Good Leaders

Can leadership qualities be measured? It turns out the answer is yes. Robert Mann, author of "The Measure of a Leader," has spent the last 43 years developing leadership appraisal tools. Originally created to help the Ontario school system to train principals, his methods can help any leader identify weaknesses and strengths.

When he started his research, Mann says, he expected to identify personality traits of good leaders. It turned out, leaders' personalities vary widely but, he says, whatever their persona, there are specific behaviors that will make a leader effective. The good news is that you can learn these behaviors, or help an employee with leadership ambitions learn them:

1. Good leaders have a mission and inspire others to join them.

"What is the organization's purpose?" Mann asks. "You must be able to understand that and communicate it to a group of people such that they will commit themselves to it. And you have to have a strategy for them to follow to achieve that mission."

2. Good leaders create strong organizations.

"The leader has to have a good grasp of what the company is organized to do," he says. "What's the most efficient way of producing what it's organized for?" This is important because the leader needs to understand and manage not only the mission but also the structure of the organization, with sub-leaders who are also important to the company achieving its goals.

3. Good leaders have strong interpersonal skills.

"Interpersonal behavior will very strongly affect how people feel about the organization's goals, and whether working toward those goals is worthwhile," Mann says.

4. Good leaders are good motivators.

But that doesn't necessarily mean everyone loves them. "Some leaders rely on the exercise of power--coersion--to motivate employees," Mann says. A second way to motivate is by the exercise of authority granted to a leader who's proved superior ability or skill or commitment. "A third way to motivate is with charisma, so that people are drawn to the leader."

Most good leaders use all three forms of motivation, he adds. "But there's usually one that dominates. The interesting thing is it doesn't seem to matter which." Different situations call for different forms of motivation, he says. "You have to adapt your performance to the culture of your organization."

Jemputan sebagai penceramah bagi Kursus Kepimpinan AJK Tertinggi Kokurikulum di Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Indahpura 

Tarikh:    14 Mac 2014 (Jumaat)

Masa:      10.00 pagi hingga 12.00 tengah hari

Tempat:   Pusat Sumber SMPK Vokasional Indahpura, Kulaijaya, Johor

 Anakku

Wahai

anak-anakku yang dikasihi

bangunlah, bangunlah

dari tidurmu dan lenamu

Wahai

anak-anakku yang disayangi

sedarlah, sedarlah

dari lekamu dan lalaimu

Wahai

anak-anakku yang ditatangi

sedarlah bahawa

pada abad ke-21 ini

betapa pentingnya pendidikan

untuk memajukan dirimu

Wahai

anak-anakku yang disanjungi

belajarlah rajin-rajin

usahalah bersungguh-sungguh

Demi

untuk mengharungi

masa depan yang penuh

dengan cabaran

dan liku-liku kehidupan

yang tidak menentu

Kerana sesungguhnya

tanpa pendidikan yang sempurna

dan mencukupi

kehidupanmu

akan menjadi lebih sukar

oleh Puan Hajah Lily Bu bte Abdullah

Menyambut kehadiran murid di pintu pagar sekolah dan menunggu mereka pulang ke rumah selepas tamat sesi persekolahan pada waktu tengah hari bersama kaunselor, Puan Ramlah bt Surip pada hari persekolahan

Ulasan Buku

Orientasi Kepimpinan Pengetua Sekolah

Penulis: Lokman Mohd Tahir dan Mohd. Anuar Abd. Rahman

Penerbit: Penerbit UTM Press, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

