In my last blog post I spent a little time being reflective about how I didn’t do a great job of helping teachers be better teachers when I was a campus principal. I thought it was important to talk about it so that as campus leaders we keep focused on what’s important in our schools. We must never forget how important raising student achievement is for all students.
Today I was talking to a friend of mine who works in Corporate America and I was very curious as to the successes he’s had in his endeavors. He said “Herbert, It’s simple…I hire the right people, develop them into leaders, and ensure that I have an environment/culture that people want to be in!” That was very powerful for me.
As a former principal I can remember when hiring season came around I would toss and turn at night about hiring the right people. Because of mistakes early on in my career I found it to be one of the most important things that I did. So, sometimes it required me to visit with potential hires several times to ensure they were the right fit. I encourage all principals to take your time when you hire. There is no need to rush! You will be stuck with the decision you make. It’s okay to let your supervisor or HR department know that certain hires may take you longer to complete. Our students always deserve the best people.
The next point he made is a big one! You must develop the folks that you hire into leaders. As a campus principal this is a must. I can remember I started a leadership academy at one of the campuses I was blessed to serve as principal. I just opened it up to the teachers on campus who wanted to work in different areas of leadership in education. We learned together and had lots of fun doing it. I think we grew together and we grew closer together because of it. Not only did the teachers grow, but it moved them closer to believe in the vision we had for the campus. I watched this group of people spread good news about the great things that were happening on the campus daily. I also noticed how they began to take informal leadership roles throughout the campus.
Finally, having a great environment/culture is pretty self-explanatory. People want to be in a positive place, feel supported, and know they have opportunities for advancement. The tough thing for many leaders is making this all happen. Culture building starts with relationships! And it’s simple, you have to take time to build intentional quality relationships with those that you serve. Of course there are several more tips to building great culture on a campus. I include a few more tips on my blog about School Transformation.
There are so many pieces to the puzzle in making a school great. Just don’t forget to hire the right people, develop them into leaders, and ensure you have a great environment/culture.
Herbert, may I make a suggestion? As one of your former teachers and as a veteran teacher of 35+ years, I am glad to see your most recent blog posts concerned with your development of leadership in teachers. That is, of course, very important. I am also glad to see that you have learned that having a congenial relationship with students is important.
However, as I’ve just read and reread many of your posts on this blog, one things occurs to me that you might want to address.. Have you given much thought to developing congenial, collegial relationships with your teachers? You may find that, along from learning from you, they can teach you many things about being a better principal. I have served with and under many principals in many types of school settings: PK-grade 12, tiny small town, huge city, immigrant-filled, inner city, impoverished, suburban, struggling and highly successful. My clear observation about principals and their relationship with teachers are these: integrity is most important, followed by compassion, then passion for all students to learn and succeed no matter their background or ability and passion for all teachers to be highly successful, and a leader’s heart which values those who are in the front lines in the classroom. A listening ear and an encouraging word avail much. Those observations describe the principals WITH whom I’ve served. As for the principals UNDER whom I’ve served, my fellow teachers and I were very happy when they moved on to their next “leadership” position. Granted, a school is not a democracy, but true respect is primary and it must flow in all directions.
I will continue to be very interested to observe your development as a principal and educational leader. You always had star quality as a student in my classroom in Hearne High School, and that quality is still with you.
Linda,
Thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it! The items in your feedback may lead me to write about this very matter. I have been wanting to write a piece about one of my favorite teachers when I served as a principal. I grew exponentially working with her. She expected the best out of me and held me accountable for every thing that happened in that school. I appreciated her leadership. Hope all is well with you! Thanks for the encouragement. Funny thing Quila Polk, Sharles Mitchell and I were just talking about you on Christmas morning. We enjoyed your class! We learned a lot!
Herbert