Education Leadership

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, School Leadership August 28, 2020

Effective Educational Leaders Do These 14 Things Every Day

Create a safe teaching and learning environment. Everyone in your district or school district should feel safe when they walk on campus. To accomplish this, you need to create a security plan that is second to none and hire the best people to enact it.
Make others feel safe to speak up. You should make sure that everyone has the freedom to voice their opinions and concerns. You must model this every day by having an approachable leadership presence.
Make tough decisions. Education leadership requires you to make hundreds of leadership decisions a day, and each one is important. Don’t be afraid to make tough decisions, regardless of how others will feel. Remember, do what is in the best interest of the students.
Express expectations. Everyone in your charge should know what you expect of them on a day to day basis. They should be able to perform in a way that aligns with your district’s core values and mission and furthers the vision that you have set.
Challenge others to find their own solutions. Instead of being the hero and attempting to solve your staff’s problems, empower them with the tools that they need to be self-sufficient.
Be accountable. If you make promises, keep them. If you make a mistake, admit it. If you do something hypocritical, recognize and acknowledge it. Being accountable to yourself and others will make it easier for you to hold them accountable.
Be an example. Successful education leaders practice what they preach. This may sound easy to do, but for many, it is quite tricky. You have to realize that wrong or right, you are always on stage, and your detractors are waiting for you to contradict yourself. Practicing what you preach on a day to day basis while probably be one of the hardest leadership skills you ever master.
Give continuous feedback. Teachers and staff want to know that what they do matters. So, make it a point to provide them with constructive feedback every day.
Grow talent. On a day to day basis, you have to put your staff in a position to develop and showcase their abilities. This is the best way to help them grow professionally
Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Not to sound redundant, but as I say in a lot of my leadership articles, the smartest people in the room are not afraid to ask questions.
Don’t procrastinate. Why put off until tomorrow, what can be done today? Avoiding procrastination can help you prevent burning out by helping to keep your workload within a manageable range.
Be Mr. or Mrs. Sunshine. Every day cannot be perfect, and the truth of the matter is that sometimes they can be nightmares. In spite of it all, you have to exude a positive attitude, even if you are angry or frustrated on the inside. Botton line, sometimes you will have to fake it.
Be an instructional leader. I don’t know when instructional leadership stopped being a requirement for educational leadership positions, but this seems to be a trend. As the leader of your school, you are required to be one of, if not the best teachers in your school. If you are not, how will you help your teachers grow their pedagogical and classroom management skills?
Invest in people. I know that you are so busy and you don’t have time for chit chat, but sometimes it has to be done. You need to get to know your staff on a human level to understand how to help them be the best educator they can be.

What did I miss? What else do effective leaders do on a day to day basis?

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership August 27, 2020

How To Establish Yourself As A New Educational Leader

As the new school year begins, there are plenty of education leaders who are in the saddle for the first time and scared to death. You want to establish yourself from day one, but you don’t quite know how to go about accomplishing this. Don’t worry, we have you covered. In this piece, we will discuss 7 ways that you can establish yourself as a new education leader.

Be confident in your abilities. You were hired as an education leader, because your district knows you have what it takes to be an excellent assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, superintendent, etc. That says a lot. Now that we have established that, you need to be confident in your own abilities. So from day one, make it a point to exude confidence, even if if you have to fake it before you make it.
Showcase your knowledge and skills. From day one, showcase your innovative ideas, expertise, and knowledge. This will help establish you as the “go-to” person in various areas of leadership. Also, don’t just solve peoples problems, develop a reputation for teaching people how to solve their own problems.
Serve. If you want to be a great educational leader, then you must also be a servant. This means going out of your way to help others accomplish their goals. If you do, they will return the favor tenfold, and always have your back, just like they had yours. You won’t have to use your authority to lead, as people will do it because they trust your leadership.
Learn your organization’s culture. Every workplace has its own culture, a set of written and unwritten rules that dictate how it operates. Before making any major moves or changes, learn your organization’s culture. Only make changes if necessary, because if it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it.
Learn from others. If someone else is better at something than you, don’t be afraid to lean on their expertise. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that if you ask for help, your subordinates will assume that you don’t know what you are doing. Even if they do, we know that only small-minded individuals think that way. Growth minded individuals know that the smartest people in the room ask lots of questions, and don’t care what others think.
Get to know your colleagues. When you are new education leader or new to a leadership team, make sure to get to know your colleagues. They can help bring you up to speed, and you can bond over the experience Also, you can learn what makes them tick, what they are good at, etc.
Learn office politics. When you begin a new education leadership position, you need to know who the influencers are. What teachers command the most respect in your school building or in the district for that manner? By doing this, you can have a better understanding of potential landmines, and who to consult before making major decisions.

