When I was in my last year of high school, I had a quirky yet passionate English teacher who never shied away from sharing with his classes the latest dad joke he had acquired. But still to this day, I remember him and his influence on me as a person. I remember how impactful he was at that point in my life, as a scared and inexperienced kid about to go to college. I have asked myself over the years about the reasons why I remember him more than any other teacher I had. I couldn’t tell you the specific course content that I learned in that class and I can’t remember the topic of my end-of-year research paper for that class, but I do remember his impact on my growth and outlook on life. Many of his class lectures seemed to deviate to certain life insights and advice, or “teachable moments” that many of us enjoy encountering. Looking back now as an educator, it’s amusing to think of how many times he strayed from his lesson plan. However, he made it a point to ensure that his students were on their way to being caring, well-grounded, and confident individuals. He was, in a sense, a teacher of life instead of Grade 12 English.
What does it take to be remembered as a “favorite teacher”? What long-term effect does a “favorite Principal” have on a teacher, even after they move on to another school? Our role as educators is so influential as we encounter opportunities to change lives and careers every day. Leaders, do your teachers and staff see and know the real you, day in and day out? Do they know what you stand for, what drives you, and what you are passionate about? And do they know why? Sure, we can focus our efforts on fulfilling leadership duties and responsibilities as the role itself requires, but the lasting impression comes from those around us being able to see our personal qualities at work, such as care, passion, and humility. Furthermore, I believe the lasting impact of a school leader is made through certain components of visionary leadership. These include empowerment, inspiration, mentoring, positive coaching, creating opportunities, and opening doors. Down the road, teachers won’t remember many of the decisions that you made, policies that you implemented, or even the meetings that they were a part of. Effective administrators have ripple effects on their teams, allowing them to achieve organizational and individual goals. And this can all start with small, yet powerful, actions like checking in on colleagues, taking time to give praise when it is deserved, and even smiling! These small behaviors can be more powerful than the job description of a school administrator.
I heard a quote on a podcast the other day that is still echoing in my mind: “People don’t follow what you do; they follow why you do it.” This difference between “what” and “why” intrigues me the more I think about it. Two little words that couldn’t have more different meanings! To make more sense of this, I divided a few common qualities of effective school leaders into the two categories below:
What: Communicative, Knowledgeable, Organized, Reliable, Resolves conflict, Provides opportunities
Why: Integrity, Passionate, Goal-driven, Approachable, Willing to listen, Inspires, Supports, Is a learner, Trusts
While not a comprehensive list of desired leadership qualities, this serves to highlight how different these two words can have on creating a lasting influence. However, it’s important to note that influential leaders use qualities from both categories interchangeably to make lasting impacts on their teams and colleagues. To be effective, school leaders know how to properly manage the “what”. To be remembered, they enhance the “what” by clearly making visible the “why”.
Two years ago, one of the division-wide Areas of Growth my HOD team and I drafted focused on “Enhancing Positive School Culture”. Initially, I was looking to achieve this divisional goal through rewording student behavior policies, highlighting new expectations of technology use, and planning the effective delivery of student announcements. In hindsight, I realize that this was the wrong way to approach lasting change and community buy-in. I was too focused on the “what” and forgot about the “why” as we all worked toward this goal. While we eventually made steps forward toward this year-long goal, I struggled the entire school year with not seeing a division-wide buy-in from my teachers. I failed to set the right approach and environment, and I was unsuccessful in getting my teams to see the same vision as I did. What a valuable growth opportunity that has since carried over into future goal-setting efforts with my teams!
Here are other questions that allow for valuable reflection for all school leaders:
In what ways, and in what setting, do you present school or divisional goals? Aside from the tone of your voice or message when you first share these goals, do you think your staff see a connection between these goals and who you are as an educator?
How do you build buy-in from your teams? What specific strategies convince your team members to want to jump on board?
How do you build capacity and support from the parent community? How much do your parents know you as a person and educator?
What are motivational strategies your school uses to inspire student learning? Do you and your teachers reflect this same attitude in front of students?
Again, people don’t follow what you do; they follow why you do it. There is ample research out there that compares the effects of a leader vs. manager. Articles on inspirational leadership, such as this one from Forbes magazine, also can help a school leader’s ability to inspire a school community to keep growing and learning. Furthermore, many educators and school leaders seek to identify their “Why” and use it to find meaning and value in their educational roles, teams, and communities. I have reflected on my values and beliefs as a school leader and have come up with “Collaboration, Trust, and Empowerment” as my educational “Why”. I encourage all school leaders to continue looking for ways to understand your school community and yourself better by getting to really know its people. Approach a staff member you don’t normally talk with much, in a space that is comfortable for them. Ask them how they are doing and what they want to see improved. Do the same with a student. I feel I have grown into a more passionate educator who doesn’t hold back on expressing joys and desires as they relate to our school-wide goals and vision, and I have understood more about what drives a school community by getting to know what drives its people. But, at the same time, I am also very eager to encounter more valuable learning opportunities down the road for how I can make an even more powerful impact on those who wish to continue growing and learning.
Mark Dominguez 