On Becoming a School Leader: A Person-Centered Challenge

By Arthur W. Combs, Kathryn S. Whitaker, Ann B. Miser

Book Overview

The work of educational leaders depends on relationships with people--faculty and staff members, students, other administrators, parents, and community members. This book presents a new way of viewing... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871203367
• ISBN13: 9780871203366
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: ASCD
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Impressions as and Upcoming School Leader

Running Head: Book Review --On Becoming a School Leader: A Person-Centered ChallengeBook Review: On Becoming a School Leader: A Person-Centered ChallengeAlberto Hananel Pepperdine University - GSEP September 23, 2000 ED 762 Dr. Doug Leigh IntroductionArthur Combs's book, On Becoming A School Leader: A Person-Centered Challenge, provides a clear method of understanding ourselves, as school leaders, and methods needed to improve our skills.The book is divided into three sections: Leadership and Belief Systems, Leader's Conceptions of Change and Self, and Leaders and Organizations. Each section is filled with easy to read and clearly thought out illustrations of what occurs at a school setting with educational leaders, or in my personal case a `rising educational leader.'Gut Reaction: I have always considered myself a `people person.' My definition of this includes that I am able to get along well with people, interact and accept them for whom they truly are. Combs says "leaders act from the most accurate concepts of human behavior" (Combs, p. 9). He explains, in depth the value of a person-centered method of dealing with others, especially in education. He claims that leaders must always find the way to best communicate with people, which in terms become a lifetime project. Combs writes powerfully about what educational leaders encounter, on a daily basis, as well as in general terms. He does a good job expressing what occurs at schools, and how the principal or the leader of the organization must deal with the myriad of people and the multitude of different tasks and data he/she faces each and every day. I found myself nodding, in agreement, and seeing where I stand in the scheme of what Combs is relating to his readers. Each section of the book had things that not only made me think, but also gave me a good sense of how to possibly deal with situations I will have to face while my time as Interim Principal at my school site and as an educational leader, as a whole. I also found that I could take many of the topics written about in the book and use them or pocket them until the appropriate time.I truly enjoyed the portion titled Understanding the Costs of Empathic Leadership. A good leader must be sensitive to his/her own needs as well as those he/she leads. Combs writes, "they must keep only a tentative hold on beliefs, realizing that what they know and believe today may not be what they will know an d believe tomorrow" (Combs, p. 41). It is true that leaders are here to inspire followers to greatness and always to achieve goals, professionally and socially. Big Picture: Reaching our goals is truly the big picture in all of this talk relating to personal leadership. It is true that leaders must first understand themselves in order to achieve greatness, before trying to get others to go with them and conquer ends.Leaders must be able to reach followers in many different ways. Finding these make the job challenging. However, effective leaders