Leadership is About You - Article Example

Summary of and Reaction to Haycock’s (2010) “Leadership is About You”In “Leadership is About You,” Haycock (2010) described leadership theories, competencies, behaviors, and characteristics in the context of school library management. He defined leadership as a process of social influence that aims to achieve common goals. Haycock (2010) argued that successful school librarians lead from the middle through collaborating with others in attaining shared vision and goals and exhibiting particular leadership competencies, functions, behaviors, and traits.

Haycock (2010) stressed that contingency, path-goal, situational, attribution, performance-maintenance, transactional, and transformational leadership theories are applicable to school librarians because they emphasize collaboration and inquiry-based approaches to leadership. He also explained four leadership competencies that manage attention, meaning, trust, and oneself. Furthermore, he highlighted that leadership involves functions of image management, relationship develop, and resource utilization.

Haycock (2010) added that successful leaders have consideration for other stakeholders, demonstrate strong initiatives, know group facilitation, show confidence in guiding and motivating others, and are skilled in persuasion and negotiation. I agree with Haycock (2010) that leadership is about school librarians themselves because only they can decide what kind of leaders they are and what kinds of leadership competencies they will develop throughout time. I think that, sometimes, we emphasize the social aspect of leadership too much that we forget that leaders are also individuals with personal needs.

Leaders must be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, in order for them to do their jobs better, because they know what they can and cannot do. This knowledge makes it easier for them to delegate tasks and to ask for help. This awareness makes them more critical too of their faults and inspires them to pursue continued leadership growth and development and collaboration. Leadership is indeed about leaders too and how they perceive themselves as leaders with individual traits and dreams in life.

ReferenceHaycock, K. (2010). Leadership is about you. School Library Monthly, 26(6), 42-44.