Monday, September 8, 2014

The Habits of Connected Leadership


Schools are communities in their own right.  One of the most important jobs of a principal is to guide the culture of this community.  This means that you must be forward, creative and logical in your thinking.  Students today require us to be innovative in how we teach them, which in turn means as leaders we must create a culture where innovation is embedded.  How is this done?  You must provide resources to help teacher understand what innovation is, what it can offer, and how it impacts student learning outcomes.
As a former high school principal I had to ask myself if my daily habits aligned with my instructional expectations.  To increase a culture of innovative teachers there are several habits campus leaders can focus on to get results.  First, you must plan for collaboration with your staff.  Create a culture of sharing and teaching with each other.  Second, you must make action a habit.  Teachers want to see their leader model what is being asked of them.  So, take action and use innovative ideas when you meet to collaborate with your staff. The third habit innovative leaders must possess is they must have a habit of being connected through social networking and their PLN’s.  It is important that you as the leader show your commitment to learn what other innovative schools are doing to stay connected with students.
Your school community is watching you and learning from your habits – I encourage you to give positive rewards to your teachers for trying to connect differently with students today.  Here are a few great articles to read on what other leaders are doing with their campuses:

http://connectedprincipals.com/contributors/lyn-hilt

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