When I started out in administration I thought my goal was to find a school, stay the course and keep things on track. It is only later that I realized the goal isn’t to stay that course, but to chart the course. Now this may seem obvious to leaders who have been practicing for a while, but as a teacher just moving up into leadership, especially as an assistant principal rather than a principal, this is where my head was.
This outlook likely came from a misunderstanding of what good school leaders do, and if you think they primarily manage school operations and deal with student discipline, then you may find yourself thinking in the same way.
A large part of leading is having a Vision for where you are going. The other necessary part to accompany this is being able to successfully communicate that vision and have others join you.
This of course, brings me to another question that had me stumped for a long time…
If I am expected to lead, but also expected to serve, how do I balance my Vision vs the many thoughts and opinions of others?
This seems at first glance like a conflict. If I have a Vision for where we are going, that others do not share, how then do I honor their voices and input as well? While I think that leaders need a Vision, you also need the voices of those you are leading to help refine it and make it viable. This is where the conflict resolves itself in that you are not leading by a committee of one.
Related to this, the spectrum of bringing others onboard to your Vision which ranges from Active Resistance, to Commitment.
Active Resistance — Passive Resistance — Neutral — Compliance— Buy In — Commitment
It is nearly impossible to get others to Commitment without involving them in the process, as often they feel it is something else imposed on them. Voice and Choice is an essential piece of the puzzle for students
When we impose things on people, you are far more likely to find that they are on the left of the spectrum more than the right. Best case scenario, you may have a good plan to get them to buy-in, your pitch may tap into their interests or you may appeal to their hearts and minds but it will be difficult to get commitment and the Vision then fades when the leader leaves.
If you build a support plan to help grow your staff, a one-size-fits all is rarely going to be successful since everyone needs different levels of support. To create a meaningful learning experience, you need interactions between leaders and those they lead. These need to be more than a survey of interest or artificial choices, they need to be meaningful conversations where all parties involved can work together to build the plan moving forward. A plan for learning that does not involve participants is unlikely to succeed.
When you take on a new role it is really important to learn the lay of the land before trying to change it. Focus on building relationships and understanding. You cannot effectively change anything unless you have a firm grasp of the current status. You may change something that’s going great into something that isn’t, or ignore the biggest areas of concern. Again, working with your staff to understand your school is important in understanding where to lead it. After all, you cannot make a successful plan for how to get somewhere, if you are uncertain about your starting point.