Leadership is an important aspect of the managerial function, aiming to motivate an organization’s members to carry out their work effectively. Indeed, a leader can be perceived as a person who exercises his/her influence over organizational members in such a way that they feel encouraged to follow him/her willingly. Given that this influence cannot be left to luck, leadership presupposes that the person in this role of responsibility, such as a school head, has the skills necessary to lead effectively. In the case of a school head, in order for this to happen, they should have the ability to combine both material and human resources in a way that optimizes school performance.
This chapter:
Clarifies the terms “leadership” and “leader”, looks at various ways of exercising influence over colleagues and provides a general overview of leadership
Examines the models of leadership behaviour, analyses the leadership skills that school heads should possess/acquire and presents examples of how emotional intelligence can be applied in a school’s working environment
Addresses development paths for educational managers and also identifies the root causes of leaders’ failures
Finally presents case studies from real school scenarios