The Three V's of Effective Leadership
What makes a principal or any leader effective? If you're like me, you've worked under many different leaders with varying styles of leadership. This is especially true in the school setting. Early on in my career, I was asked if I was interested in being a school administrator. I promptly replied, "No, I want to stay close to the classroom". This has always been my passion- teaching. I held the perception that principals were so involved in administrative tasks and responsibilities that they were not able to participate fully as instructional leaders. I held on to this belief for 25 years, but I also discovered that you don't have to be a principal to be a leader in a school.
After 10 years of teaching and 15 years of being an instructional coach, I found myself interested in the future of educational leadership in our schools. Gone are the days of the one leader, one school, which brings me back to the question- What makes a principal or leader effective? I narrowed down my answer to 3 Vs- Vision, Visibility, and Voice. An effective principal or leader must also have a multitude of knowledge, skills, and attributes to embody these principles daily.
Vision implies the future. In actuality, a vision is based on a future outcome. It is an anticipation of what will come to be. In schools, our mission and vision statements hang proudly on our walls. But what do they really mean? A mission statement is usually short and often students will recite this mission daily. It's the sound bite to the vision statement. But a vision statement is where the true identity of a school lies. A great leader develops a vision with all stakeholders but must take responsibility for keeping that vision alive in all decisions, plans, and operations on a daily basis. A great principal prioritizes all resources to align with the vision of the school. This includes the principal's daily schedule. The principal's daily schedule should reflect the most time spent on those activities that impact student learning. This may be one of the biggest challenges facing principals today- time. A well developed and clearly communicated vision statement is a principal's best resource. It will keep you on track for the future. It will be your check and balance against all the competing priorities in a school. If your vision doesn't give a true picture of the uniqueness of your school, it isn't specific enough. A great leader embraces the role of an agent for change. Change can be unpredictable and scary, but change aligned to a shared vision is seen as exciting. The difference is buy in! So, how do leaders support buy in? That support looks very different at the beginning of the year than in the middle or the end of the year. But one thing that must occur all year is visibility.
Visibility is perhaps one of the biggest investments in leadership a person can make. It is found in the day to day grind. It is a perception that stakeholders hold about their leaders- you are either visible or you're not. It starts with the first interactions of the day, every day. For a principal, that means greeting or "checking in" with faculty, students and staff, essentially taking the pulse of the day. I often refer to the culture of a school as the "heartbeat". If it's strong and healthy, the school will reap the benefits greatly. If the culture is the heartbeat, then the daily "check in" by the principal is the pulse. You can gauge your heartbeat by checking your pulse. Often, our own pulse reacts to stress and a school's daily pulse will react as well. If it's too high, a great leader can provide a sense of calm and support. If it's too low, motivation and appreciation may be needed. This is a great opportunity as a leader to anticipate problems and intervene before a situation develops. The daily "check in" might involve making a round to briefly interact with students, teachers, cafeteria and support staff, even custodians! I believe this sets the tone for the day as positive, invested, and supported. It also gives opportunities for all stakeholders to voice their concerns and challenges, as well as share their successes!
We hear so much about voice and choice as an effective means to engage learners. Giving others a voice in the decisions and operations of a school yield the same results- engagement! Great leaders want to engage all stakeholders for success. In a school, stakeholders include a wide range of ages, experience and interests - students, teachers, support staff, parents, and community members. It is the job of the principal to seek out the thoughts, opinions, concerns and hopes of all stakeholders to ensure that necessary buy in and success. Listening to the ideas and passions of others is essential to discovering the school's identity and developing a shared vision. When stakeholders believe they have a voice, they are more likely to become a part of the solution when problems occur. I emphasize when and not if problems occur, because there will be problems or challenges to overcome. Referring back to school culture, if stakeholders feel they are a part of the solution, they will not be the ones complaining behind the principal's back. So put those stakeholders to work, we are all stronger-together!
Finally, a great leader must develop the leadership skills of others in the building. Who are the leaders in your school? If you say teachers, parents, staff, even students, you are a great principal because great leaders lead from behind. Their name is the last name on that list. A school principal is no longer expected to make decisions in a vacuum. This is not an effective way to lead our schools into the future. Our students want to be a part of our leadership teams because they are the ones most impacted by our decisions. They are the ones to embody the vision, benefit most from visibility, and develop their own voice in the world! Educational leadership must continue to evolve to meet the needs of a changing school landscape. These principles of vision, visibility and voice support a multifaceted approach to leadership in schools. They will also change a perception of the role of the principal as being "in charge" to one of "charging" others with the shared responsibility and leadership of the school.
