Leadership Matters – 25 Top Expectations

I recently attended a training on leadership and I wanted to share what I think is great information for all of you aspiring to be principals. The first golden nugget is that building-level leaders must understand that leadership is second only to classroom instruction among all school-related factors that contribute to what students learn at school (Leithwood, Louis Anderson, Wahlstrom, 2004) (www.wallacefoundation.org). In fact, the total (direct and indirect) effects of leadership on student learning account for about a quarter of total school effects.

Building-level leaders primary areas of work include:

• Setting directions
• Developing people
• Redesigning the organization

People are motivated by goals which they find personally compelling, as well as challenging but achievable.  Having such goals helps people make sense of their work. The second golden nugget has to do with expectations of school leaders. I have listed 25 I thought were worth sharing. These expectations are not listed in any order:

Expectations

Be a person of integrity

Be an instructional/learning leader – get into classrooms frequently

Take care of management responsibilities

Establish a clear direction and set high standards

Develop a positive school culture and climate

Understand that you cannot carry out the leadership role and responsibilities by yourself – learn to and be willing to delegate

Be professional in all that you do

Be present – do not be a person who is frequently missing in action or who looks for every “opportunity” to be away from school – principals need to be in their schools 95% of the time

Be informed and know what is going on in your school – be a people person and not just a paper pusher

Be visible – “make them think you are twins”

Be accountable and take responsibility

Be fiscally responsible

Understand/utilize data

Be committed to system initiatives/directives/expectations – “It is O.K. to be a wild goose as long as you are flying in formation.”

Anticipate potential problems and be prepared

Communicate/share information

Be an effective listener – we have two ears and one mouth for a reason

Read and stay current on effective practices

Engage the community and other school stakeholders

Be reflective – “Reflection is the critical act that converts experience to learning, development, or any form of increased capacity to act” (Dewey, 1933).

Be positive – do not focus on the negative

Don’t take too much personally – learn to manage emotional responses to criticism and conflict

Be balanced – take care of yourself

Understand that the work will likely never be completed – the key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities (Covey, 1989)

Keep the superintendent informed of necessary items/issues