Many juvenile justice courts will require major system improvement to implement the JUVENILE JUSTICE GUIDELINES. System improvement is not easy and it is not fast. It is a long-term commitment that involves multi-year and multi-systems improvement processes. Strong judicial leadership is absolutely essential for a juvenile justice court to undertake the challenges of implementing the JUVENILE JUSTICE GUIDELINES.

Transformational leadership drives meaningful systems improvement. Drawing upon the perspectives and experiences of system stakeholders, a transformational leader encourages and facilitates the emergence of a new vision – a vision of an “ideal system” that is significantly more desirable than the current system and one that cannot be approached without a fundamental shift in philosophy and organizational practice. Transformational leaders must be both creative, in order to inspire, and courageous, in order to encourage implementation. It takes courage to lead systemic improvement efforts and it requires instilling courage in others. Thus to succeed, a leader must be a visionary, a strategist, an informer, a teacher, and a motivator. Transformational leaders instill meaning in systems improvement efforts.

A juvenile justice court judge who is a transformational leader exhibits the following characteristics:

• Makes a personal commitment to facilitating systems improvement and accepts the inherent risk, responsibility, and accountability;
• Is creative and innovative;
• Facilitates the development of a collective vision and mission for reform;
• Convenes multiple stakeholders and treats all system stakeholders with respect;
• Creates a safe environment in which stakeholders can work actively and participate collaboratively in the reform process;
• Facilitates the collective development of improvement goals and strategies to achieve those goals; and
• Engages in outreach activities in the local community.

Judges at the local and state level have the ability, based on credibility and respect for the judiciary, to convene key players and motivate them to engage in system problem solving.

For many juvenile justice court judges, the role the JUVENILE JUSTICE GUIDELINES describes will be uncomfortable. Many juvenile justice court judges see their role as trying cases, not transforming the community. Yet the role of the juvenile justice court judge is not the role of a traditional judge. It combines judicial, administrative, collaborative, and advocacy components. To fulfill the mandate of the juvenile justice court judge, the judge must be prepared to assume new roles, many of which are performed outside the courtroom.