Leadership Skills for SBOs in an Era of Challenge

Leadership Foundations 

Before honing specific skills, leaders must first establish foundational bases from which to function. These foundations must include four essential components. 

1. Moral purpose. Leadership expert Michael Fullan maintains that one must have a moral purpose to lead others successfully. Fullan defines leaders with moral purpose as individuals who commit to making positive differences in the people with whom they work, their organizations, and the constituents they serve. 
2. Core values. Core values successful leaders demonstrate include collaboration, integrity, accountability, empathy, and commitment to helping others grow. They also recognize hard work, are courageous and honest, and want to learn.
   The list of desirable values is expansive; deciding which qualities are most important requires honest self-analysis and appraisal. If leaders do not know what they stand for, how they will function, and what they value, they will likely fail. 
3. Vision. Successful leaders must have a vision of where they want their organizations to go and how they plan to get there. Having vision, a desired future state of affairs, is critical to success. If leaders do not know where they are going, they will find success elusive. 
4. Recognition of strengths and weaknesses. Leaders must reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses, then capitalize on their strengths and work to eliminate or compensate for weaknesses.

Learning to resolve conflicts, negotiate alternatives, and move forward is essential to successful leadership.

Leadership Skills for Education Leaders 

Having established baseline foundational concepts such as moral purpose, core values, vision, and strengths and weaknesses, leaders must develop a repertoire of skills that will serve them and their organizations well. 

Six skills that are critical for successful leadership are highlighted here. 

1. Communication. Communication is perhaps the single most important skill for effective leadership. The ability to explain issues and relate the district’s visions, missions, and goals clearly and concisely using a variety of channels is essential.
   
   Good communicators can relay a sense of purpose to team members; employees who understand and value their roles are more engaged, motivated, and productive. SBOs specifically must emphasize and reinforce the important contributions of classified school employees — such as bus drivers, custodians, and cafeteria personnel—to the vision and mission of the school system. 
   
   Leaders must also remember that communication is a two-way street. In addition to sending clear, concise messages, leaders must also be active listeners in order to gather essential feedback from team members. 
2. Relationship building. Developing and maintaining respectful, positive, professional relationships with others improves worker engagement, reduces absenteeism, and fosters higher levels of productivity. Typically, good relationships improve receptivity to changes, resulting in a more productive school system. 
3. The ability to think strategically and make good decisions. Leaders are judged on the decisions they make; therefore, effective leaders keep up-to-date with the latest laws and regulations related to their field of expertise. 
   
   For example, SBOs who are responsible for school transportation but are unaware of new regulations are unlikely to make the best decisions for their districts and are likely to lose credibility and the respect of employees. 
4. Ability to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of team members. Leaders must understand not only employees’ abilities to perform required tasks but also their willingness to assume those responsibilities and, possibly, more. If team members are unwilling to fulfill their responsibilities, leaders must take corrective action; however, if team members lack the ability to fulfill their duties, leaders must give them opportunities to learn and improve. 
   
   Perhaps the best way for leaders to gain this valuable insight and to understand their employees is to be present, aware, and engaged in the work at hand. They must, however, find and maintain a balance between micromanaging and a hands-off approach; either may be correct, but the key is to know when to be more directive and when to rely on employees’ self-direction to get jobs done. 
5. Conflict management. Every organization has the potential for conflict. Conflict can develop in times of change, when resources are scarce, or when alternate opinions and paths clash. Organizations experiencing conflict tend to be nonproductive, waste time and energy, and have unhappy employees. Learning to resolve conflicts, negotiate alternatives, and move forward is essential to successful leadership. 
6. Time management. The ability to manage one’s time is particularly challenging for new leaders for whom so much is unfamiliar that it is difficult to distinguish between what is urgent and what can wait. Leaders must be able to use their time in such a way that they can respond quickly to challenges while maintaining schedules, allowing them to accomplish their routine tasks yet make swift but informed decisions when necessary. 

Conclusion 

SBOs are in unique positions to lead people who, although they are not teachers, are critical to successful schools. SBOs must reinforce the message that employees play important roles in accomplishing the mission of the school system. 

Operating successful schools can be possible if education leaders apply the essential skills discussed here.