4 Managerial Skills Every School Principal Should Have
All schools hire a principal with the hope that the person can lead by example to ensure that the students are getting the best experience possible. It doesn’t always work out and when it doesn’t, the principal’s managerial skills are usually called into question. Principals are in place to handle key responsibilities. Just ask Wendy Kopp, the CEO, and co-founder of Teach For America. Principals are counted on to create a clear vision of academic success among the students. A lack of commitment will surely derail a principal’s chances of long-term success, so here are four managerial skills every school principal should have.
Be A Good Listener
A good principal must be an active listener. If a principal can achieve this, then the chances of miscommunication can become drastically reduced. It’s also an important step to take when it comes to being more open-minded. If you have a one-track mind, then you’re going to come across as being the type of principal who only wants things done in a certain way. The students and your team may lose faith in you as this could expose an inability to adapt. Now more than ever, leaders are expected to adapt to any situation.
Make Decisions That Are Definitive
As a principal, your actions should be decisive. This means that you have thought through a situation and have weighed the pros and cons before making a final decision. Once a decision is made, a true leader doesn’t think twice about whether or not they have made the right call. If you have reviewed all of the information to reach your conclusion, then you should be comfortable with the decision you have made. The genuine confidence will rub off on others and you will be seen as a true manager.
Inspire Change
As we’ve mentioned, adapting is one of the most pivotal things you can do as someone in a leadership role. Inspiring change is one way to let everyone know that you’re able to roll with any turns that come your way. You don’t want to create change just for the sake of doing it but you also don’t want things to remain stagnant. Keep the staff on their toes in a positive way. Let them know that change is always welcome as long as it makes sense. If things remain the same, then the only thing that may change is your tenure with the school.
Education Rules All
As a principal, you can’t lose sight of what your ultimate goal is. You are put in a position to educate the students. That’s the most important thing when it comes to schooling. Whether you’re prepping kids for the big test or giving out life lessons, you have to understand that the first thing you are is an educator. Getting wrapped up in the administrator work is easy to do but if the students aren’t benefitting, then everything you’re doing will ultimately become meaningless since you did not educate.
