Introduction
Effective leadership is essential in the development of student abilities in an academic context. As such, instructors need to invest a lot of time in implementing influential policies to oversee the development of their students’ leadership abilities. Precisely, teachers need to strike a balance between psychological, social and educational functions in enhancing student activities. The combination of these initiatives fosters the development of an all-round student capable with commendable abilities. This case study is based on my personal experience of the Program Support Team that worked under the supervision of a teacher. For a fact, the policies used to oversee the development of the group and individual student skills were influential. The group comprised of one teacher, six students and a number of other student volunteers. Its primary goals were to support activities, the development of talent, and to enhance the students’ abilities to complete school tasks. Through the utilization of proper group work skills, the cooperation of the teacher and the students nurtured the development of responsibility and the maintenance ethical principles.
The activities of the Program Support Team were overseen by the teacher. He was the overall leader of the group and, therefore, allocated tasks to each student leader. After the allocation of these responsibilities, the team leaders dispensed the duties to the rest of the team members. As such, the leadership hierarchy was divided into sections and each head was answerable to the authority above them. The team’s purpose was to ensure the activities conducted towards the success of policy implementation were completed successfully. As such, their contribution to the stability of the team was indispensable. The teacher ensured there were influential technical preparation and educational requirements guiding the policy implementation process as outlined in the Senior Leadership Teams (Wageman, 2007). This was mainly attributed to the fact that the vision of the team was centered on the involvement of many school activities that would enhance student competition. Consequently, the maintenance of influential leadership policies and member participation was critical.
Description of the overall leadership process
The stability of the team was nurtured by proper distribution of responsibilities among the team members. Specifically, each individual had allocated tasks that they were supposed to complete before the specified deadline. The teacher was the overall group supervisor. She planned the implementation of the group policies and discussed her proposition with the team leaders. During this process, the team leaders, who were students, gave their suggestions on how amendments should be enforced. Keen consultations were done and the initial proposition was fine tuned into a mature policy. After that, the new plan was agreed upon by the team leaders and the supervisor. It was the teacher’s duty to provide the financial requirements that were crucial in the implementation of the plan. Additionally, it was her responsibility to fund field trips, provide advice to the team, aid in the implementation of the program and cooperate the enactment of policy elements within the group. Nonetheless, the supervisor worked closely with the team members through the delegation of tasks and consultations on policy implementation.
Observations made on the division of responsibilities
Description of the team
My team was comprised of six members who shared different leadership capabilities. Team member (A) had a commendable intellectual capacity and the urge to implement change. However, he lacked influential communication skills and the involvement in the group made it easier to sharpen this skill. Member (B) had a strong personality but lacked the ability to express his ideas to other team members. I continually informed her of the need to respect other people’s ideas to in fostering mutual understanding. Member (C) had a weakness of agreeing to other people’s opinion without developing her own. However, the team influenced her into sharing her thoughts on challenging situations. Member (D) had the power to learn things in short periods but quickly forgot what he internalized. I checked her work regularly to ensure she was keeping up with the team requirements. Member (E) was good at following instructions and completing her tasks timely. This limited her personal time as she could not manage responsibilities and privacy. Finally, member (F) was always serious while in the group. In spite of the productivity created by her character, we involved her in multiple fun activities to sharpen her interaction skills.
The mechanics of team action
Owing to the fact that proper policy implementation in a group nurtures intellectual and social development, the mechanics employed by my team was influential. They encouraged the development of creative skills to the student. Precisely, through fun activities, the students internalized the common misconceptions associated with studying in a daily academic routine. For instance, the delegation of duties enhanced accountability among the team members. Since I was a team leader, the deputy's head was responsible for the group’s management in my absence. Additionally, he had the authority to offset tasks to other students in the maintenance of the group regardless of my presence. Consequently, this action policy encouraged responsibility and the urge to take action while in authority. Each student was responsible for his actions during policy implementation. This compelled everyone to work within their boundaries as doing the contrary violated the group policies. In addition to understanding personal responsibilities, all the team members were aware of the roles of other group members. As such, this provision made it easier for all the group member to work together. It was my responsibility to oversee the overall decision-making policy and oversee each group member’s progress under the teacher’s supervision. I proposed rational initiatives to aid in the development of the team and this augmented my leadership skills. Therefore, the mechanics of team action embraced in my group were collective.
My overall responsibility
Owing to the fact that I had commendable management skills, I participated in multiple leadership activities after this program. For instance, I went to Saudi Arabia to sharpen my leadership skills through the completion of a learning program. After this program, I supervised six classes that were aimed at training six students. My duties in this initiative were to supervise the program and ensure that the individual students and the team achieved its goals. I communicated through lectures and assembly meetings in various symposia. Additionally, I oversaw the management of a team that maintained the financial issues and money related tasks that I assigned them. The program lasted for eight weeks. This gave me ample time to fine tune my leadership skills and overall observation abilities. The six members of the team I supervised gained commendable competencies in the management of their responsibilities and the overall achievement of the team’s goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I made multiple observation during my leadership team practices. I appreciated the capabilities of students to become leaders and the importance of sharing responsibilities in a group. The support team gave me invaluable experience in decision making and fostering professional growth. Precisely, it is imperative to not only fulfill one’s task when in a leadership post but also nurture the realization of other people’s goals. The learning environment created during the team observation made it possible to internalize the importance of time management in the success of any group activity. Lack thereof compromises the possibilities of the success of an idea and its implementation. As such, it is imperative to spend considerable amounts of time in planning an activity before implementing it. This case study helped me to put most of my experiences into action and nurture the development of professionalism in my life.
Reference
Wageman, Ruth. "Senior Leadership Teams: What It Takes To Make Them Great". 2007. Presentation.