            Kandungan buku ini mengupas tentang isu yang berkait dengan kepimpinan pendidikan dan kepengetuaan dalam konteks Malaysia, teori awal kepemimpinan yang digunakan di sekolah, Model Kepelbagaian Orientasi Kepimpinan oleh Bolman dan Deal, perkaedahan dan hasilan daripada proses orientasi kepimpinan pengetua secara kualitatif serta penentuan kepada gaya atau orientasi kepemimpinan utama pengetua dan akhir sekali tentang perbincangan dan rumusan tentang amalan kepemimpinan pengetua di sekolah.  Secara umumnya berdasarkan kajian yang dijalankan, pengalaman mentadbir seseorang pemimpin itu berupaya memberi banyak pendedahan secara langsung bagaimana mengurus serta menangani masalah di sekolah.  Pengetua yang mempunyai asas latihan pengurusan lebih mengambil berat tentang kebajikan guru berbanding dengan pengetua yang tidak mempunyai latihan pengurusan.  Pengetua juga menggunakan kepimpinan yang pelbagai mengikut ciri atau jenis sekolah yang mereka hadir.  Teori Kepemimpinan Bolman dan Deal (1991) mengatakan bahawa terdapat empat rangka kepemimpinan yang perlu diamalkan oleh pemimpin dalam situasi yang berbeza iaitu kepemimpinan struktural yang merujuk kepada tingkahlaku pemimpin yang mengutamakan produktiviti dan pengurusan yang cekap.  Manakala kepemimpinan sumber manusia merujuk kepada tingkahlaku pemimpin yang menumpukan perhatian kepada keperluan pengikut.  Kepemimpinan politik merujuk kepada pemimpin yang menggunakan kemahiran politik untuk menyelesaikan masalah organisasi melalui sokongan, perundingan, membina hubungan, melakukan penyatuan dengan staf dan menjana hubungan dengan individu berpengaruh dan institusi sekitar.  Akhir sekali, pemimpin dalam kepemimpinan simbolik membina kepercayaan, menerap nilai murni dan ketaatan melalui budaya organisasi yang membawa kepada perkongsian matlamat melalui upacara organisasi.  Kajian berasaskan Model Bolman dan Deal masih belum begitu menyeluruh di Malaysia.  Namun demikian, model ini amat sesuai dilaksanakan dalam menentukan sama ada pengetua di Malaysia mengamalkan gaya kepemimpinan yang pelbagai ketika mengurus sekolah atau pun tidak.  Kajian ini dijangka dapat menjadi pembuka ruang dan berupaya memberi gambaran yang mendalam melalui data empirikal tentang kepemimpinan pengetua di Malaysia.  Sebagai kesimpulannya, berdasarkan sampel kajian 35 orang pengetua dan 2, 269 orang guru yang berkhidmat di lima jenis sekolah menengah iaitu Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) (Bandar dan Luar bandar), Sekolah Menengah Teknik (SMT), Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA), Sekolah Sukan dan Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP) iaitu sebanyak 35 buah sekolah didapati bahawa orientasi kepemimpinan pengetua secara keseluruhannya dapat memaparkan dengan jelas orientasi kepemimpinan utama pengetua sekolah menengah iaitu kepemimpinan sumber manusia walaupun gaya kepemimpinan pengetua berbeza-beza mengikut lima jenis sekolah yang menjadi lokasi kajian.  Kajian juga mendapati kepemimpinan pengetua amat mempengaruhi komitmen guru terhadap sekolah.  Oleh yang demikian, pengetua perlu mempunyai inisiatif dalam mengenal budaya sekolah, watak guru dan prasarana sekolah sebelum mengamalkan gaya kepemimpinan yang serasi dengan jenis sekolah yang ditadbir.

Seven Common Mistakes Bosses Make

1: Failing to communicate. Information is the power that enables your employees to do their jobs quickly and correctly. The more complete and accurate the information that employees get from you, and the more quickly they get it, the better they'll perform and the better they'll be at serving your customers.

2: Going for the quick fix over the lasting solution. Quick fixes are satisfying, but they don't last. Pause and take the time to get to the root of the problem and then develop lasting strategies that solve it. Doing anything less isn’t really solving the problem--it’s just kicking the can down the road.

3: Failing to delegate. No manager can do everything him- or herself, and you shouldn’t try. Doing everything by yourself is not the most effective use of your time and talent, and it’s a waste of your employees’ potential. By delegating work to employees, you multiply the amount of work you can do many times over and you make your business much more effective.

4: Not setting goals with employees. Don’t leave your employees in the dark. It’s up to you as a boss to develop realistic, attainable goals with your employees that guide them in their efforts to achieve your organization’s vision.

5. Resisting change instead of leading change. Resisting change a tremendous waste of time and energy in these days of an ever-shifting global business environment. And resisting change gives your competitors the advantage. Learn to anticipate and lead change in your industry, and leverage it to your advantage.

6. Not recognizing employees' achievements. You can do many things to recognize your employees that take little time to accomplish, are easy to implement, and cost little or no money--a quick personal or written thanks, for example, will make someone's day.

7: Taking it all too seriously. Make sure that your work environment is a place that your employees want to come to every morning. Maintain a sense of humor and foster a workplace that's pleasant, and even fun, for everyone.