HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADER?

Leaders are needed at every level and in every venue. Anyone can follow a path, only leader can blaze one. That’s often not easy. If you’re a leader, a lot of people depend on you. Great leadership is the vital key to success in any school. The best schools will have an effective school leader or group leaders working for the common goals. Leaders are made not born: Behavioral Theories believe that people can becomeleadersthroughtheprocessofteaching,learningandobservation.Leadershipis a set of skills that can be learned by training, perception, practice and experience over time.

What makes a good leader, a leader who is loved or a leader who is feared by the people? A feared leader wouldn’t show any compassion for those that criticize them or go against what they want as a loved teacher. A loving leader shows love to those who help them improve and even those who go against them. The best leaders do the following on a consistent basis:

L- earn … Learning is the work. Leaders make the time to learn and get better on a daily basis.

E –mpower… People that are empowered find greater value in the work they are engaged in.

A-dapt… Leaders must embrace a sense of flexibility and openness, ability to adapt array of situations, challenges and pressures are pivotal to accomplish goals.

D –elegate… No leader can do everything by him or herself. The decisiveness to delegate tasks and responsibilities is not a weakness. On the contrary, it allows leaders to apply more focus to areas of greater importance.

E- ngage… Leaders authentically engaged their stakeholders through multi-dimensional communications, by taking control of public relations and developing a positive brand presence.

R- eflect… Reflectionin a digital world take many forms and results greater transparency. In school setting a leader must be multifaceted in dealing with the internal and external stakeholders. They must effectively work with and support every person at the school.

How does a school administrator become an effective school leader? There is not a single answer to this question but a blend of qualities and characteristics that yield an effective leader. An administrator’s actions over the course of time also help them to become a true school leader. Let us examine the twelve of the most critical aspects necessary to be an effective school leader.

(1) An Effective School Leader Leads by Example;

(2). An Effective School Leader has a Shared Vision;

(3).An Effective School Leader is well respected;

(4) An Effective School Leader is a Problem Solver;

(5).An Effective School Leader is Selfless;

(6). An Effective School Leader is an Exceptional Listener;

(7) An Effective School Leader Adapts;

(8). An Effective School Leader understands individual strengths and weaknesses; (9) An Effective School Leader makes those around them better;

(10). An Effective School Leader admits when they make a mistake;

(11). An Effective School Leader holds others Accountable; and

(12). An Effective School Leader makes difficult decisions.

To be a successful and effective leader is no easy feat. Yet, effective school leaders are desperately needed in thousands of schools and educational institutions across this country and world today. As Kenneth Leithwood stated in a Hechinger Report, “Indeed, there are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader.”

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The author is Head Teacher III at San Juan High School, Mexico, Pampanga