A recent article in the February 21 New York Times contained an interview with Lew Cline, CEO of a software analytics company New Relic. The content of the article contained some recommendations for leaders that could be applicable for school administrators. You are not a CEO for several reasons, but you have enough similar responsibilities and duties to learn from successful business leaders. Listed below is an excerpt from the article that you may wish to adapt to your leadership style.
New building administrators at times wonder about using their authority and focus when members of the faculty are clearly not in favor of the principal’s guidelines/decisions. What should you do? Cline offers his thoughts on this topic.
And what about early leadership lessons?
The mistake I made as a first-time C.E.O. was that I wanted everyone to like me. But you can’t get very far as a leader without making tough decisions that some people disagree with. I still care about people’s opinion of me, but I care more about the success of the organization as a whole.
Remember that as principal, dealing with staff, the community and central office staff can be a challenge. Just remember the old adage: No One Said This Job Would Be Easy! (but it is rewarding)
If you would like to read the entire article in the New York Times, please click here:
