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.