TERM 3, 2020
F E AT U R E
13
He begins well enough, by enthusiastically describing his joy this morning at the return to school; literally jumping out of bed at the first ring of his alarm as he couldn’t wait to get back to work supporting and developing the young people who would be coming to school in the year ahead. In his next breath, he tells us that, of course, if his lottery
Trump-style or more Ardern?
numbers had come up over the summer, he would
Biologists identify just two styles of leadership – the dominator and the influencer. As current world events have shown, these styles have different levels of effectiveness. So how do they play out in schools?
reveal the underlying self-centred nature of his
not have been here, instead enjoying his new found wealth in more salubrious surroundings. For me, this vignette typifies the ‘dominator’ style of school leader. This head teacher attempted to coerce a positive energy in the room through an exaggerated enthusiasm that quickly gave way to personality. He could not hide for more than a few
BY G O RDON CAIRN S IT is the first day back at work after a long northern hemisphere summer holiday and it is fair to say the general mood of the teaching staff in the assembly hall is flat. Very flat. Everyone is wishing they were anywhere but here as their body clocks try to adjust to the earliest rise they have had in weeks and their minds slip forward to envisaging the coming problematic months. After a few minutes delay, the head of
minutes how he actually felt about the return to work, believing his own personal agenda was more important than any vision he might share with his staff.
school confidently strides up to the podium to
Of course, he is not alone in this style of leader-
deliver his welcome address to the throng, who are
ship. The world’s response to both COVID-19 and
willing him to set the tone and deliver inspiration to
the upcoming US elections has brought into sharp
take on the challenges of the upcoming year.
focus the different natures of the people we
