LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Every person is a leader waiting to be unleashed (International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), 2007:3). Some people are born leaders while others have to work hard to master leadership skills. Whichever school of thought one favours, being a leader remains a process of gaining more

skills/behaviours and honing current skills/behaviours. Gomez (2007:281) asserts that the importance of leadership in organisations has increased and leadership training and development are increasingly regarded as instruments of organisational change and a method of linking people‟s performance with organisational strategy.

Adding to the existing formal leadership education and training at tertiary institutions, other leadership type training programmes have been developed for leaders and managers in both the private and public sectors (IFLA, 2007:3).

Hellriegel et al (2006:303) state that leadership development may take various appearances: on the job learning, formal assessment and training and coaching and mentoring.

2.3.1 Learning on the job

Learning on the job is important in all spheres of managerial work. Leadership development starts when an employee is requested to perform certain tasks and to manage and supervise other employees in doing so. Unfortunately, many highly skilled workers are thrown in on the deep end when they are promoted to leadership positions. Although skills obtained this way may be valuable, it does not present the ideal situation. Hellriegel et al (2006:303) argue that learning on the job is an excellent way to develop leadership capacity. Senge (1996:2) points at mentoring action learning as another concept for meaningful learning on the job. He argues that if leaders are unable to learn on the job, they will not learn anywhere else.

Chapman and Cilliers (2008:67) emphasize that having developed a theory (during formal training), the individual needs to engage the extension dimension and actively experiment within the collective environment. One can therefore not become a leader through formal training in leadership only. In practice, situations unfold that will connect the theory to practice and the leader then starts to gain experience.

2.3.2 Formal assessment and training

Many organisations now recognise the importance of a theoretical foundation for leadership and they either send their employees for formal leadership training or have in-house training programmes. Formal assessment and training programmes normally include assessment of the leader‟s current approach to leadership which is then augmented with skills to enhance the student‟s effectiveness as a leader.

2.3.3 Coaching and mentoring

When an individual is placed in a position of authority, a mentor (which is usually a senior) is assigned to guide him. In doing so, the mentor helps the trainee to develop into a better leader. The mentor particularly helps the trainee to understand how other people respond to specific behaviours and he focuses attention on weaknesses and problem areas. Such mentors also serve as role models which the trainee can emulate. Poon (2006:1) states that mentoring is a mechanism to achieve significant leadership development.

Cilliers (2005:23) asserts that coaching techniques include direct behaviourally- based feedback and interpretations about the executive‟s impact on others, both within and outside of the organisation, thus creating opportunities for change and demanding accountability for the outcome. It is believed that the measurable behavioural change in the individual or team will result in increased performance of the individual, team and organisational levels. The implementation of coaching and mentoring as a leadership development strategy in educational settings needs to be seriously considered.

2.3.4 Comprehensive leadership development programmes

Bush (2003:33) proposes that leadership development programmes include the following guidelines:

 Given the significance of instructional leadership, these programmes should have a clear focus on learning - the chief purpose of schools - and on the teaching required to promote effective learning. Training is pivotal to ensure that leaders at all levels are able to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning and are willing and able to implement strategies such as classroom observation as part of the evaluation process.

 The continuing endorsement of transformational leadership in the literature as well as in formal policy statements, suggests a need for programmes aiming at the development of the portfolio of skills required to „transform‟ schools. These skills include developing an explicit vision for the school which inspires teachers and other stakeholders to work towards a better future.

 To avoid the problems that may be associated with transformational leadership, including the potential for the manipulation of followers, it is important for leaders to develop a participative or team approach which involves staff and others in the process of visioning rather than them passively accepting the leader‟s personal vision.

 Training should include management as well as leadership to ensure effective implementation of the vision.

 The contingency model suggests a requirement for leaders to develop a portfolio of leadership styles. They need to be able to carry out an effective situational analysis in order to illustrate that they are able to adapt their approaches to the specific context.

In view of the preceding discussion on leadership models it becomes apparent that persons in leadership positions need to apply a wide range of different approaches in managing and leading people. Although leadership styles applied in different scenarios differ, no significant difference exists across different settings in which leadership is required. Leadership thus remains essentially the same in the marketplace, the police and the education sector.

There is, however, a need to highlight the specific skills and competencies a school leader should have at his disposal to manage a school successfully.

2.4 SKILLS INVOLVED IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND