legitimacy, ethics and positive psychology drive organizational performance | CQ Net - Management skills for everyone

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This CQ Dossier focuses on the topic of authentic leadership which emphasizes the importance of leaders building honest and transparent relationships with their followers. The dossier describes the key component of authentic leadership and also describes how organizations can best identify and develop these behaviors in management.

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https://hbr.org/video/5236216251001/what-makes-a-leader

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Emotional intelligence sets great leaders apart from the rest. Learn to recognize it in yourself and others with this 7 minute video slide deck. Download a customizable version in Subscriber Exclusives.

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Emotional intelligence, which at times is described as interpersonal skills, is the ability to not only identify and manage our own emotions, but to do the same regarding the emotions of others (Emotional, 2019).

My Emotional Intelligence Scores (10/23/2019)

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12 Types of Leadership Styles:
https://www.legacee.com/types-of-leadership-styles/
Comparison of Leadership Styles to Different Factors:
https://simpleask.net/leadership-styles-comparison/
·       Trait theory of leadership

Leaders are born with certain qualities and traits to better suit them for leadership.

·       Behavioral theory of leadership

Assumes leadership capability can be learned, behaviors can be conditioned.

·       Contingency theory of leadership

Leader’s effectiveness is contingent upon how their leadership style matches the situation. The leader must find out what kind of leadership style and situation he/she thrives in.

·       Contingency theories (can choose for example specifically Fielder's Contingency Model, Path-Goal Theory, or Leader-Member-Exchange Theory)

Leader-Member-Exchange Theory: Relationship-based approach focused on the two-way relationship between leaders and followers. Relationships are based on trust and respect and are often emotional, and extend beyond the scope of employment.

·       Charismatic leadership

Trait-based leadership theory which emphasizes leader’s ability to convince subordinates to work towards a specific vision. Relies on personal characteristics of leader.

·       Transactional leadership

Rewards/punishment – keeps followers motivated for the short-term.

·       Transformational leadership

Leaders encourage, inspire, and motivate employees to innovate and create change that will help grow and shape the future of the company.

·       Relational leadership

Leadership effectiveness is based on leader’s ability to create positive relationships within the organization.

·       Authentic leadership

Emphasizes building leader’s legitimacy through honest relationships with follower which value their input and are built on an ethical foundation. Authentic leaders are generally positive, honest people who promote openness.

·       Servant leadership

Leader’s main goal is to serve, as opposed to traditional leadership, where the main focus is the thriving of their company or organization.

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Emotional intelligence. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/emotional-intelligence