Identity Crisis: A Leader's Image is Worth a Thousand Words

There is a short supply, yet tacit demand, for creative and e ective communication training for educational leaders. A eld of literature indicates that a leader's identity is a potent communication tool. A leader's image can frame expectations for followers, symbolically evoking a family of concepts and patterns of meaning (receiving). The mindset of the transformational leader is politically recognizing that he or she either de ne or be de ned . Research suggests that many educational leaders resist creative and e ective symbolisms and that communication training is unsatisfactory. Eighty-three percent of study participants communicated their vision and/or mission through role modeling (sending), i.e., walking the talk . Paradoxically, 68 percent of these participants didn't know of or express interest in their identity as perceived by their target audiences; hence, the identity crisis and mindset are addressed in this study. note: This module has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and sanctioned by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA) as a signi cant contribution to the scholarship and practice of education administration. In addition to publication in the Connexions Content Commons, this module is published in the International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 1 Volume 4, Number 3 (July September, 2009). Formatted and edited in Connexions by Theodore Creighton, Virginia Tech.