8 roles of symbolic leadership

The text mentions that everyone including principals, parents, teachers, staff members, and community leaders, should be a leader. The eight roles of symbolic leadership are critical in their own right. The historian seeks to understand the social and normative past of the school. The culture is made of all events concerning the school including those in the past and present. And this is directly related to the future goals of the organization. The saying "you have to know where you've been to know where you're going" applies here. School leaders are anthroplogical sleuths. They pay attention to the culture which includes the rites, rituals, and values held by the organization. This gives tremendous insight to the path and direction of the organization. The school leader also serves as visionaries. Knowing the past and present events of the school allows the leader to clearly identify what the school can become. Not only this but visionary leaders continually identify and communicate the hopes and dreams of the school. School leaders also serve as symbols. Leaders, their actions, demeanor, communication style, etc are constantly being watched. The issues the leader tends to and their actions communicate meaning. Even the issues the leader choose not to pursue communicate what is important to them. School leaders are potters. They shape the elements of the school, always with a clear idea of what the organization will look like. School leaders are poets. Through memos, mottoes, and conversation, leaders communicate with language. When considering other symbolic roles this is important. For instance, the visionary leader will find it beneficial to effectively and poetically communicate the vision for the organization. School leaders are also actors, performing in dramas. Critical events or major transitions open up the stage for dramas to be publicly acted out. This public showing can reaffirm cultural values and beliefs which are critical to the organization. Lastly, school leaders are healers. Change is inevitable. School leaders play an important role is transitions. Their acknowledgement of special events serves as affirmation to the rituals and values of the school. Stakeholders will take their cues from how the leader chooses to celebrate or ignore key milestones.

The end of chapter 15 ends with the following: "Schools are cautious and confusing cages where teachers, principals, and students try to create pockets of safety and sanity for themselves, reluctant to leave these safe quarters for parts unknown. Schools are also storehouses of our memories. To radically transform them is not simply risky; doing so can feel like institutional homicide." This passage reflects the underlying culture of many organizations. Those in the organization may feel boxed in and afraid to go against the norm. Their is always safety in things that are familiar. It is when we try to explore places unknown that we encounter anxiety, resistance, and opposition. Whether good or bad we know the results of the status quo. However, delving into a new arena could possibly result in failure. No one wants to be associated with failure whether individual failure or institutional failure. To change inevitably means to reprogram thinking. Because schools are storehouses of our memories, this will prove a difficult task. We will have to stray from things we know and the memories of the way things use to be. It is up to the leader to create an atmosphere that welcomes change for the better.

6 leadership styles

Goldman identified six leadership styles. These included:
1. Coercive-the leader demands compliance. “Do what I tell you.”
2. Authoritative- the leader mobilizes people toward a vision. “Come with me.”
3. Affiliative- the leader creates harmony and builds emotional bonds. “People come first.”
4. Democratic-the leader forges consensus through participation. “What do you think?”
5. Pacesetting-the leader sets high standards for performance. “Do as I do, now.”
6. Coaching-the leader develops people for the future. “Try this.”


The text mentions that coercive and pacesetting styles negatively affect climate and performance in the study. Coercive style leads to resentment and resistance while pacesetting style results in people getting overwhelmed and burned out. Authoritative style includes enthusiasm and a clear vision. Goldman’s data show that the authoritative leader had a positive impact on climate and performance. In order to effectively implement change, it seems that affiliative style will touch people’s emotions, therefore they may be more likely to willingly be involved in the process. The same may be true for democratic style. This style gets people to participate and forms a consensus. In this instance, participants may feel as if they have a stake in the process, therefore may truly put forth an concerted effort to implement change. I question authoritative style because although the leader moves people toward a vision, they may not have a valued stake in making the vision work or be a success. I believe the key to implementing change is to get people to realize the value of that change and how it will affect them and the organization. Once workers can envision change and see it as valuable to themselves and the organization, they will have a vested interest in seeing it work. Pacesetting and coercive styles could delay or even prevent the change process. Perhaps a mixture of authoritative, affiliative, democratic and coaching styles is best for implementing change.
I have seen affiliative and coaching styles at work after implementing a new accounting system. Workers feared and resisted the new system and it was up to leaders to express the importance of the team and show them the way. I have also been in a situation where the leader assumed that their way of completed a report was correct. Instead of asking for the input of others who work with the reports daily, the leader displayed a coercive and pacesetting style.

Personal leadership landscape

How do I define my role as a leader? The role of leader is defined by not only the leader but those who are being led. One of the roles of leader is to progress the staff and organization. In order to do this, the leader must realize the abilities of staff. For leaders, this may require more or less hand holding or more or less input and directions. Once a leader realizes the staff's abilities, it is a clearer path to realizing their potential. Also organizations are constantly being bombarded with changing conditions and forces which require a response. Whether it is a tough economic climate which draws minimal financial resources or a new competitor, an organization must be able to adequately weather the storm. In these situations, it is the responsibility of the leader to ensure that the organization is able to come out on top. This includes the ability to predict hardships and foresee conflicts. It also means having a plan in place before problems surface. It means building a solid team of staff with the aid of confidence and trust. The role of leader is constantly changing with the ever changing environment. A leader's role is to guide her team through those changes.
What inspires the best in staff? To answer this question, I think it is best to ask who inspires the best in staff? It is the leader that is able to tap into what is important and what matters to staff. In order for this to occcur, the leader must intimately know what motivates and drives the staff and ultimately the organization. I have always believed that a company's best asset is its people. When they are put first the rest will align and fall into place. I firmly believe in human potential. It is up to leaders to guide staff in realizing their potential.
What are my strengths? I consider the ability to realize not only your own potential but that in others to be a strength. This is the only way that growth as an individual and an organization can occur. Although some may consider it a weakness, I consider my ability to realize my limitations is a tremendous strength. Another strength is helping to empower people. Helping someone to realize their own talents and potential is a rewarding feeling.