This article reflects one part of a research study about the need for dynamic leaders to exercise social and political acumen. As part of the study, I interviewed 10 principals who had been nominated as dynamic leaders. The interview questions focused on the principals' experiences and their understanding of the role of social and political acumen…

In this article, the author argues that administrators should not overlook their nurturing, supportive, even ministerial role. He also argues that those who would create learning communities would do well to embrace it. It was Mohandas Gandhi who said, "I can say without the slightest hesitation and yet in all humility, that those who say…

This article builds a conceptual framework to examine how school leaders can move away from a planning framework that emphasizes only short-term target setting and move to an effective strategic approach. It examines early evidence from research on what dimensions are critical in establishing a strategically focused school within a medium-term…

This article explores the nature of strategic leadership and assesses whether a framework can be established to map the dimensions of strategic leadership. In particular it establishes a model which outlines both the organizational abilities and the individual characteristics of strategic leaders.

There seems to be a growing divide between what school leaders recognize as important and how they actually behave. A recent survey in "Assessing Educational Leaders" (Reeves, 2004) revealed that administrators have an intellectual understanding of the right things to do, yet lack the fundamental ability to act on this knowledge. In fact, the…

This qualitative, grounded theory study focuses on global leadership and global leadership development strategies from the perspective of people from three developing countries, Brazil, India, and Nigeria. The study explores conceptualizations of global leadership, the skills required to lead effectively in global contexts, and recommended…

The research for this study describes the organizational characteristics and the personnel behaviors distinctive to high-achieving rural school districts. A comparison between two rural school districts, one high-achieving and the other low-achieving was completed using a survey instrument. The Baldrige National Quality Program instrument was…

This article introduces a project, School Leadership for Quality Global Learning, which focuses on the relationship between leadership at different levels within educational institutions and quality global learning. The article outlines briefly the changing societal context within which education is operating currently before exploring key ideas,…

Through a case study, I address the position that academic advising can be viewed as a developmental process. I present my specific experiences in applying Hersey and Blanchard's model of situational leadership (1969) during academic advising sessions. The model demonstrates that effective leadership is based on the appropriate balance of a…

Purpose--This paper seeks to explore principals leadership in successful Indonesian secondary schools from the perspectives of multiple sources of data. Design/methodology/approach--Inspired by the ISSPP, three schools which met the set criteria of successful schools were selected to be the cases for this study. Within each, individual or group…

This study examined variable and pattern approaches to studying the influence of individual differences on both leadership emergence and leader effectiveness. Emergent leaders were identified and then followed for 9 months of effectiveness data gathering. Bivariate correlation and regression analyses were complemented by person-based analyses.…

Adaptive expertise, an individual's ability to perform flexibly and innovatively in novel and unstructured situations, could have particular relevance for expedition and outdoor leaders. This element may be recognized in leadership practitioners who are able to act more effectively when problem-solving in complex, ambiguous and unpredictable…

This article proposes that effective leadership in intercultural schools requires authentic understanding and related action; and that this can only be sought through a dedication to ongoing leadership learning. After briefly introducing the metaphor of authentic leadership, outlining the influence of culture on school leadership and the context…

When describing a favorite leader, people frequently struggle to express the deeply meaningful and personal relationship they had and the life- and career-altering impact that relationship had on them. During the last 30 years, the author has asked teachers about their most effective leaders, and he has come to the conclusion that it is not so…

The College Board, NASSP and ASCA believe that the principal-counselor relationship is a dynamic and organic relationship that evolves over time in response to the ever-changing needs of a school. The goal of an effective principal-counselor relationship is to use the strength of the relationship to collaboratively lead school reform efforts to…