Empower Others to Power Leadership Excellence

Background—Will the last principal leaving the profession (or teachers, support staff, and central administration, for that matter) please turn off the lights? Educators across the education system are experiencing unparalleled levels of stress, burnout and vacating the profession. ?

Given plenty has been written on this phenomenon, we won’t pile on. Instead, this blog series will illuminate practices that make a real difference to not only survive this time of unprecedented difficulty but thrive in and beyond these choppy waters. In this series titled “Administrator Self-Care and Resilience by Design,” we will focus on actionable strategies that directly impact administrators and, as a result, positively impact the work of all others in their care.?

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Is Administrator Self-Care Selfish??

Administrators, by the very definition of their job, field a myriad of questions, situations and crises on a daily basis that arrive in no particular order. Predictably, the best of plans to navigate reasonably calm waters gives way to waves of disruption. Short-handed today. Upset parent on line 3. Board member left a message that they’ll be over shortly. Students sharing about rumored physical conflicts. Is the internet down today???

Understandably, many administrators deploy intuitive strategies in the face of overwhelming work realities: work even harder, be supremely self-reliant, and have a “never let them see you sweat” persona. Unfortunately, as compelling as these strategies may be, they also lead to equally undesirable outcomes: withdrawal from colleagues, fighting battles in isolation, and sacrificing any semblance of work-life balance. The challenges that each day brings can deplete the energy levels and challenge the resilience of even the best leaders.??

In an effort to keep morale high, some project an “Everything’s ok. I’m ok” toxic positivity spin on every event as the world crumbles around them. Others, recognizing that something has to change, struggle with the idea of breaking away from a growing list of emergencies to reflect, prioritize, and plan. Wouldn’t that be selfish to do??

The short answer is a hard no. Given that addressing challenges is an essential job duty, and that challenges are never in short supply, it necessitates there also be a proactive plan to support self-care and foster resilience in order to meet the needs of others. Far from being selfish, this is the right thing to do.??

But how??

Empower Others to Focus Your Efforts?

Let’s dive into the first step to keeping the proverbial lights on: empowering others. Nearly every principal has an administrative assistant desiring to work to their full capacity. Admittedly, principal preparation programs don’t equip leaders with the technical skills to leverage this working relationship. The result? Frustration and fatigue for both administrators and their assistants struggling to secure the time needed to perform their respective duties. ?

Ok, you say – but how can I empower my administrative assistant who is honestly more swamped than I am? While that may be true, it can be changed. Malachi Pancoast, CEO of The Breakthrough Coach, has diagnosed that the main cause of overwhelm for both administrators and those who assist them is a lack of role clarity that misdirects professional energy and focus. In essence, tasks to be addressed by an administrator spill onto the desks of administrative assistants, and tasks that administrative assistants excel at addressing spill onto the desks (often literally in the form of a paper storm) of administrators.??

The solve? Examine role clarity, adopt new and powerful routines, and get more done in less time. Administrative alumni of this approach frequently report it helped them get into classrooms to focus on the business of teaching and learning, while administrative assistants appreciate how much they get done while administrators are (finally :o) out of their office. ?

Shared Leadership Demonstrates Relational Trust and an Equity-Focus?

Next, establish or improve your culture of shared leadership. Examples abound from both the education and business sectors of what happens to an organization led by a “hero” as opposed to a leader who sees herself as a facilitator helping the organization collectively surface and collaboratively solve its most pressing problems. ??

According to Business News Daily, the three key characteristics of shared leadership are transparency, a safe and inclusive environment, and defined autonomy. The benefits? Increased employee engagement, job satisfaction, and higher levels of trust and consensus. These are the opposite of what isolation produces.?

In educational settings, the intersection of shared leadership runs right through the center of each classroom. As Fullan and Malloy (2019) state, an “equity culture” is “one that centers the voices and experiences of those most underserved in all decisions.” Equity work is everyone’s work. The outcomes of a school culture created through shared leadership and a commitment to meeting the needs of all learners has been well documented in The Center for Educational Effectiveness’s Outlier Study, completed with generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. The bottom line is that creating equitable learning conditions for all is a team sport, not a solo act. ?

Administrators who struggle with this aspect of leadership can, over time, slide into undesirable leadership styles that create isolation and work against the best interests of staff, families, students – and unfortunately – themselves.?

Self-Care Starts with An Accurate Narrative?

