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Principals establish relationships that energize and foster teamwork

Principals as leaders of learning
#6 in a series

By Dennis Sparks

Results, March 2005

Copyright, National Staff Development Council, 2005. All rights reserved.

"The single factor common to successful change is that relationships improve. If relationships improve, schools get better. If relationships remain the same or get worse, ground is lost." -Michael Fullan

Principals who make staff and student learning a priority establish relationships within schools that are trusting, mutually respectful, and generate energy through commitment to a common and compelling purpose. Such relationships motivate the heart as well as inform the intellect, foster teamwork and the synergy it offers, and develop a shared responsibility for the learning of all students. High-quality connections among members of the school community are at the core of a productive school culture and promote the long-term retention of valued teachers.

The quality of relationships among adults in schools is a predictor of student learning, particularly in schools that are most challenged by the social ills of poverty and racism. High levels of trust, respectful and honest exchanges of views, and a shared commitment to worthwhile goals are some of the most important characteristics of these relationships. Without such relationships, few schools will take full advantage of available professional development resources.

Leaders' language has a powerful affect on relationships and performance, and principals, whether they recognize it or not, are leaders of language communities. "Some language forms concentrate more individual and social energy than others do; they provide more focus, increase direction, and enhance capacity," Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey contend in How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work (Jossey-Bass, 2001). They add, "Though every person, in any setting, has some opportunity to influence the nature of the language, leaders have exponentially greater access and opportunity to shape, alter, or ratify the existing language rules."

For instance, the language of complaint, dependency, and resignation when regularly used by leaders can deaden the human spirit, infect others, and lead to organizational atrophy. Conversely, language that expresses commitment, integrity, and accountability energizes and sustains productive actions.

High-quality connections are built upon clarity and directness of expression, candor, and integrity. These qualities energize relationships and produce individual and collective results. Principals who are clear and direct are able to succinctly and in simple language communicate in various ways to the school community their values, intentions, assumptions, and requests. "Communicate" does not mean impose; rather it recognizes the principal's essential role in formulating the "conversation agenda" of the school, engaging in dialogue-based conversations, and listening with empathy to the views of others.

Candor means forthrightly discussing "non-discussables" that are barriers to effective teaching and student success in many school communities, even when that discussion may generate conflict and tension. It also means talking about issues directly with everyone involved in decision making rather than with some people in "parking lot conversations." Candor is not to be confused with demeaning, coercive, or otherwise disrespectful forms of communication offered under the guise of "honesty."

Integrity has at its core doing what one says he or she will do. When principals make promises, they signal their commitment to action, and, when they fulfill their promises, they establish norms of interpersonal accountability within their schools.

When educators speak with clarity, possibility, and accountability, and when they interact with others in respectful and mutually satisfying ways, they empower themselves and those with whom they work to produce extraordinary results. Such interactions add purpose, joy, and energy to school communities, motivate staff members to sustain their collective effort over time, and increase the organization's capacity to achieve stretching and worthwhile goals.