Transcendence
Starratt refers to transcendence as “what leads us to turn our life toward someone or toward something greater than or
beyond ourselves” (p. 138). This could be viewed as wanting to achieve excellence in whatever one does, or it can be
perceived as following an ideal or principle that promotes the growth of the human condition. Leithwood & Jantzi
(2006) encourages school leaders to emphasize emotion and values when “fostering capacity development and higher levels
of personal commitment to organizational goals” (p. 204). Within the context of transcendence this would imply
encouraging subordinates to see the bigger picture and encouraging them to increase their capacities and commitments to
producing a stronger, more vibrant school.
Fullan (2008) points out that school leaders should be concerned about their legacy in an educational intuition. This legacy
should not be created from “building great monuments or by naming their successor” (Fullan, 2008, p. 20) but rather
should be created from the individual actions that creates happiness within the school . This concern for a
memorable legacy can be achieved when one chooses to focus towards a larger group or communal goal rather than
emphasizing one’s own self-promotion and glory. This idea can also be used to reinforce the argument for connectedness.
Leaders who work to build “mutually affirming relationships with others” and add to the positive culture of the school
climate are able to create an atmosphere that fosters growth (Starrat, 2004, p.71).