John West-Burnham offers a radical critique of prevailing models of leadership in education, particularly models of school leadership, notably the British view of headship. The book will offer an alternative model of leadership. Transformation is not about improving output or efficiency; it is not about incremental improvement or optimising organizational effectiveness. Transformation is rather about the profound change of every component of the organization following a fundamental reconceptualisation of its purpose and nature. Transformation is a process that ensures that an organization is appropriate to the context in which it operates. Transformation is about questioning the very nature of the school as an organization and the nature of organizations.The distinctive nature of this book is that it will focus on leadership attitudes, values and personal qualities (the elusive and intangible elements of leadership) rather than simply reworking the traditional blend of knowledge, skills and experience. Central to the book will be the notion of the personal 'mind map' - the model of leadership that determines personal behaviour. The book will focus on helping leaders review and reconceptualise their personal mindscapes. The book will have a strongly practical focus and is designed to be a resource for school leaders who find that their work is increasingly moving beyond traditional boundaries into areas for which there are few precedents and only limited resources.

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction: Understanding leadership; Chapter 1: Leadership for transformation; Chapter 2: Leadership and creativity; Chapter 3: Leadership and democracy; Chapter 4: Moral leadership; Chapter 5: Interpersonal leadership; Chapter 6: Leadership and spirituality; Chapter 7: The leader as intellectual; Chapter 8: Leading learning communities; Chapter 9: Personal effectiveness; Chapter 10: Strategies to support transformation.

About the Author

John West-Burnham is a teacher, writer and consultant in leadership development.