Tanisha Fanney

My leadership philosophy is inseparable from my faith. My work is guided by the inner voice that speaks in instinct and conviction. In my first years in education, I quickly learned that what I needed to be effective in working with students was nothing I could learn in professional development, but was housed in my intuitive understanding of the intricacies of the thriving academic environment, particularly for traditionally underserved students. At the core of my philosophy, I believe in maintaining the highest expectations for classical academic discipline, and establishing clear behavioral boundaries and consequences. I believe a student’s education is intended to develop their character and teach them to think, both classically and critically. Finally, I believe that the depth of a student’s knowledge should always be prioritized over their demonstrated proficiency on standardized testing.

​

In practice, this philosophy tends to manifest in my interactions with others by creating strong bonds arounds content and cultural philosophy. In both cases, I am dispositioned to encourage teammates to uphold rigorous expectations in the face of obstacles because of my internal commitment to providing access to excellent classical instruction and content to all students. This pushes those around me to strive for their best practice, and pursue achievement goals without lowering their expectations of students. 

​

In my most honest reflection of my leadership style, I identify as a transactional leader. St. Thomas University describes my leadership style well: “A transactional leader is someone who values order and structure. They are likely to ...require rules and regulations to complete objectives on time or move people and supplies in an organized way. ...Transactional leadership depends on self-motivated people who work well in a structured, directed environment.”

When working with others, I am most effective when collaborating with those who are self driven and well organized. I am most effective in leadership when I am able to provide overarching vision and encompassing structure, while followers maneuver within the structure independently. This often looks like other descriptions of transactional leadership that include a focus on one’s individual thoughts and actions as opposed to those on their team. 

When learning more about transformational leadership, the style most closely comparable to transactional leadership, I observed abundant overlap and symmetry. Dr. Les Stein, assistant teaching professor in Northeastern’s Master of Science in Leadership program, describes a transformational leader as one who “can enter a struggling or stagnant organization, analyze the circumstances, and articulate needed improvements almost immediately. He or she should then be able to guide the organization in defining or redefining its core values in a way that unites the group in a common effort (DiFranza).” I am able to identify some skill set in my leadership style that has this transformational quality, however, my ability to effectively implement it is highly situational and dependent upon my relationships with key stakeholders.  

​

I see similar overlap, but much more room for growth when examining servant leadership. Forbes magazine describes a servant leader as one who “works tirelessly to develop his or her people and is focused on what they can do for others.” Although this description is flattering to the ear, I cannot honestly say that it is most representative of my leadership style. I feel I possess the qualities of a servant leader that makes them willing to do any task necessary to support their team, and to work alongside their team in any undertaking. However, I am less developed in my ability to mold and cultivate professional identity in my followers through inspiration. 

​

Having considered my leadership disposition, the approach to school culture that seems most authentic to me is to think deeply about the culture and values I believe are right for students, and backwards-plan to create this environment. This means establishing schoolwide systems and procedures for culture and academics in advance, and refining practice while moving forward to uphold this original structure. I believe that strategic planning at the outset to build essential values into the foundational practices of the school will create the accountability necessary for all stakeholders to maintain integrity and fairness. Rather than question systems and procedures “on the ground” when results are not desirable, a meaningfully developed schoolwide structure will isolate behaviors and realities that need to change to meet the expectation of the system’s culture, and provide a clear progression of next steps in the case that it does not. 

​

I believe this approach is potentially a model for faith-based educational leadership, as it requires critical commitment to ideals and organizational values, and is aimed at producing specific character in students. A strength of this model that sets it apart in the current public charter culture is its commitment to substance over convenience. Often as charters grow they sacrifice the home grown values of the communities they serve and implement policies that are easily applied to masses. This educational model does not compromise in this way, but rather creates a structure that mitigates irregularities across masses, in context of its values, and pursues a desired end of strategically cultivated scholarly identity. 

Bibliography

Council, F. C. (2017, July 19). Council Post: Servant Leadership: How To Put Your People Before Yourself. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/07/19/servant-leadership-how-to-put-your-people-before-yourself/.

DiFranza, A. (2020, February 6). Transformational Leadership: How to Inspire Innovation in the Workplace. Northeastern University Graduate Programs. https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/transformational-leadership/.

University Online, S. T. (2014, November 25). What is Transactional Leadership? How Structure Leads to Results. St. Thomas University Online. https://online.stu.edu/articles/education/what-is-transactional-leadership.aspx.