Page 23 - Educational Leadership in a Changing World

Current Challenges of Educational Leadership

tering an environment where they can independently discover and ex-
plore their own convictions. As this author asserts, true leaders must
encourage learners’ initiative, given that actively exercising freedom is
the only way for its full development.
The last key attribute of the educational leader that will be discussed
here is the ability to embody consistent exemplarity while responding
to the needs of the group they serve. According to Zagzebski (2017), ad-
miration for a fleeting quality lacks true excellence; thus, ‘reflective ad-
miration is the test of exemplarity’ (p. 63). In this regard, Esteve (1977)
maintains that a leader’s authority endures only if they effectively ad-
dress the needs and interests of their community; otherwise, admira-
tion fades. Carr (2002) reinforces this idea, emphasizing the importance
of teachers understanding and addressing the specific demands of their
group.
This conception of the educational leader as a moral role model has
been subject to criticism, especially around the concern of whether imi-
tation of others might limit autonomy, an aspect of particular relevance
in education. For example, Kant (1997) argues that true autonomy is
based on acting according to one’s own principles, not relying on exter-
nal models. Similarly, Taylor (1992) stresses that moral models are only
valuable if critically reflected upon and internalized by the individual.
To address this concern, Zagzebski (2017) offers a fundamental contri-
bution, stating that when admiration arises from critical reflection, the
individual consciously recognizes that imitation benefits their own de-
velopment. In this sense, the decision to imitate an exemplary figure is
not an external imposition, but the result of autonomous judgement.
The disciple, then, freely trusts that the orientations of the educational
leader are a suitable path for their improvement (Esteve, 1977). There-
fore, the person who makes this decision is autonomous, as it is the
result of the exercise of their own freedom.
Moreover, as previously noted, the genuine educational leader not
only respects the learner’s freedom, but also facilitates it. Hence, the
leader does not seek to generate submission or dependence, but to ac-
company the student to achieve a common goal: the autonomy and free-
dom inherent to the rational being (Esteve, 1977). Thus, far from re-
stricting the autonomy of the student, the educational leader actively
contributes to its achievement. This demonstrates, once again, the close
interconnection between the terms ‘educational leader,’ ‘freedom’ and
‘autonomy.’

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