What did I miss?

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, School Leadership August 26, 2020

The Problem with Heroic Educational Leaders

Ever since I was young, I have been a fan of action movies that feature heroic leaders rallying the troops and leading them to victory, whether literally or figuratively. When I became an education leader, I sought to pattern my leadership style after the heroic leaders that I had come in contact with throughout my career. I thought that if I did this, there would be no way that I could fail. I quickly saw the problem with being a heroic leader and made adjustments. In this piece, I want to discuss those problems.

The problem

Being a hero leader can leave you with the false belief that you can do things better than anyone else, which stifles the staff’s productivity, creativity and leaves them in a state of dependency. Great education leaders don’t do that. They create a team that is motivated, effective and independent by delegating authority and decision making. They understand that it is not their job to rescue their subordinates, it is their job to help them develop a high sense of self-efficacy, and learn to solve problems by themselves.

Those who fall into the trap of being the hero leader and rescuing their staff end up stressed and burned out. That’s because they end up completing a lot of tasks that their teachers and support staff should be doing, instead of holding them accountable. They seem to forget that is their job is to be a leader and help their subordinates think and work autonomously.

The solution

Instead of answering questions or solving problems because you feel compelled to do so, teach your educators how to solve problems for themselves. If you address your staff’s issues for them you teach them to run to you at the first sign of trouble, instead of taking a step back, looking at the problem holistically and then coming up with a solution. You want your employees to be able to leverage their own skills and gifts to find answers and, in the process, build resilience. Use questions and problems to create teachable moments for your staff.

Concluding thoughts

If you want to be an effective educational leader, instead of being the hero, learn how to be a masterful instructional leader, mentor, and coach. Also, master the art of asking useful questions, and use them to help your subordinates learn how to fish, instead of feeding them.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership August 24, 2020

5 Tips For Improving Educational Leadership Communication

Being an education leader is not an easy task. It takes a combination of nuanced knowledge and skills to pull it off, and even if you possess these attributes, things tend to fall apart at a moment’s notice, and at the worst possible time. When things go completely haywire, your ability to communicate will be your most powerful weapon.

So how does an education leader become an effective communicator? Well, the first thing that you need to understand is that communication is more than what we say and how we articulate our directives. It’s about emotional intelligence, understanding your audience, and an ability to listen.

Here are five things to remember when communicating with your fellow educators.

Speak less, listen more. Most people have a terrible habit of thinking about what they want to say next instead of actually listening to the people they are having a conversation with. If you do this, then you are not totally invested in the conversation. Being an education leader is not about barking orders at your subordinates and expecting them to implement your directives. No, being an effective leader requires you to talk less, and listen more. The more we listen, the more we will understand what is going on in the world around us.
Ask the right questions. Effective education leaders quickly realize that asking the right questions, at the right time will facilitate efficient communication within our organization. If you have built your professional and support staff the right way, then you have hired educators just as or even more talented than you are. If you have, instead of spending your meeting time giving out orders, you can spend it guiding the conversation with a specific end in mind, and allow the talent around you to get you to your destination.
Be present. Being an effective education leader is a fast-paced, busy lifestyle. A typical day may entail dealing with a fight one moment and rushing downtown for a meeting the next. The whirlwind of events that happen in one day is enough to make our heads spin. However, in spite of this state of constant motion or flux, make it a point to be totally present in the moment. Whether you are talking to the janitor or the state superintendent of education, be fully engaged with the audience in front of you, no matter how casual the conversation is.
Stay calm and be positive. Calmness can be contagious. The ability to stay even-keeled no matter what the situation is will rub off on your employees and make you the envy of your district’s leadership team. Watch your body language and make sure it exudes a state of serenity. Keep your tone and delivery within a steady level, even during a crisis. You can add a sense of urgency to your voice, but let your tone convey a high level of confidence as well.
Work on emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence seems to be all the rave in the world’s leadership community. Everyone wants to master this skill to reap its multifaceted rewards. Emotional intelligence is about being self-aware, being aware of the emotional states of others, being calm and positive, disciplined, and of course, empathetic. For most people, these are not innate talents. So if you do not possess them, you can always develop them over time, with perseverance and hard work.

What did I miss?

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, Teachers July 16, 2020

Developing Plans To Support Students During A School Crises

A sad reality of the world we live in is the odds of serious school crises occurring. While the bunker drills of the Cold War era are becoming a distant memory, active shooter drills are now common ever since the 1999 Columbine shooting. The ever-present fire and tornado drills are still being engrained, as they should, but are overshadowed by the seemingly more likely occurrence of a severe school crisis such as an active shooter.

