What Successful Principals Do!

199 Tips for Principals

Franzy Fleck

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781138671676
• eBook ISBN: 9781317206194
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Take charge of your school today with What Successful Principals Do! In this friendly, energetic, and engaging book, Franzy Fleck draws on his experience as a principal to share dozens of practical strategies for running a successful school. Organized into manageable chapters, Fleck's advice is both powerful and realistic. In this second edition, you'll find 30 additional tips covering the most timely issues, as well as 13 bonus tips!

You'll learn how to:

• Effectively use social media
• Enhance relationships with students, parents, and staff
• Manage complex decision-making
• Develop HR and personnel leadership
• Deal with grief, trauma, and crisis

Part I

Developing You

Chapter 1

Everyday Habits

1. Smile

No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.

—Dr. James Corner

Get in the habit of smiling. Encourage your staff to smile. Frowning uses more muscles than a face with a smile. A smile can have a positive effect on your staff, students, and parents. It is the first step in developing a positive relationship. Söderlund, Berg, and Lindstrom (2015) found the effects of smiling produced more consumer joy and more positive attitudes. One year when my son Ty was in elementary school, we discussed the first day of school during dinner. We discussed the normal events of the day, and Ty expressed that his teacher really, really liked him. He knew that she liked him. My son’s words were those of authority. It was an odd reflection for a child in primary grades. Most children will respond that their teacher is nice, or funny, or perhaps mean. I asked how he knew that his teacher liked him. Ty’s response was that his teacher smiled at him 11 times during the day. It wasn’t 10 or a bunch of times, but 11. Most people will use a round number or a nebulous number such as a bunch of times. My son had an accurate count. He counted the number of times that his teacher smiled at him during his first day of school. Wow! My son knew that he was going to have a great year because his teacher liked him. I wondered if the teacher actually smiled at him 11 times. She might have been thinking about a funny episode from the day before. She might have been thinking about almost anything, but who cares? In my son’s mind, the teacher was smiling at him. She really, really liked him. We both knew that he was going to have a great school year because a positive relationship had been started through a smile—11 smiles to be exact. In fact, he did have a great year. Ty became interested in his teacher, worshiped the ground she walked on, listened attentively, worked his tail off in class, and did everything possible to please her—all because of a smile.

2. Be Positive

Act enthusiastic and you become enthusiastic.

—Dale Carnegie

Raghunathan (2013) says most people are engaged in some sort of negative thought more than 70% of the time. A leader needs to be aware of negativity and look for positive things happening in the building every day. It’s crucial for the leader to be positive. Success is an attitude. Focus on what you have control over instead of what you do not have control over. Look for ways to point out teacher and student positives every day. The payoff will be a more positive climate and environment. Everyone likes to hear kind words of praise and encouragement. This doesn’t mean insincere flattery, but sincere remarks that show you appreciate them. Learn to praise their accomplishments to others, especially in their presence. Writing letters to students, parents, and staff is a perfect opportunity for praise. Write letters that praise parents for students’ successes. Parents love reading a letter from the principal thanking them for their hard work in raising an outstanding child. A leader cannot have too many bad days. Teachers, staff, and students follow your mood. If the leader is in a foul mood then the teachers will most likely be in a foul mood, followed by the students being in a foul mood. It’s a high probability that your office will fill up with office referrals and students if you have a poor disposition. Excellent leaders learn to fake it. Be positive and look for the sunny side every day. It’s important that the teachers and students are in a good mood so they can concentrate on learning. A favorite habit is to greet staff as they sign in and prepare for the day. I don’t do anything special except to say something positive. My motive is to have staff in a positive frame of mind.

Next, I greet students with a bright smile and say hello as they enter the building. Again, we want our students to be in a positive mood. Greeting students as they enter school or are dropped off from the bus allows you to see students who are in a bad mood. You want to get these students in a positive frame of mind. You can read a person’s body language and hopefully help them with their problems. It’s important to eliminate potential problems before they become bigger problems. Bad moods are contagious. Walk the halls early when students are at their lockers; greeting staff and students provides an opportunity to set the tone that this will be great day. It doesn’t take much effort on your part: just a smile, a compliment, or a kind word that the day will be wonderful.

