6 Inventarios 2
7.8 Directorio y alta administración
Positive personal attributes are defined as personal qualities or desirable characteristics of an individual (Williams, 2005). They consist of the positive traits of character of the individual. Being a good listener, open-minded and caring, sympathetic towards the concerns of others, inspiring, a team player and committed to one’s goal are some positive traits of character also known as positive attributes (Kotelnikov, 2001; Stevens, 2003). These personal qualities or dispositions are often employed by
successful leaders to create a positive response to their initiatives, policies, instructions and actions from their followers.
In this study, some principals, who were effective, demonstrated positive professional and personal attributes such as friendliness, commitment, interest and dedication to the school and students. Arrack was noted for his friendliness, his interest and dedication to the School, his warm human relational skills and accessibility to students, teachers and parents, his resourceful supervisory leadership and exemplary conduct and arbitration skills (KF 4.1). In Baarie, Barrack positively influenced his teachers, students and parents by his open-mindedness, his spirit of dialogue and consultation, his deep respect and support for his teachers and students alike (KF 5.1).
The effective principals demonstrated resourceful supervisory leadership, exemplary conduct and arbitration skills, sympathy and concern for the welfare of
167 teachers and students, as well as perseverance and dialogue. These positive
characteristics were not only acknowledged and admired by their collaborators but principally helped to create better rapport with staff, students and parents in making decisions, and garnering support in implementing them. This resulted in improved collegiality and cooperation between the effective principal and his collaborators and also, positively influenced measures taken to improve teacher professionalism, student discipline and enhance student learning.
However, in less-effective disadvantaged rural schools, although the professional and personal attributes of the principal might be acknowledged, these hardly influenced the behaviour and attitudes of staff and students. For example, although Carrack’s attributes of commitment, sympathy, perseverance and dialogue were acknowledged and admired (KF 6.2, KF 6.3), her lack of managerial skills prevented the effective harnessing of these attributes to command respect, authority, obedience and collaboration from her staff (KF 6.3, KF 6.7, KF 6.10, KF 6.12 ). As a result, she could not gain their commitment and cooperation in implementing policies and strategies towards improving standards (KF 6.3, KF 6.7, KF 6.8, KF 6.12). Her inability to gain the active collaboration of her staff in spite of her personal attributes and efforts was demonstrated by her failure to stop staff unprofessional conduct and halt student indiscipline as well as to gain parents’ cooperation (KF 6.12, 6.13, KF 6.14).
It was therefore evident that personal qualities of the principal alone were insufficient to gain the positive respect, obedience and collaboration of teachers,
students and parents towards implementing the policies and actions necessary to create a positive learning environment for students and teachers. As team leaders, principals needed other skills and experiences in managerial and instructional leadership to be able to harness their personal attributes to positively influence the conduct and collaboration of their followers.
Karthik Raj Guruchandran (2004) explained that there are many qualities that characterise a successful leader. However, among all the positive attributes of an individual who is a leader, he believes five of them are most essential. These
characteristics or attributes are: having a personality, being a visionary, being a listener and observer, having self-belief and motivation, and being a team player. Guruchandran also argued that some successful leaders may not have all the required positive
168 negatives by those qualities they possess and thus, be effective in their leadership
endeavours.
Undoubtedly, the beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of those being led are usually influenced by the personal attributes of their leaders. The concept of the influence of the leader’s personal attributes is well developed by Berson, Oreg and Dvir (2008), and also by Schein (1992) and Schneider (1987). Carpenter, Geletkanycz and Sanders (2004) explain that leaders always influence those they lead by their personal attributes and values; their traits of behaviour. Hambrick and Mason (1984) like Carpenter et al. did extensive research on the significant influence of leaders’ personal attributes on their decisions, options and choices in their leading roles. These authors explained that these positive personal attributes of the leader influence the behaviour of the followers through the leader’s responsible management and leadership.
Similarly, in this study, evidence has demonstrated that the principals of Aarie and Baarie showed friendliness, warm human relational skills as well as deep respect, care and support for staff and students. Further, their personal commitment to their schools, their concern for the welfare of staff, their spirit of dialogue and consultation; in short, their personal positive attributes earned the respect and active cooperation of students and staff alike in their efforts to improve teaching and learning. Students of Aarie, who were edified by the exemplary conduct of Arrack, especially his punctuality, began to arrive at school on time, while teachers who admired his arbitration skills and resourcefulness became more cooperative and committed (KF 4.1, KF 5.1). One may ask whether these personal attributes by themselves, without the managerial and instructional skills of these leaders would have influenced positively the attitudes and response of their followers; the teachers, students and parents and community.
Evidence from this study, however, shows that the personal attributes of principals alone were incapable of influencing the behaviour and attitudes of collaborators and partners in working as a team and collectively achieving a set of goals. The research showed that personal attributes only influenced attitudes, behaviour and response of those being led provided the principals, also exhibited a high level of instructional and managerial leadership. For example, Carrack was admired by her teachers and students for her sympathetic attitude towards teachers and students, and also for her commitment to the School and her sense of perseverance (6.1, 6.2, 6.3). However, due to her lack of management and supervisory skills, as exhibited by her inability to check teacher and student lateness and absenteeism (KF 6.10), these
169 personal values failed to gain a positive response from staff and students in her efforts to improve academic standards. In other words, personal attributes of the principal are necessary but not sufficient condition for his or her ability to promote high academic standards. Yes, it is important to have a person with positive attributes, good character and values as a principal. However, the good mannered principal also essentially needs good managerial and supervisory skills or experience to become an effective leader of positive change and academic improvement in a disadvantaged school. Thus, the
leading roles of the principal, whether they are managerial, instructional or collegial, are always enhanced by his or her personal positive attributes but the lack of leadership skills of the leader cannot be compensated for by his or her personal attributes alone.