Significance of Communication to effective leadership

A great quote is found at the beginning of this chapter.

" Communication is critical to effective leadership, to sharing the vision and values of an organisation and developing positive relationships with staff" (Dubrin, Dalglish & Miller, 2003, p342).

It also says that leaders spend a substantial amount of time resolving conflicts. The more I read, the more I am able to see how communication underpins so much of what a leader can accomplish. The idea of positive relationships with staff is extremely important when analysing conflict resolution.

I think that if Teacher Librarians form positive relationships with their students and colleagues, any conflicts that do arise will be handled a lot better. Dubrin, Dalglish & Miller in 2003 (p. 342) identified research that indicates that successful leaders expand their thinking regularly by actively soliciting new ideas and feedback from others. They continuously sought fresh information and possessed the persuasive skills necessary to convince others of the quality of their ideas. Leaders and managers spend considerable time managing conflict.

Dubrin, Dalglish & Miller identify 5 conflict management styles. They are competitive, avoidant, sharing, collaborative and accommodative. I liked the collaborative style. It is very similar to Mackay's 6 steps to conflict resolution because it asks each party to listen and compromise.

Collaborative style is based on a desire to satisfy the needs of both parties. There is a belief that once the conflict has been resolved, each party will have gotten something of value out of the process. I think out of the 5 styles outlined in the book, this one is the best. A Teacher Librarian, in their leadership role would benefit from using this style. It would build relationships and encourage teachers to work together with the Librarian to achieve an effective library that caters to the needs of the students. Although this book is not about Teachers or Librarians, the ideas it is based around relate very well to them.


Dubrin, A. & Dalglish, C. (2003). Leadership, An Australian Focus. Milton, QLD: John Wiley & Sons.