Traits of an Effective Leader
School districts strive to provide an excellent education for their students. The drive to continually
improve is organic and is influenced by countless sources. The school district leader plays a vital role in
channeling the energy, knowledge, and improvement cycle in a district. There are certain qualities that a leader
must have or learn in order to be effective.
One trait that is vital in leadership is knowledge. Our school leaders need to be involved and up to date
with the current research and issues in education. An example we are all coping with currently is the shift to
Common Core. A school district will suffer if its leaders are not knowledgeable on the resources, shifts, and
problems with the Common Core material. Educators may not agree with everything we are faced with, but the
knowledge is still vital to obtain and stay current on.
Leaders also need to have a powerful vision. Jim Collins writes about the power of vision in Good to
Great and Phillips explains specific examples of how a powerful vision manifested itself in Martin Luther King
Jr. and his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement. These are examples outside of education, but powerful
vision translates well into our field. As discussed early, vision needs to be simple and direct. It also must be
shared and re-visited during the year, not just during September’s opening day. The vision must be translated
into goals that ate attainable and measurable. The ability to ask the right kinds of questions is also vital here.
Often Socratic questions will motivate a team and provide direction for inquiry and improvement.
McRel’s paper on “Leadership for School Improvement” focused on several traits that create good
educational leaders. They assert that leaders should not be heroes. This is also supported by Douglas Reeves
and others. Teamwork is necessary in order to gain clearer insight into a district. Leaders need to hire the right
teammates and put them in the correct positions in order to maximize effectiveness. Another trait leaders should
perfect is nurturing their team and their entire district. Schools are filled with talented individuals who can offer
a plethora of ideas, new initiatives, and energy to invigorate a district. Leaders should use this pool of talent
effectively and nurture teacher-leaders and provide mentoring. Other pieces of leadership will fall into place if
teachers feel they are being supported and encouraged, like “buy-in” and new programs.
Additionally, leaders should strive to build and exemplify a learning organization. Sometimes schools
can become entrenched in certain ideas and practices when research shows that those practices are not what is in
our students’ best interests. If leaders fill their schools with learners and people who are not afraid to try new
ideas the organization will be able to complete improvement cycles, continually update curriculum, and stay
current more easily than an organization that chooses not value learning. Action research can help, lesson study,
and professional development focusing on best practices are useful in creating a learning environment for all.
One of the most important traits of a quality, effective leader is “taking the balcony view”. A leader in
the district office has the ability to see problems through a much broader lens. They also understand that there
may be a time to “be in the trenches”, but taking a look at the broader picture is indispensable for district
leaders. This view allows leaders to see patterns, cycles, and challenges in the distance. It also allows them to
monitor and adjust when needed.
School district leaders play an especially important role during times of drastic change. We are currently
experience a dramatic shift to Common Core and huge changes in evaluating teachers. District leaders should
have confidence that their principals will monitor their staff, but the district can provide support in making
sense of new regulations, discerning where their district fits into the new standards and what topics may need to
be priorities. In figuring out what needs to be accomplished, the presentation of new goals or agendas should be
done to ease fears and creating a culture of trust. There are some things about NY’s adoption of APPR that
teachers were fearful of last year. Districts dealt with this differently and many teachers are not as worried this
year. Teachers now have a certain degree of comfort with the process. Again, we may not agree with what is
being asked of us, but district leaders can ease the stress.
During these times of change another trait is effective communication. Whether a leader is writing a
memo, speaking with the Board of Education, or participating on a panel, leaders need to communicate
effectively. The greatest leader will not be effective if their vision and path to achieve that vision is
misunderstood. Long-term goals should be broken down into manageable pieces. Those pieces should be
implemented and feedback provided. The feedback fosters a supportive atmosphere, teamwork, and a
collaborative culture in a district.
The ability to collaborate directly links to teamwork and not being a “hero leader”. School district
leaders cannot manage and lead all by themselves. Working collaboratively with a leadership team, assistant
superintendents, or building principals is vital to realizing a vision. Collaboration also helps during times of
change to obtain “buy in”. By working collaboratively leaders share their ideas and the plan becomes
transparent. Collaboration also works in concert with the earlier concept of using the talent within your district.
Many people have talent, energy, and knowledge that should be tapped in certain circumstances.
As change is needed, mandated, and occurs another leadership trait emerges. The ability to gather,
analyze, and interpret data is another skill leaders should possess. As discussed earlier, data drives the
improvement process. We look at data to find where we can improve; we follow an improvement plan, and look
at data for evidence. School district leaders need to be aware of what data they require, the different types of
data available to them and effective strategies to share the data.
Effective leaders may not innately possess all these traits. They will know which ones need support and
which ones they have perfected through the years. The important piece to keep in mind is that leaders know
when to call their teams, ask for help, and can trust that their teammates are capable and have the same goal in
mind.