Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #11

When you arrived for work today, were you an operations manager or instructional leader?

For me that has been a very troubling question.  I always wanted to be that instructional leader.  But it seemed like most times I was worried about a broken toilet, a bus issue or a different type of security drill.  Of course, all of these things are important but for me it had little to do with being the leader that I had hoped to be.  The juxtaposition of these two roles always caused me significant personal angst. I have written about this in previous posts.  I was only able to find some solace from this cognitive wrestling match by understanding that as a principal you will always be both an operations manager and instructional leader. You will have to seamlessly flow between your roles.  There will be times that you will really have to fight not to be consumed by operations issues and you must always carve out time to focus on the instructional issues that are important to you.

Regardless of your role at any given time, you will always have to lead.  Although you may have to wear that figurative toolbelt and hard hat at the same time you might be holding an iPad in your hand for a teacher evaluation, you never get to take your leader’s hat off.  You are the leader of that school 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Dan Rockwell in his recent blog on leadership shared the importance of showing up like a leader every day.  When you arrive at work, it is imperative that you bring out the best in people.  In the school environment and culture that you helped to create you get to see how people respond to problems, relate to each other, deliver results, and a real personal favorite of mine pursue excellence.  Your job is to help people get their job done.  As the principal you must create an efficient environment and connect and energize people around you(Rockwell).

So, every day when you enter your school, do not think about the minutia that invades your space? Do not think about the overwhelming amount of paper on your desk or the hostile meetings that may await?  Instead, think about the people you work with and how you can help make them all that they can be.  You must be that catalyst!

References

Rockwell, Dan (2017). How to Show Up Like a Leader Today.  Retrieved from

https//leadershipfreak.blog/2017/11/20.