Leadership in Education: Insights from Practice to Policy

By Dr. Rukiya Deetjen Ruiz, CEO – Fortis Auxilium

In education, leadership is rarely about holding a title — it is about driving results, shaping culture, and influencing people toward a shared vision. Over the course of my career, spanning early childhood education, national scholarship program management, and higher education accessibility, I have learned that sustainable leadership requires more than operational competence. It requires adaptability, political acumen, and an understanding that leadership is not static; it is situational, strategic, and deeply human.

This article distills lessons from my own leadership journey and translates them into actionable principles for educational leaders and policymakers seeking to strengthen institutional performance.

Lesson 1: Leadership Requires Decisive Cultural Intervention

One of my earliest leadership roles — as Assistant Director of a family-owned early learning center — revealed how quickly cultural issues can undermine performance. At the time, long-standing staff resistance to change had eroded morale, instructional quality, and enrollment figures. The solution was not incremental; it required decisive restructuring.

While the decision to replace the entire teaching team was seen as extreme by some stakeholders, it was necessary to protect the integrity of the organization’s mission. This experience reinforced a vital truth: when toxic behaviors become normalized, immediate intervention is essential to prevent them from crystallizing into organizational culture.

From a policy perspective, this underscores the need for clear performance accountability frameworks within educational institutions. Leaders must be empowered to act swiftly when cultural misalignment threatens strategic goals.

Lesson 2: Competence Alone Does Not Secure Legitimacy

In my role as a regional Mentor Coordinator for a national scholarship program, I encountered the subtle but pervasive effects of ageism and organizational politics. Despite meeting or exceeding performance expectations, my authority was frequently undermined by colleagues referencing my youth — labeling me “the baby” in professional settings.

The takeaway was clear: technical ability is necessary but insufficient for leadership success. Legitimacy is as much about perception as it is about performance, and leaders must proactively manage their credibility.

For educational systems, this points to the value of formal mentorship and leadership development pipelines that not only build skillsets but also equip emerging leaders with the political literacy to navigate institutional dynamics. This is particularly critical for underrepresented and early-career leaders, who often face compounded biases.

Lesson 3: Transformational Change Requires Strategic Sequencing

In my current role as Coordinator of Student Accessibility Services in higher education, I inherited a department providing minimal support for students with learning disabilities — accommodations were largely limited to extra exam time. The result was predictable: high dropout rates and poor academic outcomes for these students.

The transformation required a two-phase approach:

• Phase 1: Establish clear expectations and boundaries using transactional leadership techniques.

• Phase 2: Transition into a transformational model, building innovation and faculty collaboration once operational stability was achieved.

This sequencing ensured that change was both accepted and sustained. It also highlights a principle often overlooked in education policy: transformational leadership flourishes best on a foundation of operational clarity and accountability.

A Framework for Influence: The Five Forms of Social Power

To understand the mechanics of influence, I draw on French and Raven’s Five Forms of Social Power — a practical lens for leaders in education. Applied judiciously, these levers can help leaders align teams, build trust, and drive performance.

1. Coercive Power – Used sparingly, it addresses persistent non-compliance when institutional priorities are at stake.

2. Referent Power – Built through credibility and likability, this is a cornerstone of relationship-driven leadership. Faculty recognition programs and collaborative initiatives can foster this.

3. Reward Power – Aligning incentives with strategic goals encourages high performance and innovation.

4. Legitimate Power – Exercising authority transparently, particularly by taking responsibility for team errors, builds trust and cohesion.

5. Expert Power – Leveraging subject-matter expertise while sharing credit reinforces both respect and a collaborative culture.

   
   

Research shows that referent and expert power consistently yield the highest levels of staff satisfaction and performance (Nygaard et al., 2017). For policymakers, this means investing in leadership development that strengthens these specific forms of influence.

Three Strategic Imperatives for Educational Leadership

Drawing from these experiences, there are three non-negotiables for leaders and institutions serious about driving educational excellence:

1. Codify Decision-Making Protocols

Institutions must have clear, transparent frameworks for decision-making, especially in areas impacting culture, performance, and stakeholder trust. This reduces the risk of arbitrary leadership actions and ensures consistency.

2. Institutionalize Mentorship and Succession Planning

Leadership transitions are critical moments in an institution’s life cycle. Mentorship and formal leadership pipelines should be embedded into policy, ensuring that emerging leaders are equipped to navigate both operational and political challenges.

3. Integrate Theory with Operational Realities

Leadership theories are invaluable, but their application must be tailored to context. Leaders must remain flexible, blending transactional and transformational approaches as situations demand.

The CEO Perspective: Leadership as an Ongoing Policy Project

For consultancy leaders advising schools, universities, and ministries, the message is clear: leadership is not merely about individual skill, but about systems. We must design leadership development as a policy priority — embedded in institutional strategy, supported by governance structures, and measured by both cultural and performance outcomes.

The work of leadership is, ultimately, the work of aligning people, policy, and performance. Whether we are intervening in a struggling school, mentoring an emerging administrator, or restructuring an underperforming department, the principles remain the same: act decisively, build legitimacy strategically, and design change that is both operationally sound and culturally sustainable.

In education, we do not have the luxury of leading by accident. Every decision is a policy decision — whether formalized in governance documents or communicated through daily practice. Leaders who understand this will not only navigate their current challenges effectively but will shape the systems that determine the future of education itself.