The School Principal As A Leader

April 19, 2023, 3:07 p.m.

Leadership is all about inspiring people. There are leaders who have a position and title, yet have all the work pressures from around. A school principal is a leader of that kind.

School Principal as a leader

Some might think, a school principal as the leader of the institution just commands others to do everything and is relaxing in his push-back chair. It rarely happens or rather doesn’t at all happen in the case of sincere school principals who are dedicated professionals. Let us now analyse the areas where the leadership quality of a school principal is applied. A school principal's position entails leadership under three realms – administrative, pedagogical, and financial. A school principal as a leader must administer the staff and the students. He or she should take care of the instructional program, student management, labour relations, staff evaluation and performance, stakeholder complaints and community partnerships. He or she must have pedagogical skills in lesson planning along with overall classroom management.

School principals are not just instructors but inspirers of staff and students who are dependent on them. They give commands and timely instructions but have to make others do it to achieve the goals.

The role of the Principal in a school is more than the position he or she holds. It is the action that counts. The Principal can't be in this position if he or she doesn't act wisely in situations that are unpredictable and unforeseen. A school principal must always have the presence of mind to tackle any hurdles coming his or her way. To be retained as a Principal, he or she must act in the best way in the position he or she holds in the institution.

Character is more prominent than strategy In leadership. Character holds a higher position than strategy. A good school principal's character must be a good blend of intelligence plus personality. If he or she is focused and attentive and has the willingness to listen, then his or her words have more value and the staff & students will obey them without any compulsion.

A school principal should put aside the authoritative tone and embrace empathy for others to follow him or her as a great leader.

Innovation distinguishes a leader from a follower. A school Principal is a leader with followers who are dependent on him or her. He or she should have critical thinking ability and analytical skills to carry out any act uniquely and creatively to balance everyone and everything.

School Principal’s leadership competencies

Based on experiences and observations, four aspects of principal leadership competencies have been identified.

The first and foremost are personal and social skills then come managing skills which are followed by leading skills, and transformative skills. The school Principal should take one factor into consideration; just set the goals and do what it takes to accomplish them. Leaders are generally people who don't wait to be told what to do. They come up with good ideas and turn their visions into reality. Likewise, a school principal, as a leader, must be sure to communicate his or her ideas with others in the group very clearly and encourage them to join him or her in accomplishing them.

For making a difference in others' lives, school principals utilise a combination of strategies that make them and others around them better, thus allowing them to be successful. Their ultimate aim is to provide each student with a diverse education that promotes self-discipline, a sense of responsibility, social and global consciousness, and excellence in learning.

School principals must take their leadership qualities as an opportunity to serve and not a call to self-importance.

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