Qualities of an Effective School Leader

(The post below comes from Issue # 618 of The Marshall Memo, an EXCELLENT resource for educators)

“A teacher affects eternity,” says Adam Rohdie (Greenwich Country Day School) in this article in Independent School paying tribute to his mentor and friend, John Hanly, who was battling Parkinson’s disease. Just before Hanly went into hospice care, Rohdie asked him for a list of the ten most important qualities to look for in a school principal. “He, of course, gave me 14!” says Rohdie. They are:

-   A passion for education, a respect for and love of teachers, and a delight in students;

-   An eye for potential in others – being able to spot a diamond in the rough;

-   The ability to stay cool under pressure;

-   The confidence to say, “I don’t know the answer to the problem that you raise; I’ll have to think about it.”

-   Willingness to share the credit but to shoulder the blame;

-   The ability to motivate and build a team;

-   The ability to inspire trust;

-   Genuine delight in the success of the people who work with you;

-   The discernment to know when to let someone go and when to give that person a second chance;

-   The willingness to be thin-skinned at times in order to sense the pulse of the school; the strength to be thick-skinned at times in order not to overreact to criticism;

-   Solid judgment based on experience, thoughtfulness, personal integrity, courage, and compassion;

-   Engagement in life and all of its complexities, frustrations, and joys;

-   The ability to take the long-term view, to distinguish what is important from what is merely urgent;

-   Discretion, balance, and perspective.

“Touching Eternity” by Adam Rohdie in Independent School, Winter 2016 (Vol. 75, #2, p. 12, 14), no e-link available