3. Know Everybody’s First Name

When you are good to others you are best to yourself.

—American Proverb

There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.

—Mother Teresa

Nothing is sweeter than the sound of your first name. Knowing everybody’s first name is a simple thing that can spread goodwill to those you meet. Great leaders have an innate ability to memorize people’s first names. Buy a memory book or take a class. Study the yearbook and place pictures and names together. Practice calling parents, students, and staff by their first names. If you don’t remember or know a name then ask the person, or ask another person to identify the person in question. Get in the habit of returning to the office and looking at your yearbook to figure out the name of a student or staff person. Knowing others’ names makes people feel great. Part of everyone’s mission should be to help others and make them feel good.

Second, be sure to pronounce each person’s name correctly. Nothing is more discouraging than to see the face of a student, parent, or staff being recognized when a principal mispronounces their name. It’s embarrassing to hear a name announced over the intercom, at a convocation, or awards celebration that is botched. Some try to cover up their mistake by announcing “I’m not sure I’m saying this correctly.” The hidden message is that you didn’t care enough to take the time to learn how to say it right. It’s demeaning and demotivating. You would take the time to know how to say important peoples name. So take the time to learn their name as if each person was a foreign diplomat. It shows that you care. Take a few extra minutes to ask others how to correctly pronounce their name. Make notes on your script with phonemic markings so you don’t freeze when announcing their name during a ceremony. Then practice! Practice! Practice! It sends a strong message that you feel they are important. And they will appreciate and remember that you cared enough to learn how to say their name correctly.

4. Dress Professionally Every Day

In a tuxedo, I’m a star. In regular clothes, I’m nobody.

—Dean Martin

If you have a question about how appropriately to dress then err on the conservative side. Teachers, secretaries, custodians, students, and parents will follow the principal’s lead on how to dress at school. Each “level” will usually dress equal or down a level from the boss. Teachers will dress equal or down a level from the principal. Students will dress equal or, more likely, down a level or two from the teachers. If the principal’s dress is casual or sloppy then the teachers and students will dress down from there. A principal wearing a suit and tie does not make them smarter. Dressing professionally sets a mood that we are serious about our profession. Some will argue that casual attire helps the children feel more comfortable with the teachers. Think about your doctor, dentist, banker, accountant, or stockbroker and their dress. You seek the best but would prefer those who dress the part as well. Would you feel comfortable with a doctor who wore a T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes? Chatelain (2015) suggested students perceived teachers in casual attire as less likable than teachers in business casual or professional attire.

Educators should dress professionally every day. Encourage your staff to make sure their attire is neat, clean, and professional. Teachers in some areas such as physical education, art, and vocational technology will argue that they cannot wear “dress” clothes without ruining their clothes. I agree, but a person can still wear nice-looking collared shirts, appropriate pants, or sweats. Have discussions with your staff on dress guidelines in their areas. Some departments will purchase collared shirts with a school logo or department logo as part of their dress. This adds a nice touch to their teaching area. A second possibility is to purchase work aprons to help protect their clothing.

A common trend has been for organizations to adopt a casual Friday. Be careful with casual Fridays. Everyone has a different interpretation for what is appropriate. Casual Friday can turn out to be sloppy casual if you don’t set guidelines. Some employees wear T-shirts that should be used to change the oil, denim jeans that have holes and tattered seams, stretched spandex and tight-fitting apparel, short skirts, sleeveless tops, and clothes that leave no imagination to the viewer. If you adopt a casual Friday then set parameters for your employees. Again, the acceptable level becomes the highest level, and most will dress down from that level.

5. High Expectations

I believe in rules. Sure I do. If there weren’t any rules, how could you break them?

