The Effective Principal Reflection

The notion that a “leader is only as good as the minds he/she surrounds him/herself with” comes to mind as I pour over the practices outlined in this article with regards to an effective principal leader. Author of the article, Pamela Mendels echoes this thinking by suggesting that principals need to, “Work collaboratively and unleash potential [of teachers/constituents].” It seems somewhat implausible to condense her article down to one statement, and yet this one statement suggests that principal leaders have a responsibility to students to discover and hire individuals of great potential, and then harness those collective individual strengths to shape instructional practices and student achievement outcomes. I appreciate this statement, and one of the ways I believe I accomplish this notion as a leader comes through my knack for creating a hospitable climate. Essentially, the key elements of a hospitable climate include, “A sense of student and staff safety; respect for all members of the school community, without regard to the professional status or position; an upbeat, welcoming, solution-oriented, no-blame, professional environment; an effort to invite and involve staff in various schoolwide functions; and a parallel outreach to students that engaged and involved them in a variety of activities.” I know that I while I have many areas to strengthen with regards to the five practices mentioned, I feel as though I naturally embody respect, an upbeat personality, and a propensity to invite and involve others, are qualities that provide me a good foundation for providing effective leadership.