Great Leaders! What qualities do they all have?

When you think of a successful leaders from the world of education or business there are traits and ways of thinking that are shared by all these individuals, irrelevant of their field or profession.

  1.       They believe they will be successful

  2.       They set ambitious  goals

  3.       They make the goals the everyday vision 

  4.       They carefully plan to reach these goals

To be a successful teacher you also have to have these traits and more importantly you have 30 young minds to inspire and motive to also believe they can be successful. So the big question is, as a leader or teacher, what mind set and perspective do you need to truly believe and be successful?

These perspectives and ‘ways of thinking’ are broad and complex, how they are interpreted depends on your approaches to leadership and motivations, they should get you think and question what you do every day…

  1.       I will do something every day that makes a difference!

It doesn’t matter how small or simple – just do it! Supporting a teacher with a tiny aspect of her provision, supporting a parent to access parenting support or make a strategic discussion to develop the school. Whatever it is just make sure when you finally put your feet up at the end of a long day, you can say to yourself ‘I made a difference’.

  2.       I will make lasting connections not meaningless networks

No one succeeds by themselves, the connections (networks) you develop ensure you’re successful and make quality and inform decisions. It also helps you develop as a teacher and leader. Professional dialogue and sharing of best practice is the life blood of quality education. Start by signing up to twitter and have those professional conversations with educators and leaders from around the world – find me at @MrB_online (#SLTchat is always worth taking part in - 8pm every Sunday on Twitter)

  3.       The quality of my leadership will be measured in years… not days!

Play the long game while addressing short issues and developments. Sticking plasters will only do so much. Culture shift and embedded practice is what makes the real difference (this is easier said than done with Ofsted inspections and league tables defining what we prioritize)  

  4.       I will ‘plan my work’ and then ‘work my plan’!

Strategic thinking and planning is important but it’s all about how you execute the plan. Just as every great teacher response to the students and adapts their approach so must leaders as they tackle whole school developments.

  5.       My failure will breed success!

Every great leader and successful individual has failed at some point and in most cases these are monumental failures. Success is based on perseverance, when others give up… resilient, hardworking and strong individuals will success!

  6.       Only once I  have succeeded will I actually know I have been successful

You read autobiographies and life maps of successful leaders assuming choices made were simple and planned. No chance… pick a goal and measure yourself against it, that is what really counts, and expect to stumble and hit brick walls along the way!

  7.       I will make history!

You will always be at the forefront of change, this may be tiny or massive, on a local scale or national. You just need to try new things, think outside the box and think ‘blue sky’.

Further reading: Teacher presence - have you got it?