Connectedness

School leaders should be concerned with being connected to their environment. According to Starratt (2003), this

relationship with the environment also includes “accepting the responsibilities implicit in the relationship” (p. 138). By

making these connections leaders, are able to make decisions that will better serve the organization of which they are a

part. Within the context of these relationships, Starratt (2003) implies that to be social living agents, individuals must live

in a culture. With that acceptance comes a responsibility towards the moral and cultural codes “that are expressed and

negotiated” (p.138) through individual interactions. Nichols & Erakovich (2013) describes authentic leaders as those who

are able to use their behaviours to influence and encourage others through “intellectual stimulation and individualized

consideration in an ethical manner” (p. 183). Duignan (2014) carries this argument further when he refers to this

connectedness as influence fields (p. 164).

Influence fields are described by Duignan (2014) as individuals who are influenced by other individuals in a reciprocal

relationship that is further influenced by the environment in which the individual operates. The type of system is dynamic

and messy, and “authentic leaders recognize, accept, even embrace [the] messiness and respond by encouraging and

nurturing a ‘collective professional ethic of responsibility’ from all key stakeholders so as to maximise opportunities”

(Duignan, 2014, p. 164). Within this dynamic it is important that leaders must conduct their own behaviours in such a way

so as to inspire followers (Brown et al., 2005).


Extending on this idea of connectedness, M. Fullan (2008) argues for learning communities in schools which greatly

enhances the relationships amongst all the stakeholders in the system. Fullan (2008) encourages school leaders to develop

collaborative cultures that encourage dialogue and mutual respect within the school system.

Leaders who encourage this are able to create mutual sharing cultures that promote the growth of the school as an

educational institution. As expressed by Fullan (2003), “it takes capacity to build capacity” (p. 7). These learning

communities can best be achieved when a leader is well-grounded with a moral purpose (Fullan, 2003, p. 19) and

“Authentic leaders believe deeply in people and their abilities to make ordinary things into great things” (Starratt, 2004, p.

71).