Leadership Philosophy
DeShea Jones
9/20/09
LIBS 6031
Dr. Gail Munde
My Leadership Style
Democratic:
 Involves the participation of all, collaboration
of participants, and good communication
(Prentice, 2005).
 Employees and all team members are
involved in the decision making process.
 Look for ideas and suggestions from team
members.
 However, the leader does have the final say
in all of the decisions (Williger, 2007).
Leadership Philosophy Statement
My Values:
 My leadership philosophy is focused on showing
respect to everyone I come into contact with.
 I want to exhibit honesty, ethical behavior, and
practice continuous collaboration.
My Priorities:
 As a School Media Center Specialist my main
priorities will be to support the curriculum, create
lifelong readers, and to help students become
contributing members of society.
Leadership Philosophy Statement
What Can Be Expected of Me:
 I will always seek advice and opinions on
topics. I will not make unilateral decisions.
 I will always be respectful to staff, students,
parents, community members, and
administration.
 I will exhibit the type of behavior I expect from
others (lead by example).
 I will try to treat everyone justly.
 I will approach a situation calmly and nonconfrontationally.
Leadership Philosophy Statement
What Can Be Expected of Me:
 I will acknowledge the achievements of
others, including staff and students.
 I will practice open communication and
ensure that everyone is kept informed.
 I will practice self-reflection.
 I will participate in professional development.
 I will not let my personal beliefs or opinions
stand in the way of doing my job.
Explanation of My Leadership Values
Respect
Honesty/Ethical
Behavior
Collaboration
One of my main goals
as a person and as a
leader is to show
respect for everyone I
encounter. The best
way to gain respect
from others is to be a
respectful person.
Showing respect will
also make it easier to
solicit people’s help
and cooperation. A
leader must also
respect the work they
are doing (Prentice,
2005).
It is extremely important
for those in a leadership
position to be honest
and ethical. It is also
important for people to
trust the leader and one
way to gain trust is
through honesty and
acting ethically.
Integrity is a leadership
value that many look for
in a manager (Prentice,
2005).
Enlisting the help of
others and soliciting
their opinions is
essential if a leader
wants those same
people to accept the
decisions that are made
and feel like they are
valued. “Anyone who
will have to live with the
results of the idea
should be part of the
planning and
development” (Prentice,
2005, pg.113).
Explanation of My Priorities
Supporting The
Creating Lifelong
Curriculum (including Readers
technology training)
Creating
Contributing
Members of Society
A school librarian should
support the curriculum by
purchasing materials.
They should also teach
lessons on technology
and other topics to both
students and staff.
Librarians can even work
with teachers to develop
the school’s curriculum.
Helping students learn to
effectively use
technology is of vital
importance to school
librarians (Rich, 2009).
School libraries should
help mold students into
contributing and informed
citizens. The school
library should help
students learn to
navigate through society
by teaching students
valuable skills like,
research, critiquing
websites, properly using
technology, and even
how to engage in their
civic duties.
The school librarian
should encourage
students to read and
create lifelong readers
among their students.
School libraries should
provide materials for
students’ leisure time, as
well as academic
materials, because
students will enjoy
reading more if they can
read materials that
interest them.
My Goals as a Library Leader
 To open communication lines with teachers to
help them understand the role of the library and
what services are offered.
 To self-audit the library and my performance to
ensure the library is providing appropriate
services and that I am performing at my highest
level (Darrow, 2009).
 To recognize everyone’s accomplishments and
abilities.
 To ensure that the library is patron driven and I
am helping my patrons (Prentice, 2005).
My Goals as a Library Leader
 To create a Mission Statement for my school
library (Abilock, 2003). This will enable me to
show the school how the library fits into and
supports the organization.
 To create a Collection Development/Library
Selection Policy (Abilock, 2003). This will help to
clearly communicate to the school and parents
how the library makes the purchasing decisions.
 To obtain National Board Certification (Abilock,
2003). This will help me develop my leadership
skills and gain more exposure to professional
development.
How I Model These Leadership Traits
Communication:
 Last year my main goal for my IGP (Individual Growth Plan) was to improve
my communication with parents. I now update my website at least once a
week, send a weekly email to all of the parents with important updates, and
respond to parent emails or phone calls within 24 hours. I have received
substantial positive feedback from parents for my communication skills.
Collaboration, Seeking Advice:
 I constantly ask for advice and help from other teachers who have more
experience than I do. I also work closely with other teachers, especially
with the other 8th grade social studies teacher, to come up with ideas to use
in the classroom. I also solicit student feedback, ask for their ideas, and
give them choices for many of the decisions. I like the students feel they
have some control.
Self-Reflection, Professional Development:
 I always reflect on how I am doing, including writing a reflection on each
lesson. I also like to read within my discipline to get new ideas. For
example, over the past three months I have read three education books to
help improve my classroom management skills.
How I Model These Leadership Traits
Honesty/Ethical Behavior:
 I always try to exhibit honesty and ethical behavior. I strive to maintain
professionalism and gain the trust of others. When I am in doubt of the
correct path to take I solicit help from others.
Respect:
 I always try to show respect to all and hope to receive respect in return. At
the beginning of the year I explained to my students that I will always aim to
treat them respectfully and that I expect the same in return. I also let the
students know that if I ever did anything they felt was disrespectful they
should calmly discuss the situation with me.
Acknowledge Others Achievements:
 I always make an effort to focus on other people’s positive accomplishments.
For example, I send five Good News cards home to parents each quarter
that lets the parents know about something positive their child has done. I
try to send the cards to students who may not normally receive positive
feedback.
Don’t Let Personal Beliefs Interfere:
 It is difficult to teach social studies and keep your opinions to yourself, but I
always strive to do my best. For example, with the presidential election I
presented the students with the platforms of both sides, made the students
form their own opinions, and did not let the students know my opinion.
Conclusion
My goal as a library leader is to do the best job
possible. I want to show everyone I encounter
respect. I also intend to exhibit honesty and ethical
behavior. I plan to practice continuous collaboration
with teachers, parents, students, administration, and
other librarians. I will also practice self-reflection and
engage in professional development opportunities.
Finally, I will strive to practice good communication
skills and recognize the achievements of others.
My main priorities as a library leader will be to support
the curriculum, create lifelong readers, and to help
students become contributing members of society.
Works Consulted
Abilock, D. (Ed.). (2003). Put yourself in your administrator’s shoes.
Knowledge Quest, 32(2), 6-9.
Darrow, R. (2009). School libraries are essential. Knowledge Quest, 37(5),
78-83. Retrieved September 6, 2009, from Library Literature and
Information Science database.
Prentice, A. (2005). Managing in the Information Age (1st ed.). Lanham,
Maryland: Scarecrow Press.
Rich, M. (2009). In web age, library gets update. The New York Times,
Retrieved August 29, 2009, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/books/16libr.html?_r=2
Williger, D. (2007). An Overview of the Different Types of Leadership In
Existence. Ezine Articles, Retrieved September 20, 2009, from
http://ezinearticles.com/?An-Overview-of-the-Different-Types-ofLeadership-In-Existence&id=815752