What it Means to Be a Great Leader

Yesterday, I came Live on Facebook with the first in series of Monday Night with Dr. Debbie to discuss something essential; the important traits of a leader. Before reading further, I'd suggest you head over and watch my Live where I discuss what is leadership, how is leadership defined, and what are the important traits of a leader.

What I'm going to be exploring here is a bit different. We will go further and talk about how effective leadership can transform the fate of an organization and how school leadership and spirituality go hand in hand.

The excerpts I include in this blog post are taken from my book Leading While Muslim, you can buy the complete book right here!

Qualities of a Great Leader

Research supports the fact quality leadership is crucial to any organization. Lao-Tzu believes that a leader who leads selflessly serves his or her people unconditionally, takes no credit in their success, but humbly performs as a catalyst to help them achieve their goals as a unit, is a leader who is respected, followed, and performs best.

There are so many definitions to being a leader, countless perspectives to how a leader must perform. Leadership roles are everchanging and it is difficult to measure its concept.

From chapter two of Leading While Muslim (p. 6), I've discussed the definition of leadership:

To influence an entire organization, the leader must be willing to incite change within the organizational groups. The qualities of persistence and commitment provide an individual with the courage to lead and create change among the people of an organization and such change can occur only through an intentional, sustained commitment by the leader of any organization.

School Leadership

Teachers are responsible for training the future generation. At Bridging Cultures Group Inc we work with teachers to train them in literacy, stress on the importance of special education and an inclusive school environment for all students regardless of their background, religion, and culture.

Having well-prepared principals at the helm of schools is an investment in creating positive school environments for both the faculty and the student body. School leadership training programs should emphasize to future leaders the importance of developing a set of principles that will be communicated in schools daily and that are reflective of the needs of students and staff.

On page seven of my book, I've included the following findings regarding school leadership:

... Leaders need to utilize care and compassion and must take responsibility for creating an environment in which the well-being of teachers and students is ensured. In addition, leaders’ ability to take special care to nurture those affected by their decisions is essential—for example, a teacher whose assignment has been changed.

The leader must attempt to understand the staff as individuals who are a part of a collective in which relationships are grounded in professionalism and humanity. The leader must lead by example and inspire others to serve alongside him or her.

... Leaders who dismiss the caring and nurturing dimension of leadership undermine the development of quality relationships and harm the school environment. School leaders equipped with the skill set to create nurturing school environments will motivate their school faculty to achieve a set of strategic initiatives.

... It is critical to establish a positive working environment to achieve high standards... that an effective school leader must make progress toward meeting local, state, and national standards.

My book, Leading While Muslim accumulates exclusive research findings, and interviews from fourteen American Muslim Principals who explain how global events, political discourse, and the media coverage of Islam and Muslims have affected their leadership and spirituality after 9/11.

School Leadership and Spirituality

A good school leader doesn't necessarily need to be religious. But spirituality is different from religion. Spirituality enables people to derive their motivation from providing value to others; to look beyond money, fame, and tangible achievements.

Research supports the following claims about school leadership and spirituality, I talk about it in the same chapter (p. 8):

... a school leader must be sincere and able to look beyond the mundane managerial responsibilities of the job to personalize the nature of his or her work. This head-and-heart approach to leadership invokes a spiritual dimension.

This connection between spiritual leadership and educational leadership is solidified as one begins to reorient his or her leadership as a deeply personal connection to oneself.

... the traits emblematic of a spiritual leader, including compassion, integrity, and perseverance, are not exclusive to spiritual or religious professions but can be cultivated only when a spiritual or deeply personal connection is forged.

A school leader must develop a sense of humility, and pass that on among teachers so that they lead their students with humbleness and modesty. The current state of education in America isn't improving by miles. We need innovative ideas to cater to the needs of the new generation.

To read more about spirituality and leadership, and key findings from the research on Catholic and Jewish experience of leadership in America, buy a copy of Leading While Muslim right here!

I will also be coming live every Monday Night at 8 PM with some value bombs! For more updates, like my page. Leave comments down below to show some love!