ABSTRACT
For decades the image of outstanding leadership in schools, and more generally, accorded instantly with the Great Person theory – and what these individuals had, it was believed, was charisma. So, in preparation for writing this chapter on leadership style author thought he ought to begin from this classic position. If the charismatic model of school leadership has romantic undertones, the bureaucratic model generally raises a yawn. Based on the work of the sociologist Max Weber, bureaucracies are associated with formal rules and procedures; long and rigid personal and institutional hierarchies; slowness to change; division of labour; a philosophy of ‘one size fits all’. The LF leader is a ‘hands-off’ practitioner operating in a notionally collegiate style. Like other leadership styles, the delegative approach has both a number of benefits and shortcomings.
