Summer 2015

BEING A LEADER FOR
2015 AND BEYOND
What does it mean to be a leader in 2015?
Is it just about a title, a higher pay rate, lots of paperwork
and more responsibility?
People generally come to leadership roles in one of two ways,
they seek it out as being the next best step in their career, or
it is thrust upon them due to circumstances – sometimes out of
their control.
Regardless of whether you are a current or emerging leader,
the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills for leadership
in Early Childhood Education and Care and School-Aged
Care Services is available to you!
While Leadership and Service Management are discussed
specifically in Quality Area 7 of the National Quality
Framework, day-to-day experience shows us that a leader
affects every nook and cranny of a service. A key element of
good leadership is engaging in ongoing learning and
development, it is seeking out knowledge and skills which
allow you to enhance the way you work, the way you
influence others and the way you drive a vision for overall
high quality service delivery for the children and their families.
While leadership and management are inextricably linked,
there is a distinction. It can be said that management skills
can be learnt, leadership skills need development. In his book
“On Becoming a Leader”, Warren Bennis composed a list
of the differences between management and leadership
including:
• The manager administers; the leader innovates
• The manager maintains; the leader develops
• The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader
focuses on people
• The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a longrange
perspective
• The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what
and why
• The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line;
the leader’s eye is on the horizon
• The manager imitates; the leader originates
• The manager does things right; the leader does the right
thing.
Bennis, W. G. (2003). On becoming a leader. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub.
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IN THE LOOP