Servant Leadership

Coming from never supervising anyone except a class of students to now supervising four people presents new learning opportunities for me. I have studied leadership off and on throughout my career and went to university where servanthood was a cornerstone. Hopefully this work helped me be strong for my people. I really enjoy the chance to collaborate with the Foundation’s employees as well as provide guidance as needed. This new situation reminded me of what I think our best principals are- servant leaders.

In being the PC Foundation’s leader, my role is to remove obstacles for my staff so that they can do their best at their job. If this means getting them training, helping them craft a letter, or coaching them through a difficult conversation, I hope my style is that of a servant leader.

Building principals have the chance to do this as well, thereby giving the teachers the time and freedom to do what they are there to do. Sometimes it is hard for a leader to know what obstacles a staff person is facing. At the core of being an effective servant leader is a strong relationship with staff. This takes time to build trust, but once you know your people, once they feel comfortable with you, they will bring those problems knowing they can trust you to provide solutions. I hope my staff knows that if I don’t have an immediate solution, I will work to find one.

This approach might seem topsy-turvy for those in the business world, where the leader has directives and the employees execute them. That system is too hierarchical for me and doesn’t provide employees the empowerment that will make them feel good about their contributions to the work. A principal or any leader who has that kind of top-down style will likely not inspire confidence in staff members. This will lead to a loss of people, and we all know we cannot afford that in today’s teaching climate.

April 6, 2022

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