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Peter Vaill (Vaill, 1998), a thinker in the business world, writes that the boundary between the secular and the sacred needs to be redefined. He discusses the idea of managerial leadership . This discussion describes leaders who work within the systems they are changing. Managerial leaders are interested in values and community.

Vaill (1998) reports that for the past 30 years there has been a battle in the academic world between the idea of a managerial leader as a pragmatist and the idea that such a leader is reflective. On one side the academicians argue for the emphasis to be put on the action and results of a leader. The other side emphasizes the wisdom, perception, and the complexity of the leader. Thomas Aquinas said contemplari et contemplata aliis tradere , translated as contemplate and give to others the fruits of your contemplation. Aquinas is proposing compromise between the two camps of the contemplative monk and the religious leaders working in the secular world. This is exactly what Vaill proposes. There is to be a balance between the two ideas. Managerial leaders have an interior life which affects their actions. They reflect deeply on experiences, examine consequences, and dialogue with stakeholders. This entails a search for meaning. Vaill calls for leaders and followers to discover their interconnectedness.

Recently more writers have looked at spiritual leadership as it applies to education. Blankstein, Houston, and Cole (Houston, Blankstein,&Cole, 2008), editors of The Soul of Education Leadership, discussed many aspects of the place of spirituality in leadership. Houston and Sokolow (2006) examined eight principles that shape effective leadership. These are principles that are used by enlightened leaders who are in touch with their spirituality. Leaders’ intention is where the plan of action starts. Intention attracts people, aligns actions, and focuses energy. Attention to thought also focuses energy. Leaders pay attention to their thoughts, others, situations, and issues. Attention greatly helps to reduce distractions. Enlightened leaders realize that all have gifts and talents . Leaders discover their own gifts and lead others to find their gifts. They celebrate the uniqueness of each individual. Gratitude is the fourth key principle. Leaders are aware of life’s blessings and see goodness in obstacles and adversaries. They are grateful for opportunities to help others. Unique life’s lessons help leaders to see experiences as part of human development and spiritual growth. Each ending is a new beginning. The connectedness of all things illustrates a holistic perspective . Small changes create large effects. Leaders see that the parts and the whole are related. They identify patterns and show them to others in the organization. Houston and Sokolow emphasize openness as a key principle. Spiritual leaders foster openness in their leadership. Openness in turn promotes growth in self and others. Trust is the last principle. Trust allows people to grow. The authors encourage leaders to trust themselves, others, and the Universe. This trust stems from integrity that is woven through the eight principles of spiritually grounded leaders.

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Source:  OpenStax, 21st century theories of education administration. OpenStax CNX. Jul 08, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10727/1.1
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