LEADERSHIP

Developing Leadership for Early Childhood

Developing Leadership for Early Childhood

Introduction

Leadership is the ability to convince people to follow a path they have never taken, to a place they have never been—and, on finding the journey successful, to do it over and over again. The term leadership also describes the individual or group of individuals who lead (Blackmore, 2004), and although the word has two different but closely related meanings, both describe the ability to get results through the efforts of others. To clarify what leadership is in more depth requires an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a leader, and the characteristics of strong leaders and leadership. Perhaps of equal importance to the definition of leadership is understanding the consequences of strong leadership or the the consequences of weak or no leadership. After all, leadership is about getting results through the efforts of others.

For Day Nursery to be successful, the one ingredient that is not optional is strong leadership. Leadership starts with a single leader at the top—usually with a title like chairman, managing director, president, or CEO. If a weak leader holds this position, the leaders in other parts of the organization will become frustrated, demotivated, and often leave the organization. Without a strong leader at the top, the organization that has strong leaders in other positions will be pulled hither and yon as each pursues his or her own direction, taking along some part of the organization.

To start, what is the role of a leader, and hence of leadership, and what is the most important aspect of leadership? The answer is “To take people to places they would be afraid to go alone.” To do that, a leader must understand the roles and responsibilities of leadership. The role of leadership is

To create a clear understanding of the current reality, and a healthy dissatisfaction with the current situation

To help develop a shared vision of a more desirable future situation or objective

To create the belief that there is a viable path from the former to the latter

To create an environment in which people are motivated to embark on the journey to achieve that future

The responsibilities of leadership are as follows:

To help the organization remove or overcome obstacles on the journey

To assure that the resources needed for the journey are available or can be obtained

To provide encouragement, honest feedback (positive or negative), and continued support during the journey

To take part in the journey

But is it true that “leaders are born, not made”? Is leadership something the leader has in his or her genetic makeup, or can leadership be taught or learned? The answer is that leadership cannot be taught per se, but leadership can be role-modeled and emulated.

Is there much “unrealized leadership” in most people? The amount varies, and the circumstances under which it emerges (if ever) depend on whether it is needed, the other potential leaders available to act as role models or to assume the leadership role and responsibilities, and the risks involved in assuming a leadership ...