School Leadership

How do you bring out the best in others? First, you need to understand that human beings tend to be selfish and are driven by their own desires. As an education leader, you need to figure out what the educators in your school or district want. Recognize that this will be different for everyone. Some people will want to be praised, others will want promotions, and others are satisfied with growth opportunities.

How to inspire others

Your job is to understand the motivations of each every last one of the educators under your charge, using this information to get the best performance from them. You can do this by getting to know them on a personal level. Invite them out for lunch or just have informal conversations with them at work. As they begin to get more comfortable around you, they will give you a glimpse inside of their personality and what their motivations are. From there, you can leverage this information to help them maximize their performance.

Another consideration when attempting to bring out the best in others is knowing and understanding their strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t understand people’s strong suits, they may end up failing because the task that you assigned them is a mismatch for their skill set. At the very least, their level of success on the task will not be optimal, it will be mediocre.

This affects the production of the organization, and in the end, everyone loses. So do yourself a favor and get to know your employees and what they are capable of. Trust me, you will look like a genius when everyone is working within their strengths zone, and the organization is running like a well-oiled machine.

Concluding thoughts

Everyone wins when employees give the organization their all and work within their strengths zone. Bringing out the best in others is not as easy as it sounds, but with a little practice, you will be a master motivator in no time.

I remember working at a university that was delusional about its status among America’s universities. From the president and board of trustees down to some of the professors, community members, and alumni, everyone seemed to think that this private university was elite. I think that every university should have a culture of success and excellence, but it has to be grounded in reality. If it is not, you will go on believing that your organization is successful, even though all signs point towards major trouble.

What happens when universities live in a fantasy world?

The person in any organization that has to define its reality is the CEO. If they are not transparent and honest about the organization’s present level of functioning, who will be? The university that I mentioned earlier had a president and board of trustees that painted the picture of a university was highly successful, but this could not be further from the truth. The graduation rate was at 18%, the students that they admitted were not prepared for college-level work, and the residence halls had mold and vermin.

I left that organization about 5 years ago, and although there are signs that some things are improving, they have a long way to go. The new president is selling the same old bill of goods to the community and alumni, and the graduation rate is still the same. Every time I think of the situation, I get a little sad, as the university has a rich history that is being tarnished. All because the former and present leader created a reality that was grounded in fantasy, which ultimately leads it, stakeholders, to believe that the university is already operating at an optimal level.

The university that I am referring too is an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). If you do a little research about the current financial and accreditation situations of HBCU’s, you will see that they can ill afford to absorb the missteps of their presidents and trustee boards. Since many have closed in the last three decades and many more will close in the coming decades, these universities need and deserve leaders that will define reality truthfully, instead of painting a rosy picture of the current state of affairs.

Concluding thoughts

If they don’t wake up, in 50 years or so, there will be no HBCU’s left in the U.S. They will be vestiges of an uncivil time, unceremoniously pushed out because of their ignorance and complacency. In the end, they will fail the very people they were meant to protect and uplift.

In the same way, education leaders are quick to give their team credit; they are also ready to take responsibility for adverse outcomes. Great education leaders know that when they accept responsibility for their actions, they can positively affect the morale of the team.

Leaders who don’t hold themselves accountable are useless

Here is a sad truth; whatever negative outcomes occur in your school or school district, you have to take the blame. It doesn’t matter if you inherited an incompetent leadership team and a group of ineffective teachers, you have to take responsibility for their mistakes. Why? Because, by derivation of taking the job, you promise to take ownership of what happens, the good and the bad.

You are responsible for helping your employees to become effective and experience professional growth. You have to put them in the position to learn new skills and sharpen those that they struggle with. Remember, all of these things were covered in your educational leadership program. Somewhere along the way, your professors provided in-depth information and assignments that should help you grow your instructional leadership and school improvement skills.

You find me a leader that has trouble with taking responsibility for mistakes that they or their team make, and I will show you a selfish manager who can’t quite wrap their brains around the concept of serving others. Even it does not come naturally, you can develop the skill of extreme ownership. All you have to do is take full responsibility for mistakes and little credit for successes. Even if it is forced, after a little practice, it will be genuine.

Concluding thoughts

The inability to take ownership of failures and missteps is the number one thing that prevents people from developing true leadership character. They end up experiencing one failure after another, always finding a scapegoat to take the fall for them. Their organizations end up staying stagnant as the real issues are never addressed. Finally, all out of scapegoats, they must fall on their swords, and unfortunately, many of them just end up being recycled by another organization, and the cycle of mediocrity and failure just repeats itself.

People often seek acknowledgment from people they follow, that is why it is essential to reward your team members for their hard work, especially when they go above and beyond the call of duty. Financial rewards are excellent but thoughtful; personal rewards can be more impactful.

Making a case for rewards

You may say that receiving a paycheck should be reward enough, but have you taken a look at teacher salaries lately? Many teachers all over America are working at least 2 jobs just to make ends meet. In several states, they have organized protests and strikes to demand a livable wage. Teachers are the lowest paid of all professionals with 4-year degrees, and they are sick and tired of being undervalued.

