Leadership
Playing hard for the coach.
Being a former coach and an avid sports fan, I have always wondered why players at any level of competition will play hard for one specific coach and not for another. Why will some players run through the brick wall for one coach, and mental and physically quit on another? The answer is obvious. Between that specific player and that specific coach, there is a special relationship established that fosters this type of behavior. (Once again, let us not forget that our business is all about relationships.)
The same type of relationship exists between the teacher in a school and the building principal. Through a series of questions, let’s dissect why this relationship is special.
- Does the principal care about each teacher on both a personal and professional level? How does he / she show that?
- Does the principal appreciate the teacher? How does the principal communicate this appreciation to the teacher?
- Does the principal maintain open communication with the teacher? Is there a connection between words and deeds?
- Does the principal show and foster respect with the teacher?
- Does the principal seek input from the teacher?
- Is the principal visible and accessible? Does the principal spend time in your classroom, and does he /she provide honest feedback in an appropriate way?
- Does the principal treat everyone fairly or does the principal play favorites?
- Is the principal able to mask his /her moodiness and keep an even demeanor? Is he /she consistent?
- Does the principal communicate organization and leadership knowledge?
- Does the principal reward and celebrate your success?
- Does the principal make you feel good about yourself?
- Does the principal value your instructional time and limit interruptions and distractions?
To me this discussion is another illustration and link between what happens in a school building and what happens on an athletic field. If school leaders did a better job focusing on the aforementioned items rather than other superfluous items, school climate and culture would reflect this positive feeling. The environment would be much healthier.
It is sometimes easy to lose the focus that the performance of the school is linked to the humanity of the people in charge. Are teachers looking to transfer in or transfer out of a specific school? What would be the reaction of another teacher in the district if they were transferred to that specific school? Some teachers may decide to leave the district. (On an aside, that is a much healthier decision than staying and being a malcontent.)
Life in school is about a series of small competitions, and our goal must be to win as many of them as possible. In a healthy environment supported by caring leadership, it becomes easier to rebound from some minor losses or setbacks.
When I reflect on my career, in my coaching life, I was able to walk with a player, my arm around his shoulder, and figuratively “kick him in the butt” at the same time. My players also knew that no one would work harder or care more about them than me. Did this leadership style follow me into the principal’s office? I think it did at the start of my administrative career, but I also began to feel overwhelmed by the minutia and politics of survival. I am sure I became less the leader I had hoped to be.
What can we do about this problem? One idea is to help remove the isolation and disengagement from principals. Perhaps there could be a support group of critical friends where principals could support one another and help each other problem solve. Our technology today would support this initiative. It is being done with teachers as we speak.
At the end of the day, teachers want and need caring, supportive, encouraging, and, yes, demanding principals.