Reactions To A Crisis

One of the most important parts of a school crisis is keeping a clear head and not letting fear drive actions. This has led to training programs such as Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate (ALICE) becoming a regular part of a school’s plans for a crisis and a movement away from the originally more typical “lockdown” procedure.

The goal of both approaches is to maximize protection and safety through a clearly outlined plan that is practiced prior to a crisis. This serves to curb the initial fear and panic that occurs when a real incident starts.

Effects Of A Crisis

The National Association for Continuing Education created a detailed look at school crises and the effects they have on a school’s culture and its students. An inherent part of a school crisis is that it creates chaos and instability within a school not only during the crisis (which training programs like ALICE try to mitigate) but also with the aftereffects. The school’s safety, security, and in turn stability become heavily compromised and viewed by students, staff, and the community as faulty. This is a dangerous viewpoint to entertain because it erodes the system of trust on nearly every level.

What parent would want their child to stay in a school that can’t protect them? What teacher would want to teach at a school that put their lives and the lives of their students in danger? These are all important questions that even a seemingly ironclad crisis plan needs to wrestle with and answer.

Supporting Students After A Crisis

The U.S Department of Education places having a crisis plan implemented as a high priority for all schools but also stresses the importance of a recovery plan. The effects of a school crisis are felt long after the actual event. Some of the strategies highlighted are:

Assess the event to learn what worked and didn’t work
Meet with staff to create an assessment plan to help monitor students regarding the emotional impact of the crisis
Implement a support system with counselors to help guide students through emotional support
Give ample time for recovery

Conclusion

Thankfully, there are now numerous guides, strategies, and case studies on the different crisis plans available that give a holistic approach that focuses on the support of the students before, during, and after a crisis. It is up to a school’s board and administration to find a plan that works best for their district and their responsibility to their staff, students, and community to ensure that when a crisis occurs, everyone is as prepared as they can be.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership, School Leadership July 8, 2020

How Does Mentoring Actually Help New Education Leaders?

Stepping into a new position with its host of new responsibilities and expectations is a daunting task no matter which position it is. For education leaders (principals, superintendents, curriculum developers, etc.) this feeling is magnified when they are the ones in charge of the direction, vision, and growth of a school that will affect hundreds of lives. Helping give new education leaders the support system they need to be successful is pivotal in the short-term and long-term. A growing shift towards mentorship programs for education leaders is thankfully becoming more common.

What Does Mentorship Look Like?

Mentorship within the education profession is already commonplace as new teachers to a district are frequently paired with a veteran teacher to be their mentor throughout the first year or two at the new school. These pairings have a host of benefits such as lower attrition rates, improvement of teaching practices, and the building of a stronger community. The mentor teacher also gains from the relationship due to closely working with a colleague who may have new ideas or approaches to content.

This same approach is beginning to be mirrored in educational leadership roles because many of the benefits teachers gain in mentorship programs listed above are identical or run parallel to educational leaders. The struggle with creating education leader mentorship programs is the lower number of professionals who are in these positions. This means that sometimes a school might need to pursue outside third-party consultation for a mentorship program which typically will have increased costs associated with it.

The Need For High-Quality Education Leaders

There can be no doubt the connection between high-quality education leaders, high-quality schools, and high student performance. The inverse is just as true with low-quality leadership being more likely to create lower-quality schools and in turn lower student performance. The expectations are exceedingly high for new leaders of a school and are expected to take the reins and “learn on the job” which is a detrimental approach to such an influential position.

Providing systems of support, such as mentorship, for these leaders can only serve to benefit them, their school, staff, and students. The sad reality is that, just as criticisms are made about teacher preparation programs, typically graduate programs for education leadership are too grounded in theory and are out of touch with the reality of today’s school districts. This further places new leaders into a disadvantageous spot and creates a bigger need for high-quality support.

Conclusion

The new leaders of a school need to be supported just as new teachers do. While there are not as many readily available opportunities for these leaders sometimes all it takes is a simple phone call to a fellow administrator for advice or talk with the superintendent to begin the implementation of such programs.

While this is easier said than done amid all the other responsibilities and duties, it can provide benefits that affect the lives of thousands over the course of a few short years.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership July 7, 2020

How to Lead During the Tough Conversations in School

Some topics are uncomfortable, emotional, and messy. As an educational leader, it is your responsibility to not only facilitate positive conversations and initiatives but also to find ways to overcome and deal with the challenging situations. If you avoid them, they will fester, and the community will lose trust in your ability to solve problems. So, how do we approach difficult conversations? Let’s explore some tried and true strategies.

