Leadership+Worksheet

**Educ 726—Administration** **Dr. Jim Lehmann** **Leadership Skills Worksheet** A Dozen Leadership Skills: --Jot a few notes about each and give individual thoughts on ranking.


 * Listening
 * 1) Is a 2-way conversation, otherwise it is a top-down directive - Laura (1)
 * 2) I think listening is the most important as it plays a role in every other skill -- Kate (1)
 * 3) This is vital to leadership; One must be able to create and facilitate dialogue, ask questions, hear the needs and desires of others and communicate them back effectively. Progress cannot be made without shared purpose and reflective listening. -- Monica (1)
 * 4) Just like Laura said, it is a two way conversation, and a leader needs to lead, but listen is just as important.--Kelly (1)
 * 5) I agree with all of you that listening is so important in communication; Besides listen to each other, it's also important to listen to new members of the staff.--Jingfang (1)


 * Being a Visionary
 * 1) Short-term thinking keeps solutions away in the long-term versus doing the same thing over and over expecting different results - Laura (4)
 * 2) It is important to be innovative in education. Our students are changing, the job market is changing, and we need to help prepare for the future.--Kate (5)
 * 3) Requires reflection; One must be able to understand shared goals and create long term visions to prevent an organization from becoming stagnant. Being a visionary is being proactive. -- Monica (5)
 * 4) I think every organization, leader, educator, needs to have goals and visions, and its important to use this as a drive to be successful.-- Kelly (3)
 * 5) Common goals are one of the crucial elements in leading the organization to be successful. It's worthwhile to spend time and energy to set up the long term vision. --Jingfang ( 5 )


 * Decision-making
 * 1) Building a consensus - Laura (2)
 * 2) It is important to be decisive as a leader so that the group has a sense of direction.--kate (4)
 * 3) This requires confidence. Ideas are great but an individual must be able to understand the needs of a group and what solutions will enable the group to move forward in an effective and productive way. An individual cannot seek to only please the majority but must keep in mind what is best for the group.-- Monica (4)
 * 4) Making decision is hard, and it is important for people to make decisions that help a group move forward.-- Kelly (5)
 * 5) Monica, I agree with you that decision-making requires confidence. It also requires courage and experience. ---Jingfang (4)


 * Coaching


 * 1) This is versus telling some how to do something, teaching so when they are on their own, they'll know what to do - Laura (8)
 * 2) When I think of coaching I think of working with peers where everyone encourages each other though one may be "responsible" for the group. We are all working toward the same goal.--Kate (8)
 * 3) Initiating conversation and asking questions that will enable individuals to learn and grow. Coaching requires trust, respect, and rapport. People rely on this individual for knowledge; they trust that this individual knows what they are teaching. -- Monica (8)
 * 4) I think coaching others is very important...helping guide others is something a leader needs to possess.-- Kelly (9)
 * 5) For me, coaching is like to share the common goals and clear about the expectations ---Jingfang--8


 * Being Creative


 * 1) Out-of-the-box thinking -- especially with what education has to do currently with scarce resources - Laura (7)
 * 2) Being able to improvise and explore new solutions is important to decision-making, problem-solving, etc.--kate (9)
 * 3) One must be able to use various resources and ideas. As the world around us is constantly changing, creativity is essential for an organization to stand out and succeed. -- Monica (10)
 * 4) Being creative to empower others, mentor others, etc is a great benefit to have as an individual.--Kelly (12)
 * 5) Being creative is to initiate new ways to accomplish the goals. --Jingfang (7)


 * Problem-solving


 * 1) Problems will always exist - solving them is imperative if we want the problems to stop - Laura (3)
 * 2) I see problems as common place day to day issues. The ability to make a decision and listen aid this skill. --Kate (7)
 * 3) not being afraid to raise issues and address concerns; cannot always be focused on pleasing everyone; must be willing to see problems and needs as they arise and be willing to work towards a timely solution -- Monica (3)
 * 4) Problems always arise in organizations of in schools, and it is important to be able to provide soluations and work with others to solve any problem.--Kelly (7)
 * 5) Besides what you have mentioned above, problem-solving should also be ongoing and consistent. It definitely requires techniques and experience. (Jingfang 3)


