ABSTRACT

Throughout a career in teaching everyone operates, to different extents and at different times, within the roles of leader, manager and administrator. The extent to which one operates in each of these roles is dependent on a number of interrelated factors, such as position of responsibility, expectations of others, confidence and competence, enthusiasm, initiative, vision, involvement, commitment, the management structure and the existing culture of the school and the department/subject/team, etc. The lists in Table 2 give somewhat ‘tongue in cheek’ and polarised, but nonetheless appropriate, descriptions of the three roles.