Developing Strategic Thinking & Interpersonal Skills in School Principals
Yearlong supplemental professional development curriculum
The principal role has become increasingly demanding in recent years, but the outbreak of COVID-19 and shutdown of schools has made the job even more difficult. Leading successful schools through this crisis requires strategic and emotionally intelligent principals who can prepare for, respond, and adapt to current and future disruptions.
We know from decades of research that high-performing school leaders are foundational for school success. In fact, exemplar principals are the common thread that distinguishes highest performing school districts from the rest.
This yearlong leadership professional development guide is designed to equip your principals with the strategic problem solving and interpersonal skills necessary to lead their schools in the months ahead. The toolkit contains six fully developed leadership workshops that can be integrated into your existing principal professional development with minimal preparation. The sessions can be presented in a series, as shown in the recommended sequence below, or introduced independently at any time during the year.
Summer: Introducing strategic thinking and interpersonal skills
Meta-research suggests that top-performing leaders are consistently strong in two core leadership competencies—strategic and analytical thinking and interpersonal skills—regardless of their industry. These two sessions will guide school leaders in assessing their own personal strengths and opportunities for growth relating to strategic thinking and interpersonal skills.
Fall: Strategic & analytical problem solving
Root cause analysis involves asking a series of “whys” to get to the potential root of a problem, helping solutions be based on rigorous analysis rather than gut feelings or assumptions. These two sessions will introduce school leaders to root cause analysis and walk them through the process of generating solutions to school problems.
Winter: Building interpersonal skills
Certain interpersonal behaviors can prompt positive responses of safety in the brain, allowing school leaders to improve the quality and productivity of interactions with faculty and staff. This session allows principals to identify their own interpersonal skills as well as build a plan for improving behaviors and responses that instill a culture of positive and effective communication.
Spring: End-of-year self-assessment
As principals wrap up the school year, it is important to provide space for reflecting on professional and personal goals set at the beginning of the year. This principal professional development session will call upon the goals set in the first introductory session and build upon the strategic thinking and interpersonal skills gained throughout the year.
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