Present the Facts

When you are approaching a difficult conversation, it is important to leave your emotions out of the equation. Let the other party know that this is not a judgment of their value as a person, but rather a conversation about their work or behavior. Simply present the issue(s) that the conversation is meant to discuss, instead of using phrases like “you always,” or “everyone is complaining.” You want to keep the focus on the work at hand as much as possible, instead of bringing up negative emotions that won’t help to solve the issue.

Additionally, you need to be clear about the reason for the conversation. Don’t let the message get lost by sugar-coating. This doesn’t mean you need to be harsh and critical, but rather, you need to be straight-forward about the problem. The other party will come to appreciate it, and it will reduce the emotions present in the conversation. It’s fine to begin the conversation by letting the other person know that you are supportive and you only want to work together to find a solution to the problem but don’t let them walk away wondering why the meeting happened in the first place.

Prepare

They say to never walk into a meeting unprepared – the same goes for tough conversations. You can’t begin a dialogue about a difficult subject without emotional preparation, as well as preparing the delivery of the issue. Act out different scenarios of how the conversation may go based on your past experiences with the other party, and consider how you will respond. Have specific instances of the issue that you can provide, and if possible, have documentation that can support it. Preparation will help make the conversation go smoother, and it will be more likely to end with a positive outcome.

Embrace the Silence

When conversations get uncomfortable or awkward, it’s natural to want to fill in the silences. Sometimes, though, these silences are necessary. For one, if you talk only to fill in the gaps in the conversation, you may say something that you did not plan, and it could derail the entire conversation. Additionally, the other person may be silent because they are simply processing the information. You need to give them the time and space to think through what they are hearing, organize their thoughts, and put their emotions aside. If you push for a response or keep repeating points that bring on negative emotions, you may encourage resistance to the feedback you are providing.

In the classroom, delivering consequences to students feels natural, and is critical to their growth. Yet, when we have to approach these subjects with our peers, it can be difficult and uncomfortable. A good leader knows how to handle these situations with professionalism, and can structure them so that there is an opportunity for a positive change and growth. Use these strategies to help, and your next difficult conversation may go easier than expected.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership July 6, 2020

Creating Effective Leadership Teams in Schools

Effective leadership teams in schools are critical to the success of the whole school ecosystem. They provide opportunities for collaboration and growth, may allocate resources, and set school-wide expectations. But, what makes an effective leadership team? Let’s dig a little deeper and discover ways to approach the development and management of successful school leadership teams.

Identify School Leaders

Serving on the school leadership should always be voluntary, but it is helpful to identify potential change-makers in the school. These leaders should understand core components of adult learning, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, possess effective conflict resolution strategies, and can complete projects efficiently. Teaching members of the school leadership team should be strong educators with effective instruction inside the classroom. A helpful checklist of the qualities of a great school leader can be found here. However, teachers should not be the only members of the leadership team. It is important to include specialists, support staff, and possibly parents. The school leadership team should be diverse and representative of the school community and have a deep understanding of the students and parents of the school.

Establish Protocols and Norms

Before going about the work of improvement and growth, the leadership team needs to function like a well-oiled machine. This is done by establishing procedures for everything from introducing new ideas, implementing change, communication with the school community, and resolving conflicts. These criteria for a high-functioning team must be met to ensure that the power of the leadership team is used effectively, efficiently, and ethically.

Collaborate with the School Community

A school leadership team must recognize that their decisions impact teachers, students, and parents. A central goal of the leadership team should be finding ways to include the entire community in the day-to-day life of the school. This shouldn’t be seen as extra work – in fact, by referring to students, teachers, and parents with issues in the school, leadership teams may be provided with solutions and ideas that had never before been considered.

Encourage and Set Expectations

Educational leaders should never become so frustrated by school issues or trends that they begin thinking negatively, or give up on their students. Instead, school teams should be motivated and energized by challenges and operate under the belief that their students can always meet high expectations. The team should find ways to communicate their goals to the school community and work with teachers, students, and families to meet them. By doing this, the school benefits from a culture based on achievement, growth, and progress.

A strong leadership team is central to the development of a successful and effective school community. The members, mission, and expectations of the team all must be considered before the team begins their work. A poorly run school leadership team can actually harm the school community – so these teams must be built and managed under the belief that each student deserves the opportunity to achieve more than they already have. When a leadership team is working together and collaborating, schools become not just a place for learning, but a place for growth, encouragement, and support.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership July 2, 2020

How a Great Educational Leader Shows They Care

One of the most important characteristics of a good leader is caring about their team. If your community doesn’t believe that you care about their well-being and success, they will not trust you to drive change and progress. As an educational leader, it is easy to get bogged down with crises, paperwork, and goal setting. As a result, you may forget to demonstrate your care and gratitude for your community. There are many ways to show your school that you care – even during the busiest and challenging of times. Here are several ways to accomplish this.