 * Presenting Information
 * 1) Clear communication avoids confusion. Miscommunication, such as "I thought you meant ...." avoids mistakes - Laura (11)
 * 2) Well-stated Laura. I think that how information is presented can be important as well. Is it organized? Is it engaging?--Kate (12)
 * 3) Relaying information in a clear, concise and understanding way is important. Ideas and solutions are great, but if they are not communicated to the other members of a group in a way that is convincing and clear, then others may not follow.-- Monica (11)
 * 4) This is important if done clearly...---Kelly (11)
 * 5) Presenting information also includes clarify standards information, detailed job description and give feedbacks. (11)


 * Empowering Others
 * 1) Otherwise you have a dictator-style organization. Let others help and lead and have a stake in the decision process and thus the end result - Laura (5)
 * 2) I think this is a key skill for developing leadership capacity. It means that the program is not dependent on a single person--Kate (2)
 * 3) Delegating to others is important. Encouraging others to step forward and contribute can enable them to lead and share in the responsibility. -- Monica (9)
 * 4) To get others excited and involved is crucial...and when others are empowered, much more can be accomplished together.--Kelly (2)
 * 5) Empower others is very important by setting high expectations and believe that the staff is able to accomplish the tasks. Jingfang (2)


 * Positive Reinforcement
 * 1) Negativity breeds negativity - Laura (12)
 * 2) Yes, we need to feed positivity. Also encouragement goes a long way to make a person feel valued.--Kate (6)
 * 3) One must acknowledge, encourage, and validate the individuals on their team. People want to feel appreciated, respected, and valued. (6)
 * 4) Positive reinforcement goes a long way in many different situations.--Kelly (4)
 * 5) Giving constructive feedbacks and setting up a system to celebrate each task which is completed in a timely and professional manner-- Jingfang (6)


 * Mentoring
 * 1) Lead by example - Laura (9)
 * 2) I think this is an important step for leadership growth--new teachers start out dependent and need a system for becoming independent, interdependent, etc. --Kate (3)
 * 3) Leaders should seek to train up other leaders and not be content to lead on their own. This involves modeling, coaching, and providing feedback. Opportunities to share knowledge and practice leadership skills should be given -- Monica (7)
 * 4) As a new teacher, I know how important it is for me to have a mentor...and for someone who has knowledge, it is wonderful when they can share that knowledge.--Kelly (6)
 * 5) Mentoring includes coaching, modeling, training and giving feedbacks.Jingfang (9)


 * Managing Conflict
 * 1) They are always 2 sides to a story; there are different personalities and self-interests. It is important to note that yours is not the only voice - Laura (6)
 * 2) I see conflicts as bigger "problems"--more long standing than day to day. If a leader is effective, there should be few conflicts. --Kate(10)
 * 3) Conflict always arises and is unavoidable. One must be able to listen, create dialogue and understand each side of the situation while promoting problem solving skills to reconcile the situation in the most productive and respectful way possible. -- Monica (2)
 * 4) Just like problem solving, managing conflict is crucial in an organization. If it is ignored things can get extremely worse.--Kelly (7)
 * 5) Managing conflict is one aspect of problem solving.--Jingfang (10)


 * Facilitating Meetings


 * 1) Knowing how to run a meeting is important, otherwise very little gets done - Laura (10)
 * 2) I think most of the other skills play into facilitating a meeting. If we have coaching skills, listening skills, etc we are better facilitators.--Kate (11)
 * 3) This is important for exchanging information and communicating in an effective way. A leader must be able to address what is pertinent, eliminate what is unnecessary and create a safe atmosphere where individuals feel comfortable sharing. -- Monica (12)
 * 4) Meetings are important, and being able to facilitate one is a skill...a much needed skill.--Kelly (10
 * 5) Facilitating meetings means creating interactive time during the meeting, respecting each individual voice. --Jingfang (12)