Lead with Intent, Be Transformational

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Transformational leadership in schools requires reflection and strategy.

Principals, you have so many management tasks to do every day - on-site meetings, communication, data-monitoring, conflict resolution, off-site meetings, fundraisers, etc... With the right mindsets and intentional strategies, each of these tasks can be more than a management role. Every interaction is an opportunity for transformational leadership.

Here are three lessons shared in the past few weeks from thought leaders on twitter.

You Will Be Wrong

 It's okay. No, it's preferred. No one likes perfection. Even worse, no one likes someone who pretends to be perfect.

The emotional intelligence lesson for leaders is, be intentionally vulnerable. Vulnerable people are likeable. They are easier to follow. They are human.

If you want to lead, be open about being wrong. Be easy to follow.

Do You Lead with Checklists?

Yes, checklists are great for groceries. They're great for supply lists. They're not a strategy for leading.

Dictating or "delegating" duties makes for good management. Management is good, but it doesn't improve schools. Leadership is required.

Vision, purpose, and goals are the driving force of edleaders. Teachers are inspired when school leaders are consistent with their vision. Teachers are inspired when actions follow that vision and when small wins along the way are celebrated.

Use the checklist to get things done. Don't use it as a leadership strategy.

Lead With Intent

There are so many transactions that occur in the role of the school leader. Every day a problem occurs on every hallway.

Ms. Jones forgot to put in grades and now PreAP parents are complaining. Coach Johnson didn't submit lesson plans, again. Ms. Frogel didn't submit the budget for the field trip and won't get the busses she needs.

There are so many transactions. Problem, solution. Problem, solution. It can almost become a machine. But that's not how school trajectories are built.

Transactional leadership is how trajectories fall short. Instead, view every interaction as an opportunity to transform. As leader, there are so many things you can transform:

  1. Transform thinking with questions.
  2. Transform climate with positivity.
  3. Transform culture with an intense focus on goals.
  4. Transform individuals by viewing every problem as a chance to help someone grow.
School leaders have an invaluable influence on campus. The power to positively impact so many lives cannot be overstated. 

Thanks for reading, and be sure to see my previous post on ways to motivate your staff this week.

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