Leadership qualities of an effective school administrator

As a requirement for acceptance to the Silver Lake College Education Administration Program, I needed to supply them with a writing sample about leadership qualities of an effective school administrator. I wrote this on August 18, 2011, and I believe I would already change some main points of my discussion. I will write about those at a later date...I do not want to skew feedback from my peers, colleagues, or others. Again, I am looking for this blog to be an active collaboration between any, and all, people who would love to participate. Let me know what you think... here it is.

 With the many duties and responsibilities of a school administrator, there must be a clear vision in which to anchor decisions and actions to throughout the day. There are many leadership qualities which an effective school administrator must encompass. The three most important of these being student-first, a continuous learner and innovator, and a positive and energetic role model.

As a student-first leader, an administrator can attach decisions around what is best for each student. The administrator understands through systems and designs that students are affected by all choices which are made within a school district. Each student is the number one responsibility of the administrator and he/she needs to help nurture each student to grow academically, along with emotionally. The whole student should be the focus, with a mission to help foster creating a well rounded individual. Servant leadership is a key principle under the student-first philosophy. As Robert Greenleaf said, “The servant-leader is servant first … It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions.” An administrator needs to treat each student as if he/she is his/her own. With the student-first leadership quality in place, decisions will be grounded at the roots of where one builds an educational and emotional foundation.

The second main leadership quality an administrator must possess is being a continuous learner and innovator. One must continue to be creative and seek out new information. There must be a drive and positive attitude to strive to be the best learning organization within education. However, it is not just good enough to learn about this information, but it is what is done with the knowledge one has that counts. The final step of this leadership quality is to have the ability to share and foster the growth of individuals within the organization to help them grow and pass this on to each student within the school. Again it is not good enough for an administrator to be knowledgeable in a given subject, but instead it is how that knowledge is used to help individuals grow. The leader needs to know that the biggest asset a school community has is its people.

The final leadership quality an effective administrator must possess is being a positive and energetic role model for all participants involved within a school district. It is the responsibility of the administrator to lead by example and create positive change while maintaining the great qualities which are happening within a school district. The great qualities which are happening in a school should not only be maintained, but they should be celebrated to create a culture of being excited to learn and grow as people and an organization. The overall outcome of being a positive and energetic role model is to have a focus on building community wherever one goes. An effective administrator then leads by strength based qualities, rather than deficit based qualities. It is important for the administrator to help foster the idea of positive strength based leadership within members of the school. Each person within the organization has a choice to control his/her attitude and strength based leadership qualities. In the end, it is the administrator who values the qualities of community and strength based leadership which leads by example with a positive and energetic attitude at all times.

Overall, the qualities of student-first thought, being a continuous learner and innovator, and being a positive and energetic role model, will define the legacy of a successful school administrator. These three cornerstones of an administrator’s belief and values system will help shape and form true community, while fostering the positive attributes of the district and people who are such vital parts of the learning organization. Educational writer and social scientist Howard Gardner would approve of this compilation of leadership qualities of an effective school administrator, but he would not be interested in carrying out these duties. As he states in his own biographical writings, “I’m more interested in understanding human beings than in portraying them (as a novelist would) or in helping them (as a clinician or a schoolteacher would).” Herein lies the beauty in strength based leadership qualities. Howard Gardner can continue to help others understand human beings, while others can implement the findings into a practical setting and structure. As long as an administrator keeps students first, continually learns and innovates, and leads by example with a positive and energetic attitude, the learning organization will thrive, and well rounded individuals will be a part of the structure.

 Bibliography
 Greenleaf: Center for Servant Leadership. Ed. LeAnne Yoder. Greenleaf Center, 2011. Web. 21 Aug. 2011. . 
Gardner, Howard. "One Way of Making a Social Scientist." Howard Gardner. Ed. Howard Gardner. N.p., 2003. Web. 21 Aug. 2011.