The Dos and Don'ts of Educational Leadership

The following post are notes I took from the video below titled 'The Dos and Don'ts of Educational Leadership.'  In the video, educational leader Pedrono Guera talks about effective school leadership.  I have changed some of the notes to apply to coaching.  I substituted 'school,' 'principal,' 'teacher,', and 'student' for 'team,' 'program,' 'coach,' and 'athlete.'

What’s an essential quality of leadership that you have found to be important in your own work or admired in someone else?

He was observing a school that had a principal who completely turned around an underperforming school.  You have to be focused on the quality of teaching.  You have to be focused on making sure that the athletes are on task and that the coaches are on task.  Makes sure that the program is an inviting and attractive place to be.  You have to transform the culture and be willing to get rid of people not needing to be there, while giving support to those who are there.

You have to understand exactly what the athletes.  You have to focus on student needs, both the learning need and the needs to allow them to perform athletically, but also, as important, you have to understand what there social needs are.  Kids who have basic needs not being met are not going to flourish.  You can’t worry about teaching a kid how to shoot if he is worried about what he is going to eat.  You have to have a broad view of what it is going to take to teach and coach kids.

What is your vision as a leader, and how does it guide you?

As a consultant, he gets leaders to create a vision that clear and compelling, and getting teachers inspired and excited.  He also works to get teachers to understand that the problem is not the kids, but in the teachers ability to teach the kids.  If you put the onus back on the coach so that they have a sense of pride in what they do, they will be more effective.  And, if they can’t, sometimes you have to let them know that they might need to find other work.

What aspect of leadership holds teachers back from being more effective, and how should they approach self-improvement?

You have to create an environment where your other coaches and your athletes are able and comfortable enough to come to you with questions without them worrying about being punished for not knowing how to do something.  You can’t be a punitive leader who penalizes coaches and athletes who need help.

Don’t be a lazy leader who is not willing to get sweaty with your team and is satisfied just watching from the side.

Don’t be afraid to delegate.  The best leaders know how to share their responsibility with others.  There is too much going on in a program for you to try to take care of everything.

The most important work being done is in practice, and you have to make sure that your players and coaches have all the support they need to be successful.