Lori Staples

EDL 279

November 3, 2018

A highly effective leader is a good communicator and collaborator. They are committed

to the organization and displays passion for their work. An effective leader cares about the

people who work in their organization on a professional and personal level.

A leader needs to be open to the ideas of those who work for them. They need to listen to

what their employees have to say and create a space where all feel comfortable. The leader

needs to work to break down barriers, so everyone can collaborate on an intimate level. By

creating an environment of collaboration each part of the system can work on the shared vision

of the building.

A leader in a building has a lot of management process to lead. They are not only leading

the teachers on their staff, but the associates, food service workers, custodians, and work with the

transportation and maintenance departments. This accumulates to a great deal of people to leave

at a variety of levels with experience and working with students and their families. As a leader it

is important to ensure you have the right people in place to do the work that needs to be done for

your building.

A leader in education has a difficult job. They need to mange and lead their building as

well as collaborate with other leaders within their district. When you become a leader in a

school you inherit the staff that was in the building with the previous leader. If the building was

run well and systems are in place this can be a good opportunity. However, if the previous

leader did not manage the building well this can be a challenge in your leadership.
 An indicator of an effective leader is someone who is respected by their staff. Everyone

on their staff may not like them or agree with some of their decisions, but the leader has built a

respect and trust with the staff. As a leader you must build relationships with your staff. You

need to make connections with them on a personal level, so they know you have a genuine

interest in them as an employee and as a person.

Another indicator of an effective leader is the ability to put people in positions that

highlight their strengths. As a leader you need to know the strengths and areas of improvement

of your staff. With this information you can develop teams within your building that best

support the students and staff that support each other. As a leader you not only lead, but also

coach your staff through the changes in your building knowing strengths of your staff is part of

this process.

In my fifteen years in education I have worked for four different school leaders. Each of

these leaders had qualities of effective leadership and ineffective leadership. One of the leaders I

worked for showed effective leadership through his communication with staff. When you talked

to him about issues that you saw in the building or ideas you wanted to try in your classroom he

actively listened to what you had to say. He engaged in dialogue with you about the topic. He

did not always give you an answer right away, but after thinking about the decision would

explain whether he agreed with you. He would use data to back up his reasoning. With this

leader you knew his thought process. His communication was clear and there were never

questions.

Another leader I worked with worked hard to build relationships with staff, students, and

families. This was shown through his ability to push staff out of their comfort zone but support

them along the journey. Because of his ability to build relationships the staff trusted him and
were willing to try new things with their instruction. He modeled building relationships with

students and staff and encouraged teachers to work hard to do the same. He led by example and

the staff followed his example.

In another system I worked with a leader who did not build relationships with staff.

There was a definite divide between the position as principal and teachers. She came across as I

am in charge and I don’t care what you have to say. When staff talked with her she did not

appear to listen to what they say. Instead, she interrupted and talked down to them. This leading

caused a distrust with staff. They were afraid to try new things in their instruction. This leader

placed the blame of student issues onto the teacher. They came to work in a fearful state. This

principal had a clear metal model of what she thought the leader’s job was and was not open to

change.