Education leaders should offset this by giving their teachers rewards to show them how much they are valued. Here is how you can do it. Contact local, state, and national businesses and ask if they would be willing to donate gift cards to your teachers. Let them know that it is all a part of your system of rewarding teachers for going above and beyond the call of duty.

At the end of every semester, distribute these gift cards equally among your staff with a little note of appreciation. It’s not a million bucks, but it is a token of your appreciation for all that they do. Make sure that all of the gift cards are well thought out and personal, which can give the reward a special touch.

Concluding thoughts

Everyone wants to feel appreciated and be recognized for a job well done. This includes teachers, education leaders, and all other professionals. Since we already now that this is a surety, why do some leaders refuse to provide rewards for their employees? Many believe that you shouldn’t be rewarded for a job that you get paid to do, and some are just doing things the way that they have always seen them done. In the end, everyone loses, and the organization’s productivity suffers. Don’t be that person.

Failure provides us with life’s most valuable learning opportunities. Education leaders embrace this as well as the uncertainty that comes hand and hand with running a school or entire district. With that being said, they are not afraid of taking calculated risks, because they understand that with high risk comes high rewards.

Don’t take risks, take calculated risks

Again, I said calculated risks. This means that even though you are taking a chance, you have weighed the pros and cons and looked at all of the available data and information. If the move bears fruits, it could mean a lot for your district. If the move does not bear fruit, don’t fret, just use the failure as a learning opportunity. Sooner or later, the experience yielded from that failure will help you make a decision that will be successful.

This is what makes taking risks so important. If you succeed, right off of the bat, you win. If you fail and then use this information to make an essential decision in the future, you still win. Basically, you can’t lose, even if you tried. Yes, taking risks can be scary, and yes, not everyone will interpret failure as you do. However, the experience of taking risks will make you a better leader. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

The truth of the matter is that most people are not comfortable with taking risks, and so they play it safe. With that being said, how can a non-risk taker turn themselves into a risktaker? Well, it is not easy to go from one extreme to another. But is possible to make some strides in a short period.

A little homework

Over the next 4 months, whenever you are about to make a decision that could be labeled as “playing it safe,” consider choosing the riskier option. What additional rewards or benefits could come along with this decision? What are the drawbacks of taking this risk? If the benefits outweigh the risks, then go for it. Your risktaking should yield favorable results over the long term, which makes it totally worth it.

Some traits are more important than others. When it comes to education leadership, the capacity to judge situations, and people with fairness is essential because it shows them that they are valued and appreciated. Would you want to work for someone who treats educators with whom they have bonded with favoritism and someone who treats all other educators arbitrarily? No, you want to work with someone who treats everyone fairly and keeps their emotions to themselves when making personnel decisions.

A little history

There are many instances in the history of education leaders who took advantage of the people they were leading; however, things rarely worked out in their favor. The education leaders who are fair to people are the ones who are loved and revered. History is usually not kind to leaders who treated people unfairly. Even if they are revered throughout the ages, sooner or later, someone writes a book that exposes their total character, not just the fictionalized version.

Of all of the skills that can be listed under leadership character, fairness seems to be an easy one to develop. All you have to do is check your misconceptions, relationships, and biases at the door, and make a rational, common-sense decision. On second thought, it may not be as easy as I make it out to be.

My process for being fairminded

Here is how I come to a decision that is fair to all parties. I ask myself a series of questions designed to help me choose the most logical and fair-minded choice. For instance, if two people are up for a promotion, and one is a close associate, I ask myself, who is more qualified for the position? If I can’t be honest with myself, I create a chart that lists the qualifications needed for and the duties included in the new position. Then I place each candidate’s name in a separate column, selecting the person who has the edge in each category.

From there, I tally up the points and make a final decision. If I want a second opinion, I ask someone outside of the organization to look at each candidates’ resume and decide who they believe has the edge in each category. Then I compare our scoring, and if we come to the same conclusion, I go with my choice. If not, I have some soul searching to do before I make my final decision.

The competition does not wait, and there will always be someone out there trying to outwork you. Education leaders understand that in many situations, the hardest worker gets the spoils, which is why they value of both perseverance and urgency. Those that operate with a sense of urgency tend to be effective leaders and those that do not tend to be mediocre ones.

The power of urgency

Education leaders don’t put off tomorrow what can be done today. They stay ahead of the curve and put in the work that it takes to be successful. They are also proactive, working hard to anticipate threats as well as opportunities. In doing so, they stop problems from materializing and recognize opportunities to innovate before others.

This sense of urgency trickles down to the rest of their leadership team, the teaching ranks, and students, with everyone adopting a mantra of carpe diem (seize the day). With everyone working hard and mobilized for action, you can focus their energies on areas that have the most urgent needs.

Why spend 7 weeks completing a project, when we can do it in 3?

