What do teachers value the most in a leader? And how do confidence and competence correlate, if at all? The ISN Community has been busy discussing these vitally important topics
Not all superheroes wear capes. While it’s hard to pinpoint a garment specific to school leaders, it’s unquestionable that their day-to-day job can sometimes seem to require superpowers – as does that of teachers.
Education leadership consultant Ann Marie Luce asked: “The landscape of leadership has changed with the challenges of Covid, geopolitical issues and the need for greater diversity, equity and inclusion. Different cultures value different leadership traits. For international leaders to be successful they need to have an understanding of desired leadership traits and behaviours.
“What is the trait you value most in a leader and why?”
The fine art of delivering individualized professional support to those around you including members of the wider school community is crucial
Sean Logan, a teacher at the Stockholm International School, said “The trait that I value most in a leader is the ability and the 'want' to make time to see an employee when they need it.
“When a leader acts on the usual lip service offered that they are there for you, with you, and want to support, it is a great feeling and an even better advert for schools.
“During a typical school day, there are many incidents and issues that can take place and arise and often they can be 'nipped in the bud' with a quick decision, action or message. Being able to have this access to one's line manager or senior leadership team is a very reassuring feeling.”
Laura Mitchelson, impact and innovation advisor at Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School, said: “Leadership traits are many but I think the ability to be perceptive about human needs is certainly one of the most important.
“The fine art of delivering individualized professional support to those around you including members of the wider school community is crucial. It's an art, not a science, I think. Having the courage to follow that niggling gut feel that something is not quite right with one of your team and acting on it by pulling people in to share is what it's all about for me.”
And Tony DePrato, chief technology officer at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, added: “Direct communication. Be clear and precise in language and desired outcomes.”
Finally, Jess Gosling, teacher at Taipei International School, said that speaking from experience, the most important values are integrity and transparency, adding: “A leader who is willing to share power and distribute, looking to get the best out of their team."
On the topic of leadership, Simon Gauci, deputy director of Mahidol University International Demonstration School, asked an uncomfortable question: “There are many confident school leaders who maintain positions of authority that are unfortunately not wholly competent.
“What are some ways to manage leadership confidence versus leadership competence?”
Need to upskill in order to make the journey go more quickly, more safely, or more effectively? Then do it!
The ISN Community didn’t shy away from the question.
Heather Carreiro, applied learning coordinator and accreditation coordinator at Korea International School, said: “Ultimately, we want our leaders to have equal measures of both! It’s important in any leadership role to have clearly defined areas of responsibility, and an idea of what success looks like.”
“When we organize an agile project, we think about what we call the “definition of done” in order to make it clear to everyone what it means when a task is done, and what qualities and/or features are expected to be included. In education, we often work with vague ideas of what success looks like. In order to know what competencies are needed for a role, we need to consider the corresponding “definition of ready” for the core outcomes of this person’s job. It is not enough to be confident as a leader, we need to know where we are going, what the journey is going to entail, and what it looks like when we arrive.
She also gave a very good tip to everyone concerned about the confidence/competence gap: “Need to upskill in order to make the journey go more quickly, more safely, or more effectively? Then do it! A major reason I decided to pursue an MBA, with a special focus in Business Analytics, is because I have seen the effects of the confidence/competence gap in leadership, and I did not want to be another person swimming in that gulf.”
Sian May, director of senior schools at Dulwich College International, pointed out that confidence is an essential factor and it “can begin” to correlate with competence.
She added: “Leadership efficacy can benefit strongly from coaching so that leaders can be part of guiding their own development in ways which are empowering. Leadership competence is complicated merely because we ask so much of our leaders and I am not sure there is clear professional agreement on what a good leader is. Michael Fullan, Andy Hargreaves and Pam Ryan have completed some invaluable research in this area. Alma Harris published a paper in 2020 on systems leadership which I think will provide a healthy challenge to some of the alternative perceptions of school leadership.
What are your thoughts on effective leadership? Feel free to get involved in the discussion by leaving a response below!
You can check out more questions that the ISN Community have been discussing here and have your say! Or why not ask a question yourself on a topic close to your heart?