Page 22 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Marta Ambite et al.

improvement in the learner. Carr (2002) goes even further, claiming
that the educational leader must be ‘an example of the best values and
virtues found in a particular way of life’ (p. 117). For him, this is so be-
cause no one can teach well what one does not know deeply, and a theo-
retical knowledge is not enough to fully comprehend some educational
contents, specifically, those related to ethics, which are essentially prac-
tical. Therefore, an educator cannot teach something that they do not
live. In other words, the leader must be a moral exemplar to which the
students aspire, which necessarily requires the cultivation of virtuous
character in the teaching profession.
Given that the teacher embodies an excellence that the student still
lacks, Esteve (1977) maintains that there is a distance between them,
derived from the superiority that the educational leader holds over the
student. However, according to the author, this excellence must be rec-
ognized by the student for the leader to be considered an authority.
In this sense, Zagzebski (2017) adds that the recognition of a superior
quality in the other causes admiration, which drives the desire to imi-
tate the other to achieve that better self. Henderson (2024) reinforces
this idea by explaining that such admiration arises precisely from the
lack of that excellence, as it is perceived as a moral ideal worthy of at-
tainment.
By recognizing this ideal, the learner freely and consciously accepts
the teacher’s influence to imitate them. Nonetheless, the leader’s supe-
riority is not exercised for personal benefit – which would distinguish
it from models such as authoritarianism – but rather directed towards
guiding the learner in achieving their best self (Esteve, 1977), thus re-
ducing the distance between them, which ultimately tends to disappear.
For this reason, Esteve (1977) defines this relationship as a ‘liberating
authority’ (p. 187). Therefore, another quality of educational leaders lies
in the ability to inspire and guide students, not only through their ex-
ample as a role model, but also by placing their excellence at the service
of the moral development of the students, driving them towards the
best version of themselves.
Esteve (1977) notes that another fundamental trait of the educational
leader is the use of open dialogue and prudential advice as an essen-
tial means of communication with learners. In this leadership model,
there is no room for the imposition of commands, as teacher and stu-
dent progress together towards a shared goal. Rather than imposing a
set of beliefs, the educational leader respects students’ freedom by fos-

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