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that you work yourself to death or that you put quantity and quickness before quality. I am saying that often, we waste valuable time by taking things too slowly. For instance, your school district’s curriculum coordinator comes to you and says that the curriculum alignment project will take 7 weeks to complete. How do you respond? For me, I wouldn’t attempt to discredit their suggested timeline, but I would go through the process with them step by step, to see if we are maximizing our resources and time.

In many cases like this, the other person is amazed when I help them find a way to complete a project in 3 weeks when they believed that it would take 7. The trick is to work hard during the planning stages to find a more efficient way to complete each step or part of the project or product. This is what ends up saving you a lot of time.

Concluding thoughts

In the end, your sense of urgency and proactiveness will reign supreme and make you a leader revered for their ability to motivate others and get results. Then you can enjoy the spoils of victory and search for your next challenge.

Being decisive is not only about making decisions rapidly; it is about modeling a positive and effective way of thinking and acting. It is about using the wisdom that you have accumulated during your career to create a process of decision making that consistently yields good results. It is about avoiding the agony and pain that comes along with being indecisive. It is about making the best decision possible and moving on to the next challenge, which helps you and your organization be more productive.

Be resolute

How can leaders accomplish this? I am glad you asked. To make the best decisions possible, evaluate and understand each option carefully while getting advice from the right people and sources to help you make your final decision. Sometimes you may even include your entire organization in the decision-making process, using the wisdom of the masses to plot a course forward. Once you have all of the information that you need, make the best decision possible.

Do not let indecisiveness paralyze you. Give yourself a deadline for making decisions and never deviate from it. Once you make your decision, stand by it, and remember that you can’t waver back and forth. That is only acceptable during the decision making process. Just have faith that you make the best possible choice with the information that was provided for you.

A little homework

Over the next month, whenever you have to make a decision, practice being resolute. This means weighing the possible approaches and outcomes and choosing the most desirable solution. After a decision has been made, don’t go back on it, unless there is new information that necessitates a different approach. After a month, what do you notice? You should notice that indecisiveness no longer paralyzes, and you don’t constantly go back and forth when making decisions. In the end, you will save yourself valuable time and avoid the stress that comes along with being indecisive.

Like professional athletes, great education leaders follow rigorous routines to keep their skills sharp and their delivery constant. Education leaders know that that practice makes perfect and the more consistent you can be, the more success your school or district will have.

The marathon never ends

You have to remember that steady wins the race, and this is certainly the case in education. To be a successful education leader, every time you step on the field or court, you have to bring you’re “A” game with you and deliver a great performance each time. If you don’t, your organization will not operate at an optimal level and will experience ups and downs.

To deliver a great performance every time, you have to be prepared for the rigors of leadership. You have to practice giving an optimal performance, even in less than ideal conditions. You have to practice your skills until they become second nature and automatic. Then and only then will you be able to make the right play.

This doesn’t mean that you won’t make a poor decision from time to time. However, even in those situations, failure helps you learn from your mistakes, and the next time you are in the same or a similar scenario, you will know what move to make. The key is to ensure that failure does not happen in succession, which can lead to a leadership slump. Just stick to your guns, and use your skills and experiences to lead the way. That way, you will be sure to be voted MYP (Most Valuable Principal) every year.

Concluding thoughts

I can’t stress the importance of giving a steady performance. Inconsistent leadership is the reason that most schools fail their students. When a leader is inconsistent, they experience periods of being locked into their duties and periods of being totally aloof. To avoid this predicament, focus on giving a consistent performance every day. It won’t be easy, but it won’t be hard either. Remember, steady wins the race.

The education world changes quickly and will continue to do so. Great education leaders can recognize those changes and guide the school or school district accordingly. On the other hand, it is fascinating how many leaders refuse to change the most straightforward aspects of their schools or school districts because they have the “if it is not broke, do not fix it” mantra.

Open your mind, and imagine the possibilities

While that will work during the short term, as years pass, the school districts and their leaders who refuse to grow, learn, and adapt will be left behind. To be a useful educational leader, you need to be open to learning about new things and exploring new experiences.

So how can a closed-minded education administrator become more open-minded? It usually takes decades for education administrators to become close-minded. Think back to when you first started as a teacher. Think about all of the new trends, strategies, and technologies that were coming into fruition. Like most young educators, you were open to change and eager to learn about these new technologies and trends.

If your principal was decades older than you, it probably was hard for them to adapt to the new way of doing things. As a matter of fact, I bet they were downright closed-minded, insisting on doing things the old fashioned way. They probably held that position until they were no longer effective, and then they were sent out to pasture. Isn’t it funny how history repeats itself? You have lost your thirst for innovation, and have become like the principal that you worked for early in your career. Sigh. You promised yourself that this would never be your fate.

Concluding thoughts

Do you really want to end up like that? Then snap out of it, and start to embrace the present, utilizing all of the technologies and innovations at your disposal. Being innovative will make you more effective, as you will be marrying old school know-how, with new school efficiency. In the end, everyone wins.