3 Questions Educators Ask About Their New Leader

Throughout my almost 20 years in education I've been a follower and at other times a new leader. When a new leader is put in place it's important that the leader and the followers develop a synergy as soon as possible. I define synergy as a relationship between the followers and the leader that enables the school or system to move in a more productive and positive direction. Without synergy it's difficult, if not impossible, to move forward. As a new leader it's critical to take time to get the perspective of the followers. There are 3 questions followers ask.

1. DO YOU CARE FOR ME? This is a huge question. A follower wants to know that the leader has a caring connection for them. The leader is not just there because they have a job to do. When followers feel like they are not being cared for, they quickly lose heart making synergy impossible to achieve. Followers need to know they are cared for in order to stay passionate about their work and reach their full potential.
2. CAN YOU HELP ME? This question speaks to the competence of the leader. I believe followers are usually excited about a new leader because there exist a potential that their life is going to get better. They optimistically believe things are going to change in a positive way. The follower is asking, "Is this person going to help me get to a new level?" The leader should ask himself a similar question, "Am I helping them to get better?" A more PROFOUND question that a leader should ask himself is this, "When my time in the current leadership role is over, will my people be better off or will I be better off but they won't?"
3. CAN I TRUST YOU? Followers ask, "If I'm going to follow you, are you going to be and do the same thing? Are your words and actions going to be consistent with your stated values and vision? Are you going to motivate me to be a better person or are you going to manipulate me for your advantage and somehow I become disadvantaged over it?"

Once the followers can answer "yes" to these 3 questions, a fledgling team is born and a small flame of synergy begins. Every leader needs to be able to look their followers in the eye and answer, "yes, yes, and yes" to those 3 questions. I've seen new leaders come upon the scene and expect immediate loyalty from their followers. I believe loyalty runs up-and-down and side-to-side in an organization as evidenced by the 3 questions above. Any leader who is expects loyalty to only flow in an upward direction is narcissistic and will find it difficult to retain quality followers.

The 5 Levels of a Principal's Leadership

When I hear of teachers talk about principals who rule as a dictator I can't help but cringe on the inside. You know the type of principal I'm talking about, the one who would rather hit you over the head with the teacher handbook and board policy than to smile and say good morning. I believe the principal should serve as the working captain of the educational team instead of the autocratic coach on the sideline calling all the plays. I believe the principal sets the tone and the atmosphere of a school, whether that atmosphere is positive or negative most often times falls on the shoulders of the lead learner, the principal. The best way to create a positive atmosphere is to lead through influence.
John C. Maxwell has just written a new book entitled The 5 Levels of Leadership. His basic premise is that influence is gained with people in levels. Every person who leads others has to start at the bottom level with another person and work his or her way up to higher levels one at a time. I believe these leadership principles absolutely without question apply to school administrators. I'm going to summarize these levels as I see them as a principal.

LEVEL 1- POSITION

Position is the lowest level of leadership. You have the title of principal and people follow because they have to. Everything is wrong with using position to get people to follow. Position is a poor substitute for influence. Principals at this level of leadership rely on rules, regulations, policies and organizational charts to control their people. Principals who make it only to level 1 may be bosses, but they are never leaders. They have subordinates, not team members. Principals at this level have difficulty working with volunteers, younger teachers, and the highly educated. Why? Because positional leaders have no influence, and these types of people tend to be more independent.

LEVEL 2- PERMISSION

On the permission level, people follow because they want to. When you like people and treat them like individuals who have value, you begin to develop influence with them. You develop trust. The agenda for principals on Level 2 isn't preserving their position. It's getting to know their faculty and figuring out how to get along with them. You can like people without leading them, but you cannot lead people well without liking them.

LEVEL 3- PRODUCTION

One of the dangers of getting to the permission level is that the principal will stop there. But good principals don't just create a pleasant working environment. They get things done! Level 3 is based on getting results. Production principals gain influence and credibility, and people begin to follow them because of what they have done for the school. At this level, work gets done, morale improves, student achievement improves, and school improvement goals are achieved.

LEVEL 4- PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

  At this level principals become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. They use their position, relationships, and productivity to invest in their faculty and develop them until those faculty members become leaders in their own right.
Two things happen on level 4. First, teamwork goes to a very high level. Why? Because the high investment in people deepens relationships, helps people to know one another better and strengthens loyalty. Second, performance increases. Why? Because there are more leaders on the faculty, and they help improve everybody's performance.

LEVEL 5- PINNACLE

The highest and most difficult level of the principalship is the pinnacle. Only naturally gifted principals ever make it to this level. What do principals do on Level 5? They develop people to become Level 4 principals. They create opportunities that other leaders don't. They create a legacy in what they do. People follow them because of who they are and what they represent.

The above summary was taken from an article by John C. Maxwell in the November 2011 edition of Success Magazine.

Principalship Landmines

  It's easy when a principal experiences some success to become complacent. But as any good coach will tell you, complacency will get you beat. I make no bones about being a fan of the leadership work of John Maxwell. In fact I start each day reading the scriptures and commentary in his Leadership Bible. A few months ago, John wrote an article entitled Leadership Landmines. He discusses how successful leaders have self destructed. I would like to share my take on the article through the eyes of a principal.

Principalship Landmine #1: Today's Success
What got you here won't keep you here.
Many principals who trip over a landmine celebrate their own success too long. If you are celebrating a victory from two months ago, you need to know that life is not a snapshot. You can't take a picture at the height of your success and expect that it will not change. The same goes with failure. If you had a bad day, you can take comfort in knowing tomorrow is another day. The ability to let go of your successes and failures is absolutely essential to running an effective school long term. As principals we must continue to grow and ask the question, "Is there a better way?" Joe Frazier once said, "The punch that knocks you out is the one you didn't see."

Principalship Landmine #2: Losing Touch with Your People
An isolated principal is an ineffective principal.
Great principals will never tell you it's lonely at the top. If you are at the top all alone, then no one is following you. Get off the mountain, go find your staff and connect. John Maxwell says leaders must walk slowly through the crowd, listen to their people and open their ears to what their people are telling them. Your faculty and staff is your only appreciable asset.

Principalship Landmine #3: Betrayal of Trust
Leadership functions on the basis of trust.
Trust is the foundation upon which relationships in every setting are built. Receiving trust from others is a result of character, confidence and consistency. So how do you become and stay a trustworthy principal?

• Value character more than success.
• Focus on shared goals more than personal agendas
• Stay away from politics
• Do the right thing regardless of personal risk.
• Be accountable to others.
• Follow the Golden Rule: Treat people the way you would like to be treated.

Principalship Landmine #4: Failure to Think Realistically
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.
Somebody once said, "An optimist thinks the glass is half-full. The pessimist thinks it's half-empty. The realist knows that before long, he'll have to wash the glass." When setting goals for your school make realism the foundation of your school. Build this foundation on three levels of achievement:

1. What we have to achieve
2. What we think we will achieve
3. What we can hope to achieve

Principalship Landmine #5: Poor Timing
The difference between a home run and long foul ball is timing.
It is vital that a principal step back and see the big picture. There are seasons of change that affect timing in any school. Understand that teachers change when they:

• Hear enough that they have to.
• Learn enough that they want to.
• Receive enough that they are able to.

If you are a new principal, seek advice from successful principals. What seems so necessary today may not even be desirable tomorrow.


The above views are based on an article by John C. Maxwell in the July 2011 edition of Success Magazine.