Leading in Uncertainty

By Dr. Akil E. Ross, 2018 NASSP National Principal of the Year

In times of uncertainty and change, leaders are needed to guide the way. It was a guiding question that guided my leadership. That question was: Why do schools exist? I posed this question to my faculty and staff. Their response to the question changed my perception of education and served as the guide for my leadership.

Gathered in the cafeteria on a humid August morning, the school faculty and staff of Chapin High School in Chapin, S.C., awaited to hear a brand-new principal deliver his welcome back to school message. Pretending to be calm and in control, this first-year principal was a nervous wreck. I arrived at school at 4:30 am because I could not sleep. To occupy the time, I practiced my opening message in front of a restroom mirror, decorated the cafeteria, and tried to memorize the material on the PowerPoint presentation so that I could reference the slides without looking at them. I was so excited about my first day with the entire faculty and staff. I wanted to provide the best professional development for the people who would be teaching and supporting the students of this school.

The clock on the cafeteria wall showed five minutes before 8 am. The program was scheduled to begin at 8 am. The moment of truth was fast approaching. Just when I began to settle my nerves and focus on delivering the message, I overheard the conversation of two veteran teachers. “Look at this agenda. There is no time to work in our rooms.” Instantly, I became nervous again. “Oh no! I messed up”, I thought to himself. I used the entire summer to plan a back to school message aimed at amazing the faculty and staff. I wanted to impress them with my instructional knowledge and leadership skills. I wanted to showcase my innovative school vision and inspire their commitment to my goals and strategies. I wanted so much from them that I did not think about what they wanted from me. They wanted time and I had not provided it.

The minute hand of the clock neared the top of the hour. I had seconds before the program was to begin. Looking at the agenda as if it were going to change, I realized the welcome back was already off to a bad start and I had not even begun. Fifteen seconds to the top of the hour and the assistant principal notifies me that it is time to begin. I begin to walk from the back of the room to the front. People nod hello, smile and some shake my hand as I make my way to the microphone positioned at the front. Previously, I asked my assistant principal to play music as I approached the microphone like a baseball or softball player has “walk-up” music when he or she approached the batter’s box. By this point, I was embarrassed. I had officially made this the “about me” show. I scanned the room. Over 170 faces were smiling and looking back at me with anticipation. Even the two veteran teachers I overheard talking about the agenda were smiling. It was at the point, I changed everything.

After welcoming the new members to the staff and celebrating accomplishments from last year, I did not advance my presentation. I changed. My vision for the school was not going to meet their needs. Not only had my agenda not considered the teacher and staff voice, but also my vision was crafted without their input. I told the staff we would meet later in the day. However, when we meet bring a laptop or a device and be prepared to answer the question, “Why do schools exist?” No one seemed to care about the printed agenda. At once they began to make their way to their classes and offices.

When the group returned for the lunch; the question was projected on the screen. I gave the faculty and staff 10 minutes to submit their individual answer to this question. I wanted to understand why school personnel chooses to do this work. In his book Start With Why, author Simon Sinek distinguishes between effective leaders and ineffective leaders by the manner in which they address the members of their organization. “There are only two ways to influence human behavior; you can manipulate it, or you can inspire it” (Sinek, 2013). Sinek shares that a person in a leadership position will tell the members of the organization “what to do” or “how to do it”, but a leader wants to know “why” the members of the organization come to work. The motivations of a person drive their behavior.

When all the responses were submitted, I was amazed by the response. The technology specialist helped us compiled all 170 responses into a word cloud. The word cloud allowed us to see at once the collective vision and motivation of the entire group. (See the responses below)

The largest words represented the responses with the highest frequency. The smaller words in the cloud were not repeated often. It was clear that the majority of the faculty came to work for students. This is an obvious response for an educator. As a principal, I came to school for students. My entire speech was about the students’ test scores and graduation rates. However, my faculty and staff wanted more for the students. The school personnel wanted to prepare students for productive lives.

Preparing a student for life is a higher standard than preparing a student for the next grade or exam. Preparing a student for life requires the educational process to empower the students’ mind, body and spirit. Students who are prepared to pass the test of life are proficient in academics as well as social-emotional health. I raised the expectation for my leadership as a result of a shared vision with the teachers and staff. As school leaders, we must ask ourselves: Why are we leading? When the mission of the school is aligned with the vision of the school personnel, the result is a school empowered to achieve success. Today we are faced with a new normal and all educators are seeking direction. To thrive in a time of uncertainty, it is important to provide clarity of vision and consistency of mission for the entire school community. Now more than ever, leaders need to seek a common goal, communicate a clear mission, and lead confidently in uncertain times.

As school leaders re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is foreseeable that we will become consumed by creating safety and operational preparations. It is also foreseeable that an overfocus on the uncertainty will cause a lack of focus on what is certain. Losing focus of the voice of the faculty, staff, and students are certain to lead to failure. Success, however, is linked to the leader’s ability to identify the collective voice of the school community. There is power in this collective voice- use this power to achieve your mission and goals.

Sinek, S. (2013). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. London: Portfolio/Penguin.

Dr. Akil E. Ross is a keynote speaker at both the 2021 Associate Principals Conference, taking place January 27-29, 2021, and the Middle and High School Principals Convention taking place February 10-12, 2021.