There is no shortage of leadership advice available to anyone who wants some. A quick Google search of the best lessons or advice in the topic will unveil a treasure trove of tips, strategies, and ideas that can help anyone become a better leader in a classroom, school, district, or organization. In my opinion, the best leadership lessons come from experience. Below are some key lessons I learned either as a principal or from other leaders that I had had the pleasure of working with throughout my career.
Inspect what you expect.
There always seems to be an overemphasis on the vision aspect of change. A focus on the why is a great start, but the clarity of purpose and intent has to translate into action. What often happens is we get so wrapped up in the “fluff” that our focus on the how and actual evidence of improvement becomes a distant forethought. Real change relies on seeing the process through from vision to strategic plan and having accountability mechanisms in place to ensure efficacy. As I have mentioned in the past, leadership is not telling others what they should do, but instead showing them how to do it. This is why the concept of Return on Instruction (ROI) matters when it comes to technology and innovation. Accountability is the linchpin in the change process.
Don’t expect others to do what you are not willing to do (or haven’t done) yourself.
Everyone wants change, yet leading scalable efforts is a difficult task, to say the least. Getting everyone to embrace different and better is often easier said than done. Success in any change effort in a school or organization relies on the collective efforts of the majority. The best way to be a catalyst for change is to model expectations at the onset. Change begins with you. Opinions, research, and ideas provide the fuel, but the spark needed to ignite the process is one’s ability to act and then model expectations for others.
Build relationships by seeing people for who they are.
It all comes down to relationships. Without trust, there is no relationship. Without relationships, no real learning or change occurs. The ability to build powerful relationships with adults and our learners relies on our ability to be empathetic and not look through what is often a biased lens. There is good in every person, no matter what we might see or hear. Leadership is about bringing out the best in all and moving past mistakes to unleash potential. At times, we must also swallow our pride for the sake of building a relationship. We must believe in what others have to contribute to the greater good and not be so quick to write them off. It is easy to knock people down. Building people up is at the heart of empathetic leadership.
In the end, the best leadership lessons don’t necessarily come from a book, article, or speaker but instead from what we learn during and after an experience. In the words of John Dewey, “We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.” Always make time to reflect on your experiences and then share lessons learned to push the rest of us to improve our practice.
Inspect what you expect.
There always seems to be an overemphasis on the vision aspect of change. A focus on the why is a great start, but the clarity of purpose and intent has to translate into action. What often happens is we get so wrapped up in the “fluff” that our focus on the how and actual evidence of improvement becomes a distant forethought. Real change relies on seeing the process through from vision to strategic plan and having accountability mechanisms in place to ensure efficacy. As I have mentioned in the past, leadership is not telling others what they should do, but instead showing them how to do it. This is why the concept of Return on Instruction (ROI) matters when it comes to technology and innovation. Accountability is the linchpin in the change process.
Don’t expect others to do what you are not willing to do (or haven’t done) yourself.
Everyone wants change, yet leading scalable efforts is a difficult task, to say the least. Getting everyone to embrace different and better is often easier said than done. Success in any change effort in a school or organization relies on the collective efforts of the majority. The best way to be a catalyst for change is to model expectations at the onset. Change begins with you. Opinions, research, and ideas provide the fuel, but the spark needed to ignite the process is one’s ability to act and then model expectations for others.
It all comes down to relationships. Without trust, there is no relationship. Without relationships, no real learning or change occurs. The ability to build powerful relationships with adults and our learners relies on our ability to be empathetic and not look through what is often a biased lens. There is good in every person, no matter what we might see or hear. Leadership is about bringing out the best in all and moving past mistakes to unleash potential. At times, we must also swallow our pride for the sake of building a relationship. We must believe in what others have to contribute to the greater good and not be so quick to write them off. It is easy to knock people down. Building people up is at the heart of empathetic leadership.
In the end, the best leadership lessons don’t necessarily come from a book, article, or speaker but instead from what we learn during and after an experience. In the words of John Dewey, “We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.” Always make time to reflect on your experiences and then share lessons learned to push the rest of us to improve our practice.
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