Leadership Shadowing Relection Paper

Leadership Shadowing Reflection Paper

ETL 800

 By: Kathy Cochran

I decided to shadow the principal at the school I work at, Mrs. Anglian.  Mrs. Anglian has only been our principal for about 4 months, she is doing a really good job! I shadowed her on Friday March 20th, which turned out to be a very "crazy" day for her.  I observed her dealing with many issues that called for her to use many of the leadership characters that we have learned about in this module.  I would definitely identify her leadership style as Facilitator; she is very fair and always looks to seek out the ideas of her teachers in every decision making aspect. Mrs. Anglian is a very strong person who really doesn’t have to look to others in her decision making process; this is perhaps what made me notice her leadership characters and how well she fit in her leadership role (even though she just recently started her job as our schools leader).

During my observation of Mrs. Anglian I used "The Characteristics of a Good Leader" as a guide, when I saw Mrs. Anglian exhibit one of the "Characteristics", I would take notice and determined that she used every one of them:

• Accessible: Mrs. Anglian was accessible to everyone in the school, no matter what she was doing that day (even in meetings she tells us if it’s very important to have that assistance call her out).
• Approachable: Mrs. Anglian personality is of one who wants you to come to her and let her help you in any way possible; she is a very easy person to talk with.
• Shows Concern: Mrs. Anglian is a person who shows concern not only for the kids but also for her staff and families.

When I ask Mrs. Anglian to describe her leadership style she felt that she identified with most with that of a facilitator.  She felt that it was important for her to serve as a source of support rather than a dictator.  As principal, she explained that she tries to encourage her staff to achieve their personal best rather than dwell on every little mistake. Mrs. Anglian explained that she wants to create trust and cooperation so that bother the students, parents and staff can learn to work in a positive and uplifting environment.

Mrs. Anglian felt that an effective principal had to exhibit the following traits:

• Organization:  Each day presents a unique set of challenges and being organized and prepared is essential to meeting those challenges.
• Strong Communication: You have to be able to deal with each of those situations effectively by connecting to the person and showing them that you care about their unique situation.
• Time Management: Having policies and procedures in place to deal with situations is part of the necessary planning and preparation to be effective. Organization and preparation will help reduce stress when you are dealing with difficult or unique situations.
• Strong listening skills and Empathy: You can disarm most difficult situations simply by showing them that you care enough to listen to what they want to say. When someone wants to meet with you because they feel wronged in some way, you need to hear them out. It doesn't mean that you let them bash another person continuously.
• Fair, Firm and Consistent: Nothing can take away your credibility faster than being inconsistent in how you handle similar situations. Think all your decisions through, document your reasoning, and be prepared when someone questions or disagrees with it.
• Goal Oriented and A Visionary: Education is ever-evolving. There is always something bigger and better available. If you are not attempting to improve your school, you simply are not doing your job. This will always be an on-going process. Even if you have been at a school for fifteen years, there are still things you can do to improve the overall quality of your school.

When ask, “What task or responsibilities do you typically delegate, and what do you do yourself?” Mrs. Anglian expressed these thoughts to me; “I try not to delegate a great deal onto my staff, as to not put unneeded pressures onto my teachers.  At this point, I am a new principal and for this reason, I am still learning how to “Let GO” and delegate to my teachers.

Mrs. Anglian explained her idea of a “Good Teacher Leader”; “The traits of a good teacher leader directly mirror those of all good leaders.  I feel you need support your staff and build them up so they know you have confidence in them.  It all starts with “trust”, you need to build a trusting relationship, and this lets teachers fill confident to go that extra step to become that “Good Teacher Leader”.