A study of social and political acumen in dynamic educational  (Page 10/15)

All of the participants in the focus group talked about the need to be able to fulfill the role and responsibilities of leader and agreed that the effective exercise of social and political acumen supported being a successful leader. They discussed the fact that social and political acumen have become a greater necessity for the effective leader. Indeed, the entire group was committed to the idea that leadership development can support a leader’s development of social and political acumen. There was agreement that leadership development should“give leaders a heads up on the expectations of leadership so that the leader understands how to develop social and political acumen.”

Also, however, all five of the participants expressed concerns that leadership development should authentically meet the needs of potential and seasoned leaders and that it should be ongoing. They also agreed that leadership development programs should“recognize talent and develop talent”and that there“needed to be a process for self-reflection.”

In addition, all members of the focus group believed that the role of mentor was key to the success of leaders and that mentors should be trained to support leaders in their development and exercise of social and political acumen. There was a general concern that there should be enough time allocated for the mentorship relationship and that this should be a structured part of leadership programs. This reflects Young, Sheets and Knight’s work of 2005 when they emphasize the need for principals and mentors to have time to observe, question and reflect.

There was also a consensus in the group that leaders’exercise of social and political acumen can be supported through formal and informal networking with colleagues. The entire group agreed that such networking should also be part of the structure of leadership development programs.

The focus group participants’willingness to share experiences, opinions, and ideas meant that the discussion was rich and productive. Members of the group often initiated questions or probed other members for more details. This meant that the flow of discussion did not require or closely follow the focus group interview questions at all times. On the other hand, it also meant that there was a natural dynamic within the group that allowed the members to share their personal experiences. Indeed, the focus group further developed the information gained from the survey and the face-to-face interviews.

Throughout the focus group discussion there was a high level of synergy. The fact that there were only five participants in the focus group encouraged all members to participate. At the same time, this limited number may have contributed to the commonality of opinion and may not have nurtured the expression of more diverse opinions and ideas. Nevertheless, there were numerous insightful comments about the role of the leader:

• All of the experiences I have had in life and the people that I crossed paths with have made a difference to how I lead.
• Principals should be asked what are the areas of growth they need to focus on and these should be included in the leadership development program.
• If you can’t rise to the challenge of exercising social and political acumen, then you’re not ready to be a principal.
• You have to be able to function with people because the system is made up of people, and social and political acumen will help this.
• I have worked in a remote community where social acumen was more important. Then I moved to a larger urban district where I was closer to central office, and it meant the need for more political acumen.
• It is a concern that if once you are a leader you do not participate in leadership development.
• A real growth for me was the timing of finishing my master’s degree. . . . I could count on one of my strong mentors. I would get constructive criticism or feedback that wouldn’t veil it in soft terms.
• It is worth investing time and energy into leadership development programs and they should share the internal expertise.