School Leadership Timelines
Past
18 to 25 years
My encounters with people in leadership positions and observations about their leadership styles and skills have changed my perception of leadership over the past ten years by exposing me to various leadership concepts. One of the events that exposed me to leadership concepts, such as leadership style and approaches and their impact on others, was a community marathon event organized by an NGO in our community. The event’s main agenda was to allow community members to participate in a marathon to raise funds for cancer patients. Event participants were required to purchase a t-shirt that cost $10 as their contribution to the cancer treatment funding program and run with other community members within the selected route. The NGO hired volunteers from the community to ensure that everything ran smoothly during the event. I took advantage of this opportunity and joined the event as a volunteer. My main role was to hand out water to the runners. I was also actively involved in the planning process because the NGO relied on community members to get ideas on how they could make the event successful. Therefore, I occasionally attended meetings where the team leader would address all the people involved in planning the event. The meetings taught me a lot about leadership and made me develop an interest in becoming a leader.
The marathon event was important to me because I was approximately 18 years old, trying to figure out the best career for me and discover my strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, I was keen to observe the different roles of the people in the NGO to determine whether I was fit for any of the roles. I also used the opportunity to learn more about leadership. The main thing that I learned was that leaders should not emphasize giving orders to their followers but should collaborate with them to make the best decision. For example, the team leader gave every team member a chance to share their opinion on what should be done before concluding on the best course of action. This helped me develop a sense of belonging and gain more interest in learning about effective leadership to eliminate my misconceptions about how leaders should interact with their followers.
The second key event was a strategic management conference organized by my former employer. The conference was a three-day event that brought together small business owners to exchange ideas on strategic management. My main role during the event was coordinating the speakers to ensure everyone could express their opinions and ideas within a specific timeframe. During that time, I was approximately 25 years old. Therefore, I was confident in addressing the business owners and informing them about the rules and procedures that should be followed during the event since some small business owners were within my age group. I was also determined to learn something new about leadership to boost my career development in leadership. Some leaders also inspired me to continue pursuing my leadership career because of the leadership achievements they had made at a young age and their vision. I also learned a lot about leadership, such as the alignment of leadership style and approach with the situation and desired goals and objectives through my interactions with the leaders and listening to their ideas during their presentations. The main thing that changed my approach toward leadership was the relationship between motivation, power, and influence. I learned that leadership requires maintaining a balance between influence and power to keep followers motivated and gain their support.
Future
2024 to 2044
The past ten years have shaped my interest in leadership based on my interaction with leaders and what I have learned about leadership from the interactions. Therefore, moving forward, I would like to focus on improving myself as a leader and setting a good example for other leaders. I would also like to develop a successful career as a leader with leadership experience in different positions within my workplace and other organizations. One of the events I can envision that will influence me as a leader is being promoted from junior teacher to school principal within the next five years. The promotion will require accepting more responsibilities and becoming an effective leader because principals influence the performance of learning institutions based on their ability to create a conducive learning environment. My leadership identity will also evolve because I will be considered an executive leader, thus increasing what people expect from me. Therefore, I need to continue learning more about leadership by interacting with effective leaders and reading case studies on effective leadership to prepare myself for what to expect and how to respond appropriately so that I am well-prepared for the new role as the school principal and any other executive leadership position that I may hold within the next 20 years. I also intend to learn how to embrace and cope with change because the promotion will likely trigger many changes in my work environment. For example, the promotion will change how I interact with colleagues and my job demands. Therefore, I need to manage these changes effectively to become an effective leader and meet stakeholders’ expectations hence the need to learn more about change management.
The second event that is likely to happen and will influence me as a leader is changing my job. I envision joining the healthcare sector as a registered nurse, clinician, or pharmacist within the next 20 years. Leadership in the healthcare sector may differ from leadership in other sectors because the healthcare sector deals with saving people’s lives. I plan on saving money to pay for a medical course so that I can join the sector within the next five years and start developing my leadership career in the sector to establish a business in the healthcare sector as a retirement plan. Therefore, my identity as a leader may change when I become a leader in the healthcare sector because I will be in charge of making decisions that impact patient outcomes and the safety of healthcare providers and patients. I also need to stay prepared to handle disasters such as outbreaks because of the high likelihood of such disasters occurring in the healthcare environment and their substantial negative impact on patients and staff if they are not appropriately addressed. Therefore, I need to begin learning how to supply various leadership styles in different contexts to prepare myself for leadership positions within the healthcare sector. I also need to interact with leaders in the healthcare sector to learn about various leadership concepts within the sector. I also need to stay updated on leadership trends that may impact my job change from being a leader in the education sector to a leader in the healthcare sector.
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Question
Assignment: Leadership Timelines
Focus NYS Leadership Standard: 6
Draw two leadership timelines. (Past and Future)
Begin the first timeline with your earliest memories and continue to the present.
Highlight the key events that taught you about leadership, noting your approximate age and a brief description of the event.
What are the key milestones in your leadership journey? Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
• An example of leadership from someone else (perhaps from a parent, a coach, or even a peer)
• A time when you learned first-hand about what it means to lead (perhaps the first time you led a team, or influenced someone else)
• A book or a film
• An event in the news
• A course you took
For the second timeline, think about yourself in the future. What are the possible events that you can envision happening that will influence you as a leader and how your leadership identity will evolve? You can pick a future timeframe as you see fit, but it is suggested to look 20 years or more out. You may see that the next 5 years are predictable, whereas 15, 20, or 30 years out has many possibilities. Some things to think about charting:
• An anticipated or desired promotion
• Milestones for you or your immediate family members that might impact your leadership
• Children moving out of the house
• Retirement
• Completion of degree or certification
• An anticipated or desired trip
• An anticipated or desired job change
Incorporate key learnings from future experiences, such as desired trips or further education.
Remember to adapt these suggestions to your personal experiences and aspirations. The timeline is a tool for reflection and goal-setting, helping you map out the key events that contribute to your leadership journey.