8 Symbolic Roles of Leaders - Chapter 14

1. Historian:
It is important to be knowledgable about an institution's past, so that you can know where it is that you want to end up. Also, it is important to gain the trust and respect of your colleagues before trying to change the institution - this can be done by learning the culture, and history, of the institution. I really liked Deal & Peterson's (2007) suggestion of creating an "organizational timeline". I think that doing this could serve two purposes - (1) to educate new leaders, and (2) to give individuals with a long tenure a visual, showing them where they were, and what they've helped to accomplish over the years - which could be inspirational.

2. Anthropological Sleuth:
When reading the description of the "anthropological sleuth" in the text, I thought..."this sounds like something that people do unconsciously all the time". As leaders, and as members of society in general, we usually have a desire to fit-in with our surroundings. By stepping back and observing, we can learn so much about what is going on around us, without even saying a word!

3. Visionary:
I believe that it is important for leaders to have a vision. In my mind, vision = goals. Without goals, how can there be any progress? What is the point of having leadership in place if there isn't going to be any progress? However, I do think that it is essential to have input from all of the parties involved - the vision should not be a "personal" vision of the leader. In fact, Deal and Peterson cited their 1994 work stating, "by seeking the more profound hopes of all stakeholders, school leaders can weave independent ideas into a collective vision" (pg. 200).

4. Symbol:
The idea of leaders as symbols is a very broad concept. I think back to when I was getting my M.Ed. in Student Affairs...we were always told in class that no matter where you go, you will know somebody, or somebody will be watching. I think this is one of the more simple forms of how a leader can serve as a symbol. Leaders' actions should be such that they would not be opposed to having them broadcast on the front page of the local newspaper....pretty simple rule to live by. However, in the text, the notion of leaders as symbols is taken to further depths. Deal and Peterson (2007) discuss ways in which leaders symbolize their institutions through ways other than by their actions. For example, they discussed how classroom layouts can symbolize the values of the principal. They also convey the idea that time can show how important an issue is to a leader - if they are spending time, which may be hard to come by, on a project, that project must be important to them.

5. Potter:
The idea of the 'leader as a potter' seems to go hand-in-hand with the 'leader as a visionary' concept presented earlier. First, the leader must have a vision, or path. Then, the potter comes in to shape that vision, and make it happen.

6. Poet:
I think that communication, or poetry, is extremely important in leadership. After all, if an individual has great ideas, that does not make them a leader. It is when they are able to communicate those ideas to relevant individuals that they may become leaders. Also, if a leader shows an inability to communicate effectively, he/she may lose the respect of their subordinates. For instance, if a principal sends out a memo to all of the teachers in a school, and the teachers notice poor grammar and spelling mistakes in the memo, they will likely question the abilities of the principal.

7. Actor:
The "leaders as actors" role is somewhat confusing. I understand that when something happens within the school environment, the leader may have to step in to "act" on the school's behalf. However, Deal and Peterson (2007) make it sound as if the leader is a puppet, performing in a show. I would almost rather say that the leader is a "RE-actor", in that they have to react to critical situations and crises. On a different note, it is very important that leaders know how to handle stressful situations. If a leader crumbles under the pressure caused by a crises in the school, not only will that leader's subordinates likely question that leader's abilities, but the surrounding community may start to have doubts as well.

8. Healer:
The 'leader as healer' strikes me as the more humanistic of the leadership roles. This is the portion of the leadership responsibilities where the leader gets to show everyone that he/she cares - not only about the success of the school, but also about the people. I would venture to say that a lot of leaders find this to be the most rewarding part of their job - I know I would.