Administrator Characteristics

I work hard at learning and growing each day and encourage those who I am leading to do the same. Through reflection, we are able to grow on past experiences and continue to make decisions on what is best for our students and how we can grow to best equip them for their future. Great leaders are committed to professional growth by daily improvement, while putting the needs of others before their own.

I am a leader who empowers and encourages others to do their best, to learn, take risks, and remove the fear of failure. By empowering others, trust and respect is development and powerful relationships can be fostered within the school community. These strong relationships can be focused on achieving a clearly communicative vision. “Leadership is not a journey to rise in the ranks. Leadership is a journey to help those around us rise” (Simon Sinek). It essential for us to establish a culture of encouraging others to use their talents and skills to positively impact their school and community.

I believe that I am a very adaptable person in my career and life. I embrace a sense of flexibility and openness to change when the need arises. In fact, I see myself as a leader who is proactive rather than reactive in many different situations. I have read in the past that the ability to adapt to an array of situations, challenges, and pressures is pivotal to accomplishing one’s goals. I believe I am an adaptable leader who is comfortable navigating unclear situations while blazing an unexplored trail.

As a school administrator, I believe that delegation is an essential aspect of distributive and collaborative leadership. No leader can do everything by himself or herself. I believe that this is a positive trait for the administrator’s work because research has shown that “extending leadership responsibilities beyond the teacher is an important lever for developing effective professional learning communities (PLC) in schools (Morrisey, 2000). We need to continue to develop leaders of action rather than just leaders of title in schools. Allowing people to use their gifts and talents will make our school community strong.

I engage and interact with my stakeholders, students, teachers, and community with strong character and principles. I care about my presence and reputation in our halls and community. I work hard at establishing trust and respect from everyone that I interact with for them to understand that I have our students’ best interests in mind when making decisions. I have a passion for telling our District story regarding the great work and accomplishments of our staff and students.

As an administrator, I believe I do a great job on reflecting and listening. I learn so much from the people I work with and have become a stronger leader through reflecting on their words and actions. I have the privilege of sitting in a weekly meeting for three hours with 11 other school administrators. The knowledge and experience that is shared during this team time together has prepared me for this step in my career. I believe that reflection is a very important part in any formal or informal learning process.

Leadership is about serving others. As a leader, I work hard at meeting the needs of others as I realize this job is not about me. Being a leader in a school is about doing whatever it takes to serve our community and it is all about what is best for our students. As a leader, I believe it is essential to model the behaviors you seek, empower people to learn and grow, and put the needs of the school above themselves.