Actualize Achievement: 10 Traits of Top School Leaders

      Photo credit: (c) 2019 Scott Freiberger
By Scott B. Freiberger 

As the tremendous tintinnabulum from the Great Disruption, the global pandemic affecting global markets, school systems, and once-teeming theme parks around the world continues to chime, many eyes turn to school leaders to determine next educational moves.   As an aspiring school leader, I researched common traits of top school leaders.  What do they have in common?  Let’s take a closer look:

1. Adaptable

Successful school leaders adapt, manage myriad personalities, ponder progress, and gradually revise
goals. They remain formative in the face of misfortune, and reconstruct curricula when it may need fine-
tuning.  Successful school leaders also tap into tremendous in-house talents, manage mistakes, and
develop with diversity.   

2. Affable

Is the proverbial cup half-full?  To strong school leaders it is.  They reach out for resources and their wit is welcome in stressful situations.  Quick-witted and preferring positivity over adverse attitudes, their balanced behavior is calm, clear, and collected.

3. Conviction

Strong school leaders, cool-headed and composed, possess a strong conviction in their data-based decisions.  To them, setbacks are transformative learning experiences to help reimagine learning.  They seek input, delineate, tap into industry, and inspire staff to meet or exceed expectations to benefit all students.     

4. Devoted

 Successful school leaders are deeply devoted to engendering academic excellence.  They aim for efficiency and align school and district goals with research-based frameworks, and invite parent participation and colleagues to contribute.  By infusing innovation and touting teamwork, strong school leaders engender trust, encourage creativity, and cultivate collaboration, which generally leads to more coherent instruction, better school-wide behavior, and an improved esprit de corps in all staff.

 5. Empowering

Successful school leaders delegate and empower.  Stakeholders are summoned, petitioned to partake in decision-making processes, and invited onto relevant teams.  Top school leaders provide professional growth opportunities, ask for input, and generally advance autonomy. 

6. Genuine

Strong school leaders are reflective educational practitioners who admit when they may be wrong, and their sincerity inspires.  They convey integrity, and their ethical leadership, transparency, and concern for all staff members improves morale and enhances the school’s reputation. 

7. Motivational

Great school leaders are congenial, rely on established relationships, promote healthy home-school connections, generate realistic goals, and generally spark student success.  They roll up their sleeves, tackle myriad tasks, and motivate many to strengthen students’ skills across grades.

 8. Innovative

Strong school leaders delve into data coupled with creative concepts to suggest satisfactory solutions.  What works well?  Successful school leaders collaborate and reach reasonable conclusions.  They also do not dwell entirely on data; instead, they consider carefully and are willing to embrace change.

9. Systematic

Successful educational leaders are systematic and tend to favor factors that bolster student support, encourage an inclusive school climate, and improve a school’s collective culture.  They survey staff as well as students, and offer supplementary supplies, manageable materials, and terrific new technologies, budget permitting.  Successful school leaders also support research and inquiry-based professional learning to enhance school-wide capacity.  

 10. Visible 

Where might you find top school leaders?  They are visible throughout the school community, even via remote or hybrid learning environments.  They take pride in staff and student accomplishments, ensure authentic voices are vocalized, and create a culture of collaboration and trust driven by high expectations.  They are authentic and inspire staff at all times.

 BIO

Scott Freiberger, a passionate literacy coach with school building/district leader certification, is honored to be the 2018 TESOL International Teacher of the Year.  Twitter: @scottfreiberger

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