Something to ponder is why shared leadership isn’t the #1 priority of every leader? No shame intended here, but sometimes we carry false internal narratives that prevent us from accessing the expertise of others or delegating tasks to them. While likely unintentional, this non-exhaustive list can contribute to any leader’s exhaustion:?

• “I need everything to be done at a very high level of excellence... therefore, I need to do the work myself.” This type of perfectionism can quickly lead to excessive hours for you and everyone in your care. ?
• “I need to be in control of every detail in my school.” You may be responsible for all that goes on in your school, but you are definitely not in control of everything. Identify who co-owns or owns responsibility for specific outcomes to ensure that an equitable distribution of responsibility leads to a balanced workload.?
• “I need to look my best in all situations.” A great goal, but setbacks will crush this false narrative. Skilled administrators learn to embrace a growth mindset and publicly own the challenges they experience. Practicing vulnerability earns trust and drives team loyalty more than a focus on appearances will. ?
• “My staff are not ready for more.” This could be a function of little trust being placed in them to rise to the occasion. Or, it could be that they truly are not ready – yet. Effective leaders address gaps in expertise through continuous improvement.??
• “I’m just one person – I can only do SO MUCH!” Truth! Effective leaders focus on building an inclusive, transparent culture that shares responsibility for achieving the organization’s goals.?

A very powerful strategy to counter the impacts of such private, false narratives is to gather data from students, staff and families about their perceptions, experience, and insights. This positively affects individuals, and students in particular, as their experience of the system designed to serve them often fails to elevate their voice in the school improvement process. Leaders, informed by data from perceptual surveys, facilitate the work of school improvement best when they resist isolation and embrace a more accurate narrative.??

Take Time to Make Time?

A final false narrative to guard against is a big one: ?

“I don't have time to train someone to do this task. It’s just faster and easier to do it myself.” ?

Hmmm, yes, that may be true once or twice, but not if a task is completed on a regular basis and can be taught to someone else. ?

Consider author Rory Vaden’s approach and the idea of "multiplying time.” Let’s say we have a daily task requiring five minutes of your time for 228 days of each year. If you invested 120 minutes to train someone else to do the task (which sounds outrageous, right?) you would actually be multiplying your time… freeing up time in the future. Do this one simple change and your initial investment of 2 hours would win back 19 hours over the course of a year… a net gain of 17 hours!???

• Need time to get into classrooms and focus on instruction???
• Need time to meet with that new teacher??
• Need time to coordinate with your administrative assistant???
• Need to go home???

Perhaps it is time to ask the uncomfortable question that Vaden proposes all time multipliers ask of themselves, “What am I doing today that will free up time tomorrow?” ?

If you are contemplating where you might repurpose a windfall of time generated through multiplication, then check out CEE’s podcast with Chuck Salina and Suzann Girtz. There, you’ll learn how an entire school culture can be rapidly transformed by leveraging its time and priorities through stakeholder perceptual data followed by powerful 1:1 conversations around themes surfaced. You’ll also learn how The Center for Educational Effectiveness’s EES (Educational Effectiveness Surveys) surveys serve as school improvement allies to establish an inclusive, reliable, valid and actionable perceptual baseline to focus a school’s culture-building efforts. ?

Time to Design How You Shine?

Pre-pandemic, the work of a leader was already tough. Emerging from the pandemic – exceedingly tough. Currently, it is even more depleting for individuals who struggle to empower others, find ways to work more efficiently, and share leadership responsibilities. In a 2022 survey of over 600 administrators, the Association of Washington State Principals (AWSP) sought insights and perceptions from school administrators about the factors that contribute to their job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Themes of being overwhelmed, staffing challenges, and finding time to do the work were common. Moreover, over 70% reported working 56 or more hours per week while 15% reported working 7 days a week.??

One comment summarizes the context so well: “I am not dissatisfied, I am exhausted.”?

But the results of that same survey demonstrated tremendous resilience, commitment and resolve to continue working to improve the learning conditions of their staff and students. Today, there are no easy answers to addressing the complexities faced by school administrators, staff, or the students who are navigating their own challenges moving forward. For professional educators, the use of time and designing in what matters most to create positive learning conditions for all, including administrators, must be at the top of our collective priority list.??

Hopefully, the first blog in this series has helped inspire you to explore strategies to brighten lights that may have grown dim.?

In our next blog, we’ll explore the power of having professional mentors and coaches to support your growth and effectiveness. If you want to get a jump start, consider how having a coach might benefit you personally.?