Leader versus Manager, The P's of Education

Reflection Paper

Submitted by:
Ramon George Atento
A student of
Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management
Oct 14, 2005
DLSU - Manila


Contrasting the leader from the mere manager has always been the meat and gist of our meetings in our course. As our mentor Dr. Habulan said, this topic is also part of our comprehensive examinations. The first meeting with our Instructional Leadership, under the supervision of Dr. Muñoz, proves to be a continuity of this widening differentiation in our minds. What is it that makes a leader different from a manager? All the questions that night were focused towards the chasm that divides the two.

As the principal in our school, a leader I should be. There is a great divide that separates the teacher and an administrator. As a teacher, I was focused on the instruction. As a principal, I have more or less taken into consideration the big picture. There is no choice for an administrator. As a leader, one cannot focus on a component while unduly taking for granted the others. Hence, asked what my priorities are, I quoted Lee Iacocca of Chrysler, “People, Profits, and Products”. To these P-words, I add “Purpose (Philosophy)” and “Procedure”.

School is all about people. In a school set-up, every day of our lives – we talk of and to people. As leaders, we have our co-administrators, the board of directors, the teachers and staff, the students, the parents and the community. We also communicate and cooperate with people from the academic community through linkages. Through “People” the leader becomes a human resource manager and a public relations officer.

Now, products refer also to our students, the actuality of our “ideal graduate” (Palma, 1992). This is the P that makes the principal the instructional leader in his school, because our products cannot be realized in its fullness of excellence without instruction. While teachers are called to be leaders also (Crowther et al, 2002), on the shoulders of the administrator lie the responsibility of seeing to it that the curriculum is implemented and evaluated properly, while teachers keep their autonomy and academic freedom.

Another P that most leaders (especially ideal teachers who became principals) tend to take for granted is profit. Indeed, in the educational system, we speak of vocation, of a God-given mission, of touching eternity (Torralba, 1998). We speak of selflessness and altruism. So much so that money does not enter into the picture. Or enters barely. But, as my group mate says, there could never be Excellence and Evangelism without Economics. She was referring to a paradigm of E’s. Andy said that profit does not only mean the capitalist’s reward for his investment. It focuses on the money that will be needed and re-invested to the system, in order for it to work efficiently and effectively. With this P, the educational leader becomes a Fiscal Manager and Strategic Planner.

I added Purpose or Philosophy, which is very apt in the school setting. Indeed, Dr. Bago (2001), Brubacher (1978), Palma (1992) and Taba (1962), among so many other scholars draw a clear line from philosophy and aims – or the vision-mission-goals-objectives (VMGO) – to the curriculum and instruction procedure of a school. Without laying down the plans, we will be lost. Philosophy gives us direction in all that we do. It helps us avoid unrelated activities that have no clear agreement with the VMGO anyway.

Lastly, I added Procedure, to forever remind us of the importance of method in any human endeavor. This is very much seen in education, which demands a rule or step to follow in everything we do. A leader should provide the school with it through a Manual of Operations, which will include everything. I came from schools without (clear) manuals. Though these schools have existed for ten years or so, and have produced tens of thousands of “graduates” – one wonders how far they have left in them.

Leadership for me has proven to be not a walk in the park. There are serious problems in my institution that requires genuine leadership. And always, I ask myself, is it worth it? Is it worth my while? Or better, am I being part of the solution or the problem? What is it in leaders that make people follow them to the ends of the earth?

I have watched the movie “Braveheart” about two dozen times already. It has to rank as my most favorite movie of all time. It was the I-ching, the Tao of my existence. In leadership, I always look back at William Wallace’s stance during his days. That it was not mere folklore is a historical debate. But his story points out that the heart of a man is able to vanquish more serious problems – English conquistadors, a divided country, corrupt feudal lords and nobles, and nonchalant countrymen. And yes, he had impossible bosses back then. Wallace is the one who united Scotland. But what is it in Braveheart? He has a brave heart. He has the heart of the leader. When you look in his eyes, you immediately see where you are going. And you will risk your whole life in order to achieve the goal he can see with his heart – the very goals you can see in his eyes.

Leadership is like that. When asked for something in my bag that depicts the given adage on leadership and (mere) management, I got the pin of Mr. Bean. It came from my student in grade 3 that day. It was in my bag because I will give it to my three-year old daughter Andrea, who is a fanatic of Mr. Bean. When I would arrive home from work, she would immediately say “Hi, Daddy!” but her eyes are practically glued all over the set. Over Mr. Bean. “But Daddy is more handsome than him, baby!” I would remark, to the amusement of my mother, her lola. Mr. Bean, in a twisted, idiosyncratic way is a leader.

In our previous course, Dr. Habulan remarked that when there is a fire in the building, the President, CEO, COO, AO, VP and all those initials are not your leaders. The leaders are the security guards, who will guide these initialed people their way out. In the same way, Mr. Bean is a sort of a leader. He is like the Pied Piper, who plays his music in order to lure the rats (and later, the children) out of Hamlyn. This is despite his idiotic looks. Again, in the same way, leadership is not about looks. Well, it counts a little bit, especially when you get to speak in public, and in PTA meetings, but it doesn’t hold the most important position of all. Leadership is being able to lead the institution someplace, especially towards the direction of the VMGO.

Why is Mr. Bean so powerful among the children? All my students practically watch it. My daughter watches it twice a day! I believe that Mr. Bean has something that children like. When people like you, they will follow you. When people know that you have the heart of a champion that is able to lead them to the ends of the earth, then they will follow you through rain and fire. If you know where you are going and this is worth following, the people will find an inspiration with you. If you are able to show them by example, then they will do the same, day and night without ceasing. That very day, you have multiplied yourself, leveraging your strength a hundred times or more. Now, if you are able to communicate to them the goals and have genuinely touched their lives, then they will even die for the cause you have led them into. That is why Jesus called His Apostles through an invitation, “Come, and follow me”.

As leaders, we are like generals on the field. We lead our people towards victory. We lead them day and night, through rain and heat, through lack and abundance. In the end, we go to war with them. The enemies are many – laziness, inadequacy, absenteeism, and habitual tardiness of teachers and students. All these things, the leader ought to face with a clear focus on the goals at hand. As Sun Zi wrote, “If you know yourself and your enemy, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles”.

References:

Bago. Adelaida L. 2001. “Curriculum Development: The Philippine Experience,” De La Salle University. Manila: DLSU Press.

Brubacher, John S. 1978. “Modern Philosophies of Education,” Michigan: McGraw-Hill.

Clavell, James 1983. “The Art of War by Sun Tzu”, New York: Doubleday Press.

Crowther, Frank, Stephen Kaagan, Margaret Ferguson, and Leonne Hann. (2002). Developing Teacher Leaders (How Teacher Leadership Enhances School Success), California: Corwin Press.

Palma, Jesus C. 1992. “Curriculum Development System: A Handbook for School Practitioners in Basic Education,” Mandaluyong: National Book Store.

Taba, Hilda. 1962. “Curriculum Development: Theory and Practice”, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Torralba, Antonio N. 1998. “The Joys of Teaching”, Makati City: Rex Printing.