There has never been a great orator who didn’t first learn to speak, just as there has never been an accomplished musician who didn’t first learn to play an instrument, and there has never been a gifted writer who didn’t first learn her letters.
This is a simple way of saying that there is no shortcut to confidence, credibility, and wisdom. I have come to discover through a few successes in my career and through many, many mistakes that (no matter our titles) we are not really leading if no one is following us, and that no one will follow us for long if we don’t know what the heck we’re talking about.
Even as we preach the values of teacher leadership, most of our teachers still look to their assistant principals and principals for answers, from School Board policy questions to educational trends and instructional advice. In fact, it will be a sad day when a young employee in any industry cannot go to their bosses for advice, insight, cautions and (yes) even wisdom. This is why the young administrators in our schools should feel a great duty to stay abreast of instructional best practices, current research findings, educational trends, and political pressures that are impacting public policy and classroom practice. In fact, our best leaders should be in a constant state of learning, experimentation, observation, training, collaboration, and reflection.
Instructional leadership is an action, not a noun
True instructional leadership demands constant attention in light of our roles as key advisers and because of the dire consequences at stake when we skip a step, don’t read the article, stop learning, quit observing, or think we know it all. Why? In short, because our students and parents and teachers believe us. They trust that we know what we’re talking about. They still turn to their principals for key decisions about their lives and careers, public school trends and advice about how they and their school should improve.
The dire consequences arise when our assistant principals and principals are not preparing themselves as experts in the field. When that happens, the trust that our stakeholders put in our leadership can be shattered. As a result, respect and relationships suffer. Worse even, some teachers may be following the advice of administrators who are not well-informed. In turn, best practices are misidentified, miscommunicated, or misapplied. And learning suffers.
Instructional leadership requires, you know, leadership
As school and district leaders, no matter how busy we are, we cannot shortcut our own learning. Because first things come first. We must first know best practices deeply before we can ask others to follow our leads. Like you, I have learned a few things in life and leadership that may help others. One of the most important is that there is a proper order to things, that first things comes first. That we have to learn to speak before we can pray. That someone has got to learn us our letters first in case we’ve got something to say. That we cannot savor life’s sweetness without first knowing the sour. And that we have no shot at making some cheesy biscuits without first finding the flour. That struggle and toil and sweat come first, and victories later. That humility comes before honor and honor before triumph. That you cannot know happiness without first having a good cry, and that you must live a life first before you can die.
You see, I have learned that first things come first.
And as teachers and leaders, I pray that we do not lose sight of this.
So here’s hoping, as leaders in our industry, that we read the book before we rent the movie. That we admit our own faults before we blame others. That we say we’re sorry, that we ask for forgiveness, and that we never, ever shortcut our own learning. Why? Because we must lead long before we can expect others to follow, and because we must be credible before we can ever expect to be incredible.
