8 Symbolic Roles of Leadership

Not only do school leaders face the need to utilize differing leadership styles. They also have different roles to fill as noted below. I really like the way the authors describe these 8 symbolic roles of leadership. It really takes some self-assessment on how well I adapt to these roles in my role as an assistant principal.

Historian
No leader can be successful without knowing the history of whatever organization they are leading. In a school, the principal must take an interest in gaining an adequate understanding of what is important to the staff, students, and community of the school.
Anthropoligical Sleuth
A good teacher begins understanding the little immature jokes and intricacies of his/her students. A good coach does the same for his/her team. The same is true for an effective principal. You have to be aware of the underlying culture of the school. What's going on in the hallways? Where are the fires that need to be put out? Who needs a pat on the back?
Visionary
Everything about being a decent leader has something about being a visionary leader. The principal sets the tone for the school. Teachers set the tone for their classroom. Coaches set the tone for their teams. Northouse says that to be an effective leader, one must be able to create a vision, articulate the vision, and implement the vision.
Symbol
Everything a leader does is scrutinized and talked about...probably more than it should be. For a perfect example, look at Barack Obama. Everything he does is on the news. Well, on a smaller scale, an educational leader is the same way. In a school, everything the principal does is talked about in the teacher's lounge. Any leader must be aware of how they are watched and understand the importance of portraying the image they intend to.
Potter
This is so important for an educational leader. In Good to Great, Jim Collins states the imortance of getting the right people on the bus. It's essentially the same concept that Deal and Peterson are talking about here. The leader must mold the staff members they have into a productive staff that buys into what the leader is trying to do. In a school setting, many believe that the principal's most important task is hiring the best teachers possible. This is the principal's way of molding the staff into the group of people that can have the best impact on the students.
Poet
Any leader must have the ability to communicate. One cannot lead effectively if they are a poor communicator. In education, this ability is so essential because we are all in the business of communicating.
Actor
Again, schools are such integral parts of communities, the leaders are the main actors. We had a terrible tragedy over the weekend where I work that affected the entire community. While I did not know the student who was injured or the mother who was killed in the accident, I was still expected to know all of the details about what happened and to have an opinion about what happened. I feel as a leader in my school community that it's so important to show compassion in situations like this because we are all affected. The principal at the high school is so good at filling this role. He always portrays the perfect caring attitude for every situation he's faced with.
Healer
School leaders must have the ability to monitor and adjust as different situations present themselves. We are constantly faced with change and transition in schools and the leader must set the tone for how these changes are handled.