Leadership in the Early Childhood Field

Running head: LEADERSHIP 1

LEADERSHIP 2

Leadership

Lua Shanks

Walden University

PV003 Leadership in the Early Childhood Field

October 28, 2019

Leadership

Part 1

Leadership Inventory and reflection

Based on the Jung Topology, below are the results

ENFJ: Extravert (22%) intuitive (6%) Feeling (6%) Judging (12%)

You have slight preference of Extraversion over Introversion (22%)

You have slight preference of Intuition over Sensing (6%)

You have slight preference of Feeling over thinking (6%)

You have slight preference of Judging over Perceiving (12%)

a. Describe your own leadership style and temperament, along with the insights you gained from completing the inventory and how you can apply these insights to leadership in the early childhood field.

I am a choleric Temperament type and often applies coach-style leadership. After conducting the inventory I realized that I am more of an extrovert than introvert, intuitive, feeling and judging than sensing, thinking, and perceiving. I can therefore use my extrovert ability to relate with the children more as well as their parents then understand their problems as well as come up with solutions. My intuition can serve in creative thought and resolving dilemmas through intelligent reasoning. My feeling can help me tolerate children no matter the challenges or difficulties they exhibit in learning. My judging preference will also enhance goal-orientation and optimism when handing children in early childhood, hence I will always seek practical solutions to problems I experience in teaching learners or to problems the learners in that level exhibit. I will put to use several solutions and come up with the best options which can offer positive results in achieving set goals. It will also allow me to call to the help of others so that I achieve in changing negative to positive situations.

b. Explain how your own personal experiences and leadership style might influence your authentic leadership capacity.

My personal experience and leadership style might impact on my authentic leadership capacity in both positive and negative ways. In authentic leadership capacity one incorporates different behaviors and skills they have to offer moral, ethical, and validation of goals. This, having stayed with early childhood learners for some time and known their needs, challenges, issues, as well as known the demands and wants of the parents, my logical, savvy, and analytical skills will enable me to avoid small talks, and go for deep meaningful ones when discussing with the administration of parents. I will spend time with fellow early childhood or educationist affiliated members, I will actively work to achieve goals at work, and strongly will to rectify wrongs when they emerge. I will also decisively and sternly stand by my belief in terms of accuracy of handling issues, lessons, and aspects of the children.

c. Explain how emotional intelligence applies to leadership in early childhood contexts.

In the leadership within the early childhood context, emotional intelligence is applicable to early childhood context for they have specific core values which must be achieved. Among the core values that are appreciated are appreciation of uniqueness and important stages of development, learnability of the children, appreciation of the bond between family and children (Hess & Bacigalupo, 2013). Recognition of community, family context, and society as an environment of understanding a child, respecting diversity, worth, uniqueness, and dignity of everyone. Such core values, therefore require that a leader applies emotional intelligence

In making the right decisions that affect the children, parents, and the learning environment. Besides, emotional intelligence enhances how a leader will communicate and relate with the learners, fellow teachers, and parents (NAEYC, 2011). As a leader in early childhood being emotionally intelligent in a way that one is adaptable initiates the ability to handle diverse people, accommodate various abilities and suit in environment of parents, students, and fellow teachers of different personalities, As the same time, when one is trustworthy and achievement driven they will work effortlessly in both management and teaching to enhance the achievement of learning and development goals. Besides, services-orientation and empathy work influence teamwork, change initiation, management of conflicts, and developing both the learners and fellow teacher’s.

Part 2

Applying Leadership principles

1. Provide a detailed explanation of the strategies you will use to address the ethical dilemma of the DWI.

To address the ethical dilemma of the DWI, it is important to look at the Ethics Position Statement of NAEYC, the historical background of the teacher, and the current situations of the parents. Parents seem to have taken a reactive process in the question just because they saw a publication in the newspaper, from the letter they appreciate that the teacher has served them greatly. They have only lost confidence in him now. In the Ethics statement, nothing spells about DWI even though it talks of safety for the children and considering policies at work (NAEYC, 2011). The situation happened outside work time. A collaborative approach that allows the parents or representatives to meet the teacher and the management could be a better beginning to solve the problem. Besides, parents should be informed about the ethics statement of the state so as to establish how ethical the teacher must have worked. Another approach is explaining to the teachers what consequence sucking the teacher would have on learning, which is the key reason for their learners being in school, as well as the effect of making the teacher resign forcefully when he is not yet ready. It is possible that through such strategies

2. Explain how you will manage the change regarding cell phone use at the center.

As a result of habit forming, it becomes difficult to make the workers avoid usage of phones during work. However, the reality is that is parents are disgruntled about that and feel teachers should concentrate on their children holding separate meeting with both the parents aside and teachers aside and talking over the issue would be essential. As a leader while listening to both sides, an analytical and logical reasoning about the phone usage, children’s welfare, and liberty must be addressed. It is important for parents to understand the importance of a phone whereas teachers should also understand the problem with overuse (Sharma & Jain, 2013). That way, it is possible to mold appropriate phone usage and prevent too many complaints from parents. Once there is an understanding of concerns, a policy should be molded in the presence and with the involvement of both teachers and parents through either all of them or representatives. Limits such as not using them during class, learning sessions, while interacting with customers (Simpson, 2019). In production areas, meetings should be set. Thus, the policy should cover acceptable phone usage, frequency and lengths of usage, suitable hours of use, where to keep the device and whether to use headphones. The policy should be accompanied with penalties that will be conducted when an individual violates them. The workforce should have copies of the policy in writing and be reminded to go through it with the leader as a role model.

3. Explain how your actions are informed by your understanding of authentic leadership, emotional intelligence, leadership style and temperament, and the NAEYC “Code of Ethical Conduct.”

My actions are based on authentic leadership that relies on correct moral judgement without bias consideration. With such a consideration, it is important to make logical and dynamic analysis before making decisions. Based on emotional intelligence, my trustworthy, achievement-driven, accommodating, honest and open, I would not judge anyone based on one mistake, I would give a chance for change, I believe in honoring strengths of others and helping them correct mistakes as an improvement in life. I also believe negotiations can help solve disputes in a better way. In terms of my coach-style of leadership and my temperament, logic, careful judgement, placing myself in the shoes of others, I believe in building a team, communicating well, embracing diversity and unique skills, improving weaknesses of others and offering constructive feedback. Looking at the Ethics of Conduct, it also guided me in making decision for it listed requirements of a teacher, leader, parents and all important parties, thus it served as a guideline of judging decisions. This is why I cannot quickly make any decision about the teacher or teachers without logical analysis of aspects.

References

Hess, J. & Bacigalupo, A.C. (2013). Applying emotional intelligence skills to leadership and decision making in Non-profit Organization. Admn. Sc., 3, 202-220. doi:10.3390/admsci3040202

NAEYC. (2011). Code of ethical conduct and statement of commitment. 1-9.

Sharma, M. & Jain, S. (2013). Leadership management: principles, models and theories. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies., 3(3), 309-318. Retrieved from https://www.ripublication.com/gjmbs_spl/gjmbsv3n3spl_14.pdf

Simpson, K. (6//9/ 2019). What to do when an employee spends too much time on their cell phone. The Hartford. Retrieved from https://sba.thehartford.com/managing-employees/employee-too-much-cell-phone-time/