Essential Information Contained in the Article

K.Tappendorf, Article Précis #3 1

Dollarhide, C. (2003). School counselors as program leaders: Applying leadership contexts to school counseling.ProfessionalSchool Counseling. 6, 304-309.

In redefining the National Standards for school counseling, the school counselor has begun to take a more prominent role within the education system. In order to be effective leaders within the school system, school counselors must be capable of leadership in several different contexts. In this article, the author identifies these contexts of leadership. Additionally, the author addresses the skills necessary for a school counselor to be competent within these leadership contexts. Finally, the author provides an example of the implementation of this holistic approach to leadership within the school counseling setting.

Essential Information Contained in the Article

In defining leadership, researchers have proposed that leadership takes place in four different domains or contexts. These four contexts are independent of each other. Thus, an individual can choose to become a leader in one context without truly leading in the others. Likewise, a leader may choose to address any combination of leadership contexts concurrently.
Structural leadership is identified as the ability to lead in the development of effective organizations. As a school counselor, structural leadership may include developing and implementing a comprehensive counseling program.
Structural leadership requires skills such as advocacy, teaching, organization, and research.
Human resource leadership is defined as the ability to lead a group through inspiration and empowerment. In this context, counselors are able to promote good by inspiring students and providing them with the skills and assistance they need to be successful.
Human resource leadership involves strong communication, trust, and teambuilding skills. It is generally a comfortable context of leadership for the school counselor because these skills are consistent with the skills of the profession.
Through political leadership an individual uses interpersonal skills and organizational power. In this context, school counselors network with parents, administration, and school board members in order to promote their programs and activities.
Political leadership is, perhaps, the least comfortable form of leadership for a school counselor because it involves negotiation, advocacy, power, and persuasion.
Through symbolic leadership, leaders help individuals to interpret situations in a context that is meaningful to the individual. Symbolic leaders are able to envision a plan and effectively communicate that plan to their followers.
Symbolic leadership involves the use of symbolism, modeling, and inspiration.
The author provides an example of the effective combination of all four leadership contexts within a school counseling setting. The counselor combines the four leadership contexts in an effort to transform her program into a comprehensive counseling program, realigning it to the National Model.
In designing the comprehensive program, communicating her vision with administration and school board members, and encouraging these members to become active partners in the creation of a program that fosters success and development, the counselor applied each of these leadership contexts creating her own leadership style.
In order to be a leader, one must commit to a consistent cycle of development, implementation, and evaluation. Addressing each of the four leadership contexts will promote strong, comprehensive programs.

What I Gleaned From This Article

This article was interesting as both an educator and future school counselor. In general, I have found that the role of the school counselor is often defined in terms of activities and tasks performed (i.e. individual counseling, career and academic counseling, curriculum planning, etc). To define the counselor in terms of leadership places her in an important, yet somewhat unfamiliar role.

However, in dividing leadership into four contexts, the concept of leadership becomes less daunting. This division allows the counselor to focus more specific leadership skills and tasks, thereby promoting effective leadership overall. For example, because these contexts are independent and non-sequential, I can draw from my own personal skills and strengths in order to lead in those contexts that are a more natural fit. At the same time, I can identify and then improve upon those aspects of leadership in which I am not as strong. This will, in turn, allow me to become a more effective leader in other contexts. In focusing on my strengths and improving upon my weaknesses, I will be able to naturally incorporate these skills into my own leadership style.