Tag: Liz Wiseman

  • The Assistant Principal Interview: Part 2 of 3

    The Assistant Principal Interview: Part 2 of 3

    One of the most popular questions facing candidates applying for Assistant Principal positions is “How would you enter the school as a new Assistant Principal?” This is often followed by, “as an internal candidate, managing and leading your friends and colleagues” or “ as a leader new to the school and community?”  The fact that this is such a common question implies that you should indeed have an entry plan. I should rephrase this. You should have an entry plan and stick to it. I had a plan and deviated, it slowed down my progress. I kept the fundamentals, however, I sacrificed some key aspects that I knew to be important. How did I justify this to myself? Time. There is never enough time… All the more reason to have a plan, right?! 

    So, what does an entry plan for an Assistant Principal look like? What are your priorities? You will need to consult your values and philosophy, the school strategic plan, the schools’ objectives for the year, and of course, the school principal. There are many books on the subject, all directing you to the key features of a successful transition. Some are more obvious than others, so let’s explore them and start to plan your First 90 Days. 

    The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins was first recommended to me as I was finishing up my Master’s Degree, by one of my professors. I have since learned more about this book and Watson’s work. It is a classic. I will refer to a lot of the underlying principles covered within the book whilst injecting some of my learning, applying it to the role of the Assistant Principal.

    Let’s get started.

    Be Prepared…To Tell Your Story

    Once you have accepted the role of Assistant Principal and signed the contract. You must celebrate. You should then dust yourself off, and get to work. There is a lot to do before you enter the building, or as was my case, Zoom into a Whole School Faculty Meeting. No matter how you are introduced to your faculty, the moment will define your future success, so make it count. It is likely you will be introduced to your Faculty already via a written biography,  it is, therefore, important to provide some extra information when meeting them for the first time. Your teachers will want to know how you will lead them, how you teach, and what you are like as a person. You must be vulnerable and open up to them, but not too much. Practice sharing your story during the interview. Be authentic. It will help you to discover whether if you are the right fit for the school.

    Creating Your Vision of Success

    Ensure that you have your definition of success as well as meeting the school goals. This will most likely consist of the points mentioned below. You should ensure that you build in some early wins, ideally, these will be highly visible to help build your credibility. You will often be asked about what your first 3-6 months will look like, so be prepared to tell the panel. More often than not, your first 90 days will involve building relationships and collecting data. Observing and learning about the school, not making any major changes. Nobody wants to hire a bulldozer.

    Build Relationships

    You cannot do this alone. Success is dependent upon relationships. How will you deliberately develop relationships so that everyone feels valued and included? Enter classrooms, meetings, assemblies and have corridor conversations. Care personally about your colleagues and students by getting to know them. Collaboration is a key value to discuss during your interview, however, acknowledge that as a leader you will sometimes need to act alone, and quickly.

    Earn Credibility and Trust

    Read the school policy and ensure you follow it. Communicate often. Be transparent. Keep confidence. As Kousez and Posner maintain, you should ‘Do What You Say You Will Do’. Nothing causes a loss of credibility more than a broken promise.

    Sharpen Your Saw

    Stephen R. Covey in his seminal work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, discusses the importance of Sharpening Your Saw. As lifelong learners, this should be easy enough to speak to. You will need to keep learning on the job by reading around the latest research, and you will need to keep yourself healthy and energised by exercising, meditating and writing. Do not underestimate the demands of the job. Providing a clear understanding of the role and its demands will help the panel to see past a novice leader. Demonstrating balance and an ability to learn will support your application by acknowledging that life is not all about work. You should not expect teachers to be tied to their desks, however, we all need to keep learning to grow. As Abraham Maslow once said, “In any given moment, we have two choices: step forward into growth or step backwards into safety.”

    “In any given moment, we have two choices: step forward into growth or step backwards into safety.”

    Abraham Maslow

    Be a Multiplier

    As teacher’s, we take for granted that our job is to multiply talent. We help students learn by building on their strengths, providing timely and effective feedback and creating valuable learning opportunities to support this. We should be doing the same for our teachers. How much more effective would our schools be if all teachers knew and understood the demands of leadership? Liz Wiseman in her book Multipliers, argues that we should attract talent and multiply it by developing a culture with a common language, learned behaviours, shared values and a celebration of heroes and legends, your star-teachers. Create an enabling culture that prioritises the growth of teachers and students. Fulfilled teachers create challenged and happy students. Consider how you will support the professional development of your teachers and be able to talk to it within the school’s context. What will it look like?

    The suggestions above provide some key areas that may be discussed in interviews and will have very practical applications. Take the time to learn about your school and then to consider how you will enter as an Assistant Principal. Your first 90 days will have a profound impact on your level of success and your perceived ability as a leader.