Listen

Every successful leader must master the art of active and deep listening. Every member of your school community, from the principal to the students (this includes you), shares the need to feel listened to. When you make eye contact, set aside distractions, and listen to others, you are showing that you respect them, and value their contributions to the team. On the other hand, poor listening skills demonstrate the opposite – that you think their ideas aren’t worth your time. That will not encourage trust between you and the people that you lead.

Display Gratitude

Every member of your community works just as hard as you do to reach the goals your leadership team sets for the school. A caring leader never takes the credit for their community’s success – they know that each and every triumph was a group effort. Be sure to demonstrate your gratitude for the work of your community – and make it personal. Even small, unexpected gestures like a handwritten note and a favorite candy can do. Any action that shows that you recognize the work of your team will show that you care for, and appreciate, them and their efforts.

Allow for Growth

Everybody makes mistakes, has questions, and wants to learn more. Never make your team feel uncomfortable or inadequate when they make a mistake or don’t understand something you have said. If you show them that you care about their growth by offering your guidance, you are demonstrating that you have a stake in their professional and personal development. Allowing for growth also includes providing challenging work for your community. When you push their limits, you are essentially telling them that you believe in their ability to achieve more than they could have imagined.

As a well-known saying goes, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This is especially true in educational leadership – a field with many opinions and strong personalities trying to effect change. Additionally, there is empirical evidence that shows us that caring can be a driving force for positive outcomes. A caring leader sets an example for the rest of the community and contributes to a culture of support and growth. If you consistently demonstrate care for your community, they will be grateful for your guidance, trust your decisions, and be happy to follow your lead.

Matthew Lynch published in Education Leadership June 30, 2020

4 Mistakes That Educational Leaders Make

We’ve all read plenty of articles that discuss the best qualities of educational leaders – but what about the other side of leadership? Every leader makes mistakes, even the most successful and well-liked ones. In fact, there are mistakes that we see educational leaders make time and time again. Learn from these common errors, and keep them in mind as you embark on your own educational leadership journey.

Becoming Too Task-Oriented

Unsurprisingly, teachers have reported feeling frustrated when they visit their leaders, and the leader is working on the computer or reading a document instead of practicing active listening. When you are an educational leader, it is easy to be consumed by the ever-growing list of tasks, meetings, calls, and paperwork. Nevertheless, effective leaders do not put their interpersonal communication skills on the back burner. This gives the impression that you don’t care about the people you lead – and caring is one of the core competencies of a great leader.

Delivering Feedback in Public

Delivering feedback is a highly personal task, and should be done privately (especially if the feedback is constructive rather than positive). To a busy leader, it may seem efficient and harmless to provide feedback to a teacher during a group meeting – but this may be a mistake. Just as educators are taught the negative effects of delivering consequences to students in front of the class, negative emotions are associated with doing the same to adults. If you have feedback to provide, carve out time in your day to deliver it one-on-one. It will build trust between you and your fellow educators.

Forgetting Gratitude

Leaders work hard – but so does the rest of the school community. It can be easy to see only the work that you put into meeting goals, but remember, none of the progress made in the school would be possible if students, teachers, and parents weren’t as dedicated as you are. Don’t let their efforts go unnoticed. If test scores are high, or attendance goals are being met, or if you and the teachers have an incredibly fruitful curriculum planning meeting – let them know! Go out of your way to reward hard work, just as you would do in your classroom. The community will be grateful for your recognition, and it will serve as a powerful motivator to keep the momentum going.

Avoiding Conflict

You just put out one fire – and now there is a frustrated parent, or an upset teacher, waiting at your door. Perhaps you made a mistake, and you are passing the blame to another party. Our advice? Don’t do it. A good leader needs to get in front of crises and take ownership of their actions – and not only the positive ones. Everyone makes mistakes, and we all must learn from them. In the face of adversity, remain humble and remember your commitment to the community. Avoiding conflict is never the answer because it doesn’t make the conflict go away. In fact, avoidance only tends to fan the flames of the issue.

Educational leadership programs tend to focus on the “do’s” of leadership – but we rarely have the opportunity to learn from the “don’ts.” After all, we can’t know the challenges that await us. Thankfully, though, if you always remember that the power of leadership lies within the people you lead, it will be much easier to recover their trust if you do happen to make one of these mistakes.