CYNTHIA BLACKSTONE

What is a leader?
The definition of a leader has been reevaluated and evolved. Once it was thought that leaders were born, now the thinking has changed to a leader is ANYONE who can tap into others' intrinsic motivation. The school counselor must be aware and purposeful on how to tap into the intrinsic motivators and rethink the methods they use to conjure up the motivation of some.

What does leadership have to do with counseling?
School counselors are responsible for the emotional, career, and social/personal developmental of all students. With that responsibility the school counselor must take on the role of a leader and an advocate. The school counselor must not only advocate for students but also lead various groups such as multicultural groups, peer mediation, parent meetings, political involvement, and student groups. The school counselor can not be one that goes along with the crowd, they must be willing to go against the status quo and swim against the current at times in order to achieve developmental agendas for the students and their families.

Informal and Formal Power Structures:
Formal structures are more organized and structured. In a school this type of structure acts as a hierarchy of command. You receive formal power in accordance with your position in the school system and the authority associated with that position. Informal power isn't structured this way, your informal power stems from the relationships you build and respect you earn from your coworkers. While structure determines formal power, personal viewpoints drive informal power. Which ever they type of power is used, French and Raven's (1959) typology of power provided a look into the follower's perception.

PARTICIPATORY LEADERSHIP
This type of leadership occurs when one person takes lead with others that have the same goals. Everyone has respect and engagement in the process, with the energy to work together for the end product. Participatory leadership works as a web of relationships that is spearheaded by one leader. Leaders find new ways to deal with old problems.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL COUNSELING

• Taking responsibility for change
• Having courage in the face of doubts
• Focused and school-based goals
• Self-defined role of school counselor

SCHOOL COUNSELING LEADERSHIP CONT.

• Support of administration
• Growth from self reflection
• Efforts that included and balanced all frames
• Persistence in the face of feeling isolated
• (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012).

FRENCH AND RAVEN' S FIVE TYPES OF POWER (DOLLARHIDE & SAGINAK, 2012)

• Reward power-the power to provide benefits percieved as valuable to the follower
• Coercive power-the power to impose punishments or remove benefits from the the follower
• Legitimate power- the follower perceives the leader has the right to make the request
• Expert power-the follower believes the leader has expertise or knowledge
• Referent power-the follower likes, admires, or wants to please the leader, therefore will comply

HOW CAN YOU MOTIVATE OTHERS?
Bolman and Deal (1997) have identified four "frames" which, depending on the context of the leadership and the end goals can determine how others will perceive your style of leadership.

Why would anyone follow you?
The first frame, structural leadership, requires the counselor to be up to date with counseling, and informed of new innovations of education.
If you are a school counselor that can plan, implement, and be knowledgeable about the direction of the school counseling program, and how it affects the school then others will feel you have legitimate power, as well as an expert on counseling. The followers will respond to your leadership because they highly respect you.

The second frame is human resource leadership. This frame is built upon empowering others, believing in people, and being accessible. This frame appeals to many counselors because these qualities are common in counselors. Many counselors have a passion for believing in students and their families, and like to be a known entity around the school district. The type of follower that may adhere to this leadership frame is the referent power, which thrives on the personal connections.

The third frame is political leadership, which can lead to anxiety and stress, as many counselors report. Change comes with negotiation and compromise. The school counselor will need to be aware of the power system in place and how to connect with important stakeholders for the benefit of the comprehensive counseling program. If your strength is in the political leadership frame then you will also have to be able to persuade and negotiate for your program. The benefit of this frame is that all bases of power respond to this type of leadership.

The fourth frame is the symbolic leadership frame. Leaders use symbols to capture attention and have a communication with the community they represent. When a school counselor is an effective leader, the counselor represents many things: mental health, the profession of counseling, the advocate for students, to name a few (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012). This type of power would attract legitimate power, expert power, and referent power.

What kind of leader are you?
Leaders have many qualities that counselors usually posses, but what type of leadership fits you best? Follow these interactive activities to find out!

THERE ARE MANY LEADERSHIP QUOTES AROUND THE ROOM, CHOOSE THE ONE THAT APPEALS TO YOU THE MOST.
The counselors will stand underneath the quote that stands out to their personality the most, this will help decide what type of leader they are.

LEADERS TO ADMIRE
Divide up into small groups. Share a story about the best or most influential leader that they have encountered. After each story, identify leadership characteristics by asking the question: "What was it that made this person such an effective leader?" Then as a group, identify the traits that all the leaders seem to share.
These traits will help us explore what makes a good leader, and the leader you would like to be.
(Siebold, 2008)

LEADERSHIP CHALLENGED
The objective of this activity is to explore leadership at moments of challenge. Divide into small groups and give examples of leadership actions that they took during a moment of challenge or crisis. After everyone has had a chance to give an example, each group will identify leadership traits that came to the forefront during a "moment of truth."
(Leonard, T. 2008)

Figuring out which type of leader you naturally fall into will allow you to tap into the leadership frame that will benefit you and the people surrounding you. Knowing the different types of power allows you to assess which method to use to motivate others, even if it does not fall into your type of leadership style.

REFERENCES

• Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (1997). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• Dollarhide, C. & Saginak (2012). Comprehensive School Programs: K-12 Delivery Systems in Action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education
• French, J. & Raven, B.H. (1959). Studies of Social Power. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute of Social Research
• Leonard, T. (2008). Workshop Exercises. Leadership Activities: Leadership Challenged. www.workshopexercises.com
• Siebold, T. (2008). Workshop Exercises. Leadership Activities: Leaders to Admire. www. workshopexercises.com