LEADERS ON APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY APPROACH
How do we measure success among leaders? There are 101 ways of measuring the success of leaders. In fact, success remains to be the most common indicator for almost all leaders. Beyond, awards and other school performance indicators, leaders, in general, can only feel success in learning and changing as a leader by appreciating what is in the present.
A critical determinant of the success of the school is the quality of its principal. Learning to lead is at the heart of the principal’s daily practice and great leaders never stop learning.
Indeed there is no coincidence in this world, everything is destined by God! I was relaxing in the comfort of my seat in the lobby of Otel Pampanga after lunch because I just finished my morning session in the SHDP Foundation Course when Sir Arnel Usman of HRDD Region III came and started a conversation with me. The talk with him started on the SHDP 2016 to SHDP 2017; Campus Journalism since we both experience to be school paper adviser; the Principal Examination; CI projects when he told me that that was the first time he saw my potential as a facilitator and many more topics. Suddenly, I asked him how define a successful school principal and success in general.
I started to share my happy experiences as a school leader as well as my disappointments when it comes to awards of the school. I shared that it seems that I am not blessed with schools that are performing well in terms of school contests which I am quite sad because people define a performing school in terms of awards. Upon hearing this statement, he suddenly got his cellphone and started to share the homily of a priest regarding ‘appreciative inquiry approach in leadership’. That a leader must appreciate whatever strength and blessings that the school he is serving has.
From that simple sharing, I was able to relax and somehow be more thankful with the teachers and students that I am serving (although I am indeed happy), awards for the school must not be the only source for me to say that I am a good school leader. Honestly, sometimes I doubt my competence as a school leader when we do not receive awards (naiisip ko minsan, hindi talaga ako magaling). I must be looking forward to more collaboration with the teachers and other stakeholders so that we can improve processes and systems in training our students. I am hoping that one day, I will be able to lead and inspire teachers to give their 100% commitment and love to the students so that they will also soar high.
However, it is only in learning leaders are driven by the desire to see every student in their school excel; have high aspirations for learning that inspire staff, students and the community; establish an environment that provides opportunities for all staff to learn and improve together and are constantly reflecting on their own leadership and impact.
--oOo— The author is School Principal III of Porac National High School