Principal positions are complex. The position of principal can test your faith in what you believe is right. Your beliefs, commitment to students and staff all reflect on you as a person and your leadership. Through several blogs I am going to share my thoughts on leadership. Lessons learned and mistakes; I have made many.
Relationships, commitment to group goals, communication, professional knowledge, innovation, expectations, trust, and putting students first are just part of the many factors needed to feel effective as a principal. As you think about your position or becoming an administrator, you must reflect and understand what you believe and how you lead.
I believe great leaders communicate a sense of purpose, an articulated and understood sense of why they do what they do. If students, staff, and a community are united around a strong sense of purpose, magic can happen.
Part of leadership can be the challenge of creating a sense of purpose by starting a movement. Uniting students, staff, and a community behind a sense of purpose that generates passion and helps people find their personal greatness. Sometimes when we lead we start out alone with a a good or great idea that others are apprehensive about. Sometimes we need to take people to a place they have not thought of or may fear.
In this blog I am sharing a favorite video on creating a movement. Notice how the short video initially shows a man going it alone, in the case of the video looking foolish. But what happens when one follows and ultimately when many follow?
The position of principal can be lonely if you want to take staff to a place they might not be ready to embrace. Staff must trust you. You can have great ideas but if trust is not a foundation nothing will work. Pushing staff requires finesse and at times a desire to drive change if it is truly what is best for students. I have never found it effective to push hard all the time nor have I found the opposite any good either.
Those who lead by never challenging the status quo will never find their personal greatness. Sometimes it’s lonely at first, be true to your personal “why” and find your greatness!
Start a movement.
Principals Leadership Sourcebook, By Evan Robb
