How do you balance instructional and managerial leadership roles?

You are undoubtedly familiar with the old saying “good leaders do things right, greast leaders do the right things.” The ‘things’ are the ways we achieve mutual goals supported by inviolate shared values. Strong and effective leadership has the ability to bring others along, sometimes even to the point of cajoling a skeptical one, because shared experiences have always been accompanied with the shared value of trust.

Balancing instructional and managerial leadership roles involves: Instructional Leadership: Coach and guide team members to improve skills and knowledge. For example, mentorship and training sessions. Managerial Leadership: Handle administrative tasks, set goals, and ensure team productivity. Balance by allocating time effectively, prioritizing based on team needs, and being adaptable. For instance, spend more time on instructional leadership during skill development phases and shift towards managerial tasks during project execution. The key is flexibility to meet both roles' demands.

As I transitioned into my role as a hybrid leader/teacher I set out on a process of identifying my purpose. Having this north star has been helpful when I need to make difficult decisions. It can be hard to lead alongside others, especially when you have roles and responsibilities that can impact the work your colleagues are doing. I have always made sure that I am regularly speaking and connecting with everyone so I am aware of the work they are doing in their classrooms. I review my work and test it against my purpose statement to make sure I am aligning with what I set out to do. This creates of cycle of reflection and connection that keeps me inline with the needs of my team.

Equilibrar os papéis de liderança instrucional e gerencial é essencial para alcançar o sucesso em qualquer ambiente educacional ou organizacional. Dessa forma, acredito que identificar as responsabilidades específicas de cada papel e estabelecer prioridades com base nas necessidades da equipe ou organização é imprescindível, além de gerenciar seu tempo de forma eficaz, reservando tempo suficiente para atividades instrucionais, como planejamento de aulas e orientação de alunos, bem como para tarefas gerenciais, como reuniões, administração e avaliação de desempenho.

I love the word - Empower. So much is achieved when we empower employees. This we are doing by first and foremost having a 'Bottom up' management approach as against a 'Top down' management approach. Essentially decisions are not made solely by the leadership team but everyone has a voice. Add to this teacher autonomy which organically includes accountability as well. So no one feels as if leadership is interfering in their work and they discharge their work responsibly and without fear.

The sincere and effective leader believes in what she is doing. From this belief, her sincerity and skill is able to communicate and demonstrate the importance of that team member’s role in the achievement of that goals in their role in the overall role in the ultimate goals of the organization. It is never “just another day at the office.” Trust is riding on you as a member of the team. Her leadership style has already conveyed to you the trust she has in the commitment and skill set you bring ‘to the table.’ Simply put, once ability and requisite skills have been acknowledged, it is all about then nature and quality of relationships .

It has taken us a few centuries to come round to what ancient philosophers already knew: "A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done and his aim fulfilled, people will say we did it ourselves." (Lao-Tzu, taoist philosopher, around 500 BC.)

I share opportunities with the team… they need to be seen and to feel part of the organization. I engage them in presentations, status reporting meetings and innovation. My job is talent pipeline ❤️

When I was a school principal, one of the hardest things to do was say no, especially to requests from parents. However, teachers and other support staff simply cannot fulfill every request of every parent. Good planning and prioritization means that you as a school leader have to also be able to focus. There are many worthy activities, lessons, topics, special focus weeks, and more, that a school can do. But you can't do it all. Learn to say no, but explain your rationale. For me, I usually shared what I wrote above, and parents understood (Usually - if they didn't, well, I suppose that's why you're management!)

Self Care is critical in leadership to prevent burnout. It can’t just be something you “do on the weekends” or a countdown until your vacation on winter break. Self care needs to be embedded throughout your work day to help you recharge-in whatever way is meaningful for you. For some, that might be a walk outside just 5 minutes a day during the work day to help your reset. For others, it might be listening to music between meetings or doing some stretches. Or sometimes simply just walking through your school and looking at all that is good and appreciating the value you bring can be energizing.

Just loved ‘self care’!!! I would add ‘team care’… no meetings day, recognition, balanced work schedule, respectful relationships… as leaders, we have a lot of opportunities to show and to reinforce team care.

Consider a cost and benefit analysis of where you place your best people, and how you are building capacity while you work towards an end goal. Just being experienced at a position does not make one the best choice for that need- it is based also on the depth of one’s present and future team needs.