Leadership in education is the key to creating a learning environment that nurtures and encourages student development, supports teachers, and effectively works with parents and others who are involved in the lives of students. Developing educational leadership qualities is important in every role, as today’s educational environment is much more fluid than the top-down structures of the past.
What does it mean to be an educational leader?
Effective leadership in schools can be challenging yet rewarding to achieve. It requires management skills, instructional excellence, deep curriculum knowledge, and having leadership skills that motivate and empower others.
Why is effective leadership in schools important?
We are living through a time of rapid change in education, with reforms, policy changes, new mandates, and an evolving understanding of teaching techniques and approaches. While most people in the profession want to make a difference, they do not always know how.
A leader sorts through it all with the goal of driving a path forward that truly engages students and supports their academic and developmental success. Your voice matters, so it is vital that you invest in evaluating and improving your leadership skills to grow in your career and better serve your students.
9 educational leadership qualities you need to make an impact
Effective leadership in education requires a mix of traits, skills and attitudes. Below are some of the inputs into what makes a good school leader.
1. Vision and inspiration
The most important element in leadership in education is to know what you want to achieve and why. You need a vision for your students, teachers, school support staff and all members of the school community. It should be inspired by motivations that are relevant to everyone. You will also need to create a broad strategy for achieving the goals.
2. Dedication to educational improvement
Making meaningful progress toward achieving a vision requires having a strong work ethic and a willingness to get past roadblocks and frustrations on the way to achievements. It takes mental toughness to stick with the plan and stay focused on the vision without letting discouragement derail you. Consistently working your plan and making adjustments when needed will eventually get your team to the goal.
3. Passion for achieving
Caring about the vision and your team and also sharing your enthusiasm keeps others as dedicated and motivated as you are. Passion does not have to be fist pumping excitement. Calm, quiet thoughtfulness can convey your eagerness and commitment, too. What matters is the desire to achieve.
If your passion is genuine, it will inspire others to share your vision and energy. As you prepare for the new school year or the next semester, take a moment to think about what motivates you to find your passion.
4. Effective communication skills
Quite possibly the most important of educational leadership qualities is the ability to communicate. People need to know about and understand your vision and know that it will take dedication.
It takes empathy to convey your passion and engage others in sharing it. Emotional intelligence and learning how to read other people will make you a much more effective communicator. You will be able to reach people in the most effective ways with messages that resonate with them.
5. Supporting collaboration and teamwork
If you try to do it all yourself, you will quickly run out of time and energy. And you will miss the insights that others can bring to an endeavor. It is important to include everyone, delegate responsibility, and support your team as they work together. Create opportunities for people to get involved and make a significant contribution. Work to help people get past difficulties to clear the way for their success. Then be sure to recognize and reward teams and individuals.
6. Cultivating trust and respect with your team
It is important to trust the people on your team and to ensure that they can trust you. When delegating work, also delegate authority. Avoid micromanaging. Failure and mistakes are unavoidable. Transform these situations into learning experiences, not occasions for blame and criticism. Listen and be willing to try the ideas of others. When you respect the talents and efforts of others on your team, they will respect and trust you as well.
7. Ability to create a strong school culture
Effective leadership in schools depends on school culture. Work with your team to define organizational values. Ideally, these come authentically from your team members rather than being imposed upon them. Culture is the responsibility of everyone on the team. That said, you should set an example by modeling the behavior that aligns with the organization’s values and displaying the attitudes that support the culture. What you do and what you say have to be in harmony.
8. Time management and organizational skills
Time is one thing you cannot make more of. Acquiring strong time management skills will ensure that this valuable resource is well-spent. Efficient organizations that do not bog down when it comes to decision making get things done. It can start with how you organize your teaching space or office, and expand to how you organize schedules, reporting structures, and more.
Delegating tasks and responsibilities ensures that the talents and energies of the team are put to good use. Delegating is also a great way to get more done, while improving teamwork and developing team member capabilities.
9. Supporting team professionalism
Supporting the professional growth of each team member enhances the school as a workplace and brings needed skills, knowledge, and behaviors to your team. Professionalism does not have to be serious. Just like there are educational games in the classroom, you can use fun techniques to build professional skills.
Effective leadership in schools helps each person to go above and beyond and to be motivated to perform even in a tough situation. Be on the lookout for opportunities for team members. Leadership in education is enhanced when you invest in professional development and grow more leaders in your team.
Become a great school leader
Leadership in education is an opportunity to enhance your value to your school, your colleagues, and most of all, your students. We invite you to find the best school professionals that will help you achieve your vision and match your passion. Begin your search for top school professionals today.