After 10 years of teaching and 15 years of being an instructional coach, I found myself interested in the future of educational leadership in our schools. Gone are the days of the one leader, one school, which brings me back to the question- What makes a principal or leader effective? I narrowed down my answer to 3 Vs- Vision, Visibility, and Voice. An effective principal or leader must also have a multitude of knowledge, skills, and attributes to embody these principles daily.
Vision implies the future. In actuality, a vision is based on a future outcome. It is an anticipation of what will come to be. In schools, our mission and vision statements hang proudly on our walls. But what do they really mean? A mission statement is usually short and often students will recite this mission daily. It's the sound bite to the vision statement. But a vision statement is where the true identity of a school lies. A great leader develops a vision with all stakeholders but must take responsibility for keeping that vision alive in all decisions, plans, and operations on a daily basis. A great principal prioritizes all resources to align with the vision of the school. This includes the principal's daily schedule. The principal's daily schedule should reflect the most time spent on those activities that impact student learning. This may be one of the biggest challenges facing principals today- time. A well developed and clearly communicated vision statement is a principal's best resource. It will keep you on track for the future. It will be your check and balance against all the competing priorities in a school. If your vision doesn't give a true picture of the uniqueness of your school, it isn't specific enough. A great leader embraces the role of an agent for change. Change can be unpredictable and scary, but change aligned to a shared vision is seen as exciting. The difference is buy in! So, how do leaders support buy in? That support looks very different at the beginning of the year than in the middle or the end of the year. But one thing that must occur all year is visibility.
Visibility is perhaps one of the biggest investments in leadership a person can make. It is found in the day to day grind. It is a perception that stakeholders hold about their leaders- you are either visible or you're not. It starts with the first interactions of the day, every day. For a principal, that means greeting or "checking in" with faculty, students and staff, essentially taking the pulse of the day. I often refer to the culture of a school as the "heartbeat". If it's strong and healthy, the school will reap the benefits greatly. If the culture is the heartbeat, then the daily "check in" by the principal is the pulse. You can gauge your heartbeat by checking your pulse. Often, our own pulse reacts to stress and a school's daily pulse will react as well. If it's too high, a great leader can provide a sense of calm and support. If it's too low, motivation and appreciation may be needed. This is a great opportunity as a leader to anticipate problems and intervene before a situation develops. The daily "check in" might involve making a round to briefly interact with students, teachers, cafeteria and support staff, even custodians! I believe this sets the tone for the day as positive, invested, and supported. It also gives opportunities for all stakeholders to voice their concerns and challenges, as well as share their successes!
We hear so much about voice and choice as an effective means to engage learners. Giving others a voice in the decisions and operations of a school yield the same results- engagement! Great leaders want to engage all stakeholders for success. In a school, stakeholders include a wide range of ages, experience and interests - students, teachers, support staff, parents, and community members. It is the job of the principal to seek out the thoughts, opinions, concerns and hopes of all stakeholders to ensure that necessary buy in and success. Listening to the ideas and passions of others is essential to discovering the school's identity and developing a shared vision. When stakeholders believe they have a voice, they are more likely to become a part of the solution when problems occur. I emphasize when and not if problems occur, because there will be problems or challenges to overcome. Referring back to school culture, if stakeholders feel they are a part of the solution, they will not be the ones complaining behind the principal's back. So put those stakeholders to work, we are all stronger-together!
Finally, a great leader must develop the leadership skills of others in the building. Who are the leaders in your school? If you say teachers, parents, staff, even students, you are a great principal because great leaders lead from behind. Their name is the last name on that list. A school principal is no longer expected to make decisions in a vacuum. This is not an effective way to lead our schools into the future. Our students want to be a part of our leadership teams because they are the ones most impacted by our decisions. They are the ones to embody the vision, benefit most from visibility, and develop their own voice in the world! Educational leadership must continue to evolve to meet the needs of a changing school landscape. These principles of vision, visibility and voice support a multifaceted approach to leadership in schools. They will also change a perception of the role of the principal as being "in charge" to one of "charging" others with the shared responsibility and leadership of the school.
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