Having been a school administrator for 13 years, I've watched many new principals enter the position. Some have entered to become a servant leader and others have entered to be a leader that seeks to be served. The former tends to lead with positional authority while the servant leader inspires loyalty and voluntary cooperation. I believe leadership is synonymous with influence. John Maxwell asserts that influence is gained with people in levels - five levels to be exact. Every principal has to start at the bottom level and work his or her way up to higher levels one at a time.
A person is hired for a principal's position and along with it comes a job description. This is the first level of influence or leadership. Position is the foundation for every level of leadership. It is a good starting point, but you don't want to stay there. Real influence must be built upon that foundation. There was a time when people relied on organizational charts and responsibilities to lead. The phrase, "My way or the highway" was used a lot. Let's be clear when a person is asked to be the principal, it usually means someone saw talent and potential in that person. And with that title and position come some rights and a degree of authority to lead others. BUT, true leadership isn't about position. The invitation to the principalship is an invitation to make a difference.
Good principals change individual lives. They form teams. They build professional learning communities. Good principals make their communities a better place. Never forget that position is only the starting point. If you stay stuck in positional leadership, there are many downsides. Here are the downsides of staying stuck in a My Way or the Highway Level 1 Principalship.
1. Principals who rely on position to lead devalue people- These principals almost always place a very high value on holding on to their position - often above everything else they do. Their position is more important to them than the work they do, the value they add to their teachers or their contribution to the school. In fact, positional principals often see teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, and cafeteria workers as annoyances, as interchangeable cogs in the school machine or even as troublesome obstacles to their goal of getting a promotion to their next position. As a result the faculty and staff suffer terrible morale.
2. Positional principals feed on politics- When principals value position over the ability to influence others, the atmosphere of the school becomes very political. There is a lot of maneuvering and competition between teams.
3. Positional principals place rights over responsibilities- Principals who rely too much on their titles develop a sense of aggrandizement. They do things to make themselves look and feel important. They expect their people to serve them, rather than looking for ways to serve their people. These principals value territory over teamwork and as a result emphasize rules and regulations that are to their advantage. Just because you have the right to do something as a principal doesn't mean that it is the right thing to do.
4. Turnover is high for these principals- Schools with positional principal leadership tend to lose their best teachers and attract average or below-average teachers. In other words a lot of 8s and 9s and leaving the school because they have talent and options. Subsequently, a lot of 2s and 3s are coming in to take their place. If you believe that good teachers make good schools then the leader has just lowered the caliber of the entire school!
5. Positional principals don't get people's best efforts- School leaders (principals, assistant principals, superintendents, assistant superintendents) who rely on their positions and titles are the weakest of all leaders. They give their least. They expect their position to do the hard work for them. As a result, their people also give their least. Teachers who work for a positional leader may start out strong, ambitious, innovative and motivated, but they rarely stay that way.
The greastest downside about a Level 1 Position Principal is that it is neither creative nor innovative. It's leadership that just gets by. Positional principals can become isolated if they misunderstand the functions and purpose of their position. Being a good principal doesn't mean trying to be king of the hill and standing above from others. Good principalship is about walking beside people and helping them to climb up the hill with you.
The above viewpoint is a principal's perspective from the work of John C. Maxwell. Success Magazine, December 2011. p.20-21
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