1. Leadership skills for success in education
Dr Šefika Alibabić, Full professor
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy
Sofia, November 2017.

2. “It is better to have an army of rabbits,
*****
“It is better to have an army of rabbits,
led by a lion,
than an army of lions
led by a rabbit”!!!

3. The objectives of the topic
To inform,
To intellectually provoke,
To search in own experience,
To motivate
leaders of educational organizations/ institutions to acquire and develop leadership competences for successful education

4. The content structure of the topic consists of answers to questions based on research findings and examples from practice:
WHY are leadership skills and competences a base for successful education?
WHICH leadership skills make an educational organization leader successful?
HOW to develop leadership skills?
WHEN to acquire and improve (develop) leadership skills?

5. Why are leadership skills and competences a base for successful education?
The essence of management in education;
Leading and managing on different levels and in different domains;
Changing environment and needs development.
Example from practice

6. The essence of management in education
The main preoccupation (starting and closing point) of management in education must be the purpose, goals and outcomes of education, while the control procedures and patterns, guiding, directing, encouraging ... employees, are only mechanisms in the service of the main preoccupations.

7. Leadership by levels Educational system level (education policies)
Educational institution level
Educational process level
Leadership in educational policies
Leadership in school directors
Leadership in teachers

8. Changing environment – requirements and needs
global environment
immediate environment
education
(the head of the institution)

9. Which skills? Factors that “make” a leader
Manager/leader on the way to institution’s strategic development
Educational needs of the director (head of the institution)
“The pool” of competences (leadership competences as a core)
Example from practice

10. Factors that “make” a leader
Hereditary
Educational
Environmental
Situational

11. Manager/leader on the way to institution’s strategic development
Where I am
How to get there?
Where do I want to be?

12. Results of needs research (Alibabić, 2011)
List of activities (partial) for which directors need continuous training
Priority list of training topics
Activity Mean value
Talks (with students, employees, parents) ,85
Decides ,82
Performs pedagogical supervision ,80
Creates positive relations in school ,72
Motivates employees ,65
Plans ,63
Solves interpersonal relations problems ,50
Criticizes constructively ,25
Advises ,15
Delegates tasks ,80

13. Results of needs research
2011.
2016.
Talks (with students, employees, parents)
Decides
Performs pedagogical supervision
Creates positive relations in school
Motivates employees
Plans
Solves interpersonal relations problems
Criticizes constructively
Advises
Delegates tasks
Solves interpersonal relations problems
Creates positive relations in school
Motivates employees
Decides
Plans
Talks
Lobbies
Criticizes constructively
Performs pedagogical supervision
Negotiates

14. “The pool” of competences Leading with a compass – The Four Principles Paradigm (Covey,2000.)
Leadership principles (association to geographical directions)
Leadership domains (association to geographical map)
Students
Teachers
Parents
Teaching
Education policy
Local community
Resources
Education technology
Security (sense of own worth, identity, emotional stability, self-esteem and personal strength)
Wisdom (knowledge and experience)
Power (Courage, making decisions and acting, overcoming old habits and cultivating new ones)
Guidance (Understanding the signs that lead us through life, anticipation)

16. How to develop leadership skills?
Permanently and systematically
Through formal education programs
Through informal education programs
Through self-learning projects
Through experiences
What programs to choose?
Example from practice

17. When to develop leadership skills?
Always
permanently and continuously
“I grow old learning something new every day .”
(Solon, ca B.C.)

18. Recommended literature
Alibabić,Š., (2011) Education of School Leaders – from their Educational needs to Training Models , S¶TRA - journal for Research on Education, Psychology, Traditional Sciences and Systems, Health and Consciousness, Volume 10/ 2011, New Delhi, pp
Alibabić, Š., Miljković,J., Ovesni,K. (2013), Pedagog u kontekstu menadžment izazova, Zbornik: Pedagog između teorije i prakse, Beograd, Institut za pedagogiju i andragogiju Filozofskog fakulteta.
Covey, S., (2000) Principi uspešnog liderstva, Beograd,Grmeč.
Fairholm,M.R., Fairholm,G.W., (2009) Understanding Leadership Perspectives, New York, Springer Science and Business Media.
Hodzic,S., Ripoll,P., Lira,E., Zenasni,F., (2015) Can intervention in emotional competences increase employability prospects of unanployed adults?, Yournal of Vocational Behavior, Elsevier, 88(1915)28-37.
Ladkin, D. (2010) Rethinking Leadership: A New Look at Old Leadership Questions. Cheltenham, Northamton: Edward Elgar.
Marićević,L. (2014) Faktori liderstva, Andragoške studije, br.1, str