—Leo Durocher

In general most people have high expectations. People have high expectations during their leisure time, at work, with their family, or in daily interactions with others. Families have high expectations with a spouse, with their children, with their parents, and with each other. The public has high expectations when purchasing items: customer service and satisfaction. All vocations have high expectations in regards to performance, teamwork, customer relationships, and work satisfaction. Educators have high student expectations in regards to achievement, behavior, attitude, attendance, preparation, and taking responsibility. Educators expect parents to be supportive, help with homework assignments, make sure students get enough sleep, are dressed properly, receive proper nourishment, and are ready to learn each day. Parents have high expectations too. They expect teachers, principal, and school board members to prepare their children for the future in a safe environment. Every profession and person has high expectations for others and in their daily interactions. The problem is that too many people with high expectations of others do not do not have the same high expectations of themselves. And they may not apply the same high expectations to family, friends, and peers. And quite often, they may have lower or no expectations of themselves, family, friends and peers. They tend to justify their behaviors and make excuses. High expectations begin with the leaders of the school. Make sure that, whatever expectations you espouse, you have even higher expectations of yourself. Others are constantly watching your actions and words to see if you apply the same standards to yourself and friends. Use high expectations to engage in dialogue with employees and students who complain. For example, have you ever had teachers complain about students coming late to class, not being prepared for class, talking during class, working on other things during a lesson, or inappropriate dress, rude behavior, or having to repeat directions because students were not listening? Sound familiar? How many of your teachers are guilty of these same infractions? There is nothing wrong with high expectations. Just make sure it starts with us. We need to model what we expect from others.

6. Don’t Talk When Someone Else is Talking

Children have more need of models than of critics.

—Joseph Joubert

As a leader or a manager in your organization, you must start to behave in a manner that is congruent with the behavior you expect from your employees. The top managers in any organization must model the behavior they desire for the rest of the company.

—Karl Albrecht

Be a positive role model. It’s rude behavior to talk when someone else is talking. Also, don’t do paperwork or grade papers during a presentation. A common annoyance for teachers is students who are not listening in class, talking during their lesson, or working on another assignment. We don’t like it. Learn to listen to others who are speaking. Be respectful of their feelings. Leaders have to model appropriate behavior for their staff. Some will debate that they are multi-tasking and listening intently to every word. The real message you are sending is what they are saying is not important enough for you to give them your undivided attention. Most communication is not the actual words but body language. A lack of focus could cause you to miss important details that accompany their words. If this is a concern then consider establishing norms for meetings. Norms could include: turning cell phones off, not working on your laptop computer, not grading papers, and setting start and end times, and rules for talking.

7. Turn Cell Phones Off

Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.

—Eric Hoffer

Create an environment where cell phones are turned off during the workday as well as during meetings and presentations. It’s rude to be texting or have a cell phone ring during a presentation or meeting. My cell phone is turned off unless I’m in my car or alone. There is no excuse for a teacher to be using social media or a cell phone during class time. Teachers are expected to be working with children. If the children are working independently then the teacher should be giving individual attention to the students. Even a quick phone call or text is unacceptable. Cell phones that ring when you have received a text, email, or call during a meeting, presentation, or class give the impression the message is more important than the people in your meeting, the speaker, or your students. Some leaders will argue that they have a crisis to address and are expecting a message. Leaders should teach their employees to become leaders. If a leader has to be called to address every crisis, he or she is becoming a crisis manager. Teach your employees to make decisions that fall within your philosophy and vision. Make it a policy to hire great employees, share visions and philosophies, give confidence, and expect them to make good decisions. If you, the principal, have to make every decision then you don’t need some of your employees because you are doing their work. Employees will surprise you with great results if you teach and give them confidence. They won’t be perfect, but no one is. If you’re going to be away, give instructions or guidelines to your staff, especially if you are dealing with a critical concern. Staff will learn h...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• What Successful Principals Do!
• Other Eye On Education Books Available from Routledge
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Tip Index
• Meet the Author
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Part I: Developing You
• Part II: Developing Future Student Leaders
• Part III: Developing Key Leaders
• Part IV: Developing Family Relationships
• Part V: Developing Community Relationships
• Part VI: Final Thoughts
• References