How would you complete that sentence?
What qualities are needed to be a successful school leader?
This is something that is important to me. I have worked in a number of different schools in the 17 years that I have been teaching and it is becoming so much more important to me that I work for and with a principal and Head of School that possess the qualities of a great leader. But what are these qualities?
For me, the qualities of a great leader are defined as:
- Fearlessness: Not operating from a place of fear. Embracing the unknown.
- Passion: Loving what you do and excelling at it.
- Vision: Looking ahead, looking forward, embracing the unknown.
- Action: Acting on one’s vision
- Kindness: The world needs more of this. Be kinder than necessary.
What would make your list?
Author, Jeremy Sutcliffe wondered the same thing: “What are the qualities needed to make a successful school leader?” He asked this question and then published his results in a book (unimaginatively) called 8 Qualities of Successful School Leaders: the desert island challenge, published by Bloomsbury.
Here are his top eight:
- Vision
- Courage
- Passion
- Emotional Intelligence
- Judgement
- Resilience
- Persuasion
- Curiosity
In this article from the Guardian, the ideas behind the words are explained in a little more detail and make for interesting reading.
What kind of leader do you need? What kind of leader are you?
sonya terborg 