Running head: OBSERVABLE LEADERSHIP TRAITS
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Observation of Leadership Traits Conveyed by An Upper School Division Head
Shayna Cooke
University of Virginia
OBSERVABLE LEADERSHIP TRAITS
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Observation of Leadership Traits Conveyed by An Upper School Division Head
When viewing strategies of leadership through the observational lens, the Observer has
the opportunity to analyze and critique leadership decisions made by the Administrator in real
time. The Observer will be able to utilize these experiences to observe the interactions, analyze
the action taken by the Administrator, and then assess their own personal leadership principles.
The limitations of the observational lens, however, gives the Observer the benefit of hindsight
when looking at particular situations that allow for zim* to make personal judgments on
leadership principles and tasks only after zie* has seen the Administrator act accordingly. Wilfed
Drath (2001) established a guideline of leadership principles and leadership tasks that the
Observer can utilize when critiquing leadership actions taken by the Administrator.
Drath (2001) identified these leadership tasks as: setting direction, creating commitment,
and, facing adaptive challenges. Drath concluded that these tasks are essential for any leader to
accomplish an organizational goal, but the means by which these tasks are completed vary
depending on the particular leadership principles of the individual. In this instance, the
Administrator demonstrates the leadership principle of Interpersonal Influence as his major
leadership strength.
Setting Direction indicates that the direction that the organization is moving is in line
with the established mission, goals, vision, and/or purpose, of the organization as a whole. The
Administrator has done a respectable job of establishing the goal of the organization through the
implementation of “a snapshot of a graduate”. This exercise employs all faculty to reflect on
what they believe to be essential characteristics of every individual graduate from The Collegiate
School. This snapshot provides a direction for an in-depth analysis of what their purpose is as
educators and whether or not they are achieving that purpose.
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Creating Commitment speaks to the way in which the Administrator motivates and
inspires teamwork amongst the whole faculty. Because the Administrator is new this year, there
were obstacles to overcome from the previous Division Head that in some instances were quite
vast. The Administrator has had to find a way to mend fences, heal wounds, and instill trust
again between the faculty and the administration. The Administrator tackled this task
immediately by implementing “story time”. Story time was an introductory meeting where each
faculty member sat down, one-on-one, with the Administrator and told him their story. This
personal connection with each individual on the staff demonstrated a strong interpersonal
influence and showed not only a personal commitment from the Administrator to the faculty
team, but also began to ignite a sense of togetherness and alignment.
The Administrator has had to deal with Facing Adaptive Challenges already, specifically
with the motivation of the faculty and the commitment to the goal of the organization. The
Administrator has thus far been successful at bridging the gap between the faculty and the
administration by reaching out and allowing individual faculty members to feel validated in their
dissatisfaction as a result of the previous leadership. The Administrator acknowledged the
breakdown of leadership previously and has specifically laid out a strategic plan to address these
residual negative feelings and lack of commitment to the goals of the organization experienced
by the faculty team.
The Administrator has come into a community that was struggling as the result of poor
leadership. His leadership principle of Interpersonal Influence has helped him negotiate the tasks
of setting direction, creating commitment, and facing adaptive challenges with a strong and
driven demeanor thus far.
* Gender neutral/ gender inclusive pronoun
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Appendix
Non-Written Response: Leadership Traits Observed: JP Watson
Mr. Watson is our Interim Upper School Division Head this year. He was appointed this position
in July of this year and will hold this position for one school year. At that time, he will either be
hired full time into the position of Upper School Head or a new candidate will be awarded the
position.
I chose Mr. Watson because I am very interested to see how he handles coming into the Upper
School of Collegiate. How does he manage the transition? What is his vision and his mission?
How does he lead?
Evidence of Leadership from Mr. Watson:
 He is an exceptional listener. He always prefers to listen rather than speak
 He has spent a great deal of time observing before trying to implement changes
 He is playing safe. It feels like he wants to get a pulse of the community before he
approves “out of the box” activities (forensics trip to the shooting range)
 He is concerned with our “why”. Every action needs to be rooted in a “why” for Mr.
Watson to support it.
 He is collaborative. He calls committees and meetings frequently to discuss hot topic
items (schedule, reaccreditation)
 He is a collaborative leader and prefers to lead from within. I have not seen him give a
directive yet but shows guidance for what his expectations are.
Evidence For Traits:
Human Resources:
Personal Story meeting: Recent story of student getting in legal trouble off campus. Parents
have followed up with the counselors, student is being dealt with by parents, police, and other
invested parties. JP was approached by the counselor to see how much information he needed
about this event; JP said, “is the kid safe?” “is he getting help” “do all people that need to know,
know?” And at that point he turned it over.
Lateral Structure: assembly of committees and confluence engagement (Schedule Committee)
Political: Forensics field trip, shooting vs no shooting
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References
Drath, W. (2001). The deep blue sea: rethinking the source of leadership. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.