    Journeying:

    Books:

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

    Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman

    The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins

    Master Your Next Move by Michael D. Watkins

    Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It by James M. Kousez and Barry Z. Posner

    Videos: 

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Book Summary

    The First 90 Days Book Summary

    The Speed of Trust Book Summary

  • Stepping Out, Stepping Up and Stepping Back: Your Move to Leadership

    Stepping Out, Stepping Up and Stepping Back: Your Move to Leadership

    If you could lead your “Dream School”, who would you hire to work to come and work for you? All School Leaders have all thought about it, some may even have spoken about it with friends. I imagine that you have a list of Super-Teachers and School Leaders forming in your mind as you are reading this. So who makes the cut, and what do they have in common?


    This is an important question to ponder if you are considering a move into school leadership. Aspiring leaders are likely to be driven and qualified, so, “what separates them from the other 100 applicants all seeking an opportunity to become an Assistant Principal?” The answers to the above questions may just help you navigate that difficult road from Teacher to School Leader. It may not surprise you to learn, the answers to both questions are in fact the same.

    The route to Assistant Principal can be a long and challenging one. There will likely be many obstacles in your way including internal candidates, school politics, imposter syndrome and unconscious bias. It is essential, therefore, that you understand the behaviours sought after by experienced leaders. This knowledge will allow you to begin your journey right now, a leader without a title, whilst gaining much-valued experience and credibility along the way.


    Now think back to the two questions I asked earlier. Write down your answers. You will now have a job description appearing in front of you. Reflect. 

    Would you, hire you?

    You are of course, biased. Of course, you would. You know yourself. But, would someone else? Before embarking on the arduous task of filling in job applications, it can help to consider the traits and behaviours that existing leaders find invaluable in supporting their vision and leadership. Are you already acting and thinking like a leader, and do other people see you that way?

    Let’s start at the beginning by considering the Ideal Team Player.

    Start With The End in Mind: Backwards Planning

    Consider again, your dream school. What kind of person did you choose to fill your leadership and teaching positions? It is a popular practice today to hire for culture fit. Hiring for fit can, however, lead to recruiting a bunch of like-minded people. This could have some negative impact, namely creating a groupthink mentality, cultural inertia that could reduce the constructive conflict needed to move the school forward. Patrick Lencioni offers one approach. He claims that we should be searching for the ideal team player. These individuals are humble, hungry and smart. In short, they are well-intentioned, collaborative people (smart), who are always learning (hungry) and will leave their ego’s at the door (humble).

    Why is this model relevant to those looking to step into leadership? It is relevant because once an individual has made the decision to enter leadership they can become so focused on the goal that these qualities, the qualities that would make them a successful leader, can become lost or distorted as they seek the credit and experience they perceive necessary to give them the boost. It is important not to lose sight of the qualities that make up The Ideal Team Player and continue to put the good of the school first. If you continue to focus on the projects and work that needs to get done, your CV will take care of itself.

    Maximise Your Impact: Stepping Out

    When selecting teachers for your dream school, you likely selected people you know had a huge impact at your previous schools. They likely adopted a similar approach to their work that elevated their work to a different level. They were probably what Liz Wiseman has recently termed A High Impact Player. 

    A High Impact Player in a school would be the first individual that comes to the Principal’s mind when they need to solve a problem and get the job done. The type of teacher that is frequently discussed in leadership meetings because they are producing good work and can be depended upon. They are also the teacher that you hope will never leave, but when they do, you wish them well and support their professional growth.

    Wiseman argues that there are certain traits specific to High Impact Players. Would your principal describe you as a High Impact Player? You had better hope so. It is these people that are valued and sought after in the world of leadership. More importantly, to note, they are most likely not even chasing a title.

    The key to maximising your impact is to make yourself useful. What are the priorities of the school and what does your principal need you to do to help achieve them? Hold off on your own personal goals, or at least pursue them alongside the work deemed most important to your principal right now. Take the initiative, remove work from their plate and allow them to focus on other pursuits.

    Supporting your principal in this way may often mean stepping out of your job description and going the extra mile. Be sure to seek approval if necessary.  Make yourself available and be sure to do the job well. A half-assed effort will do you more harm than good and reduce the likelihood of you being approached again. An excellent job will result in more responsibility being thrown your way and the possibility of being the go-to person in times of need.

    Don’t Wait To Be Asked: Step Up

    Listen carefully to the conversation around the faculty lounge and watercooler, and notice the things teachers are casually venting about. Are these issues attributed to an individual? Are they historical? Have they become part of the culture? Has anyone conducted a root cause analysis to ascertain the origin of the problem? If not, start with the challenge and find a solution. High Impact Players offer solutions in the name of the greater good. Solving these problems will likely improve the functioning of your school whilst making your leader look good. Win-win!

    Let Others Take The Credit: Stepping Back

    Remember, ‘mission is king’. Matthew Kelly, the author of The Culture Solution, claims that by making the mission your king, you will be serving everybody’s interest, including your own. Ensure the work you do is helping the school achieve its mission. When the work is done hand it over, it is not yours, it is the schools. Avoid the temptation to seek ownership over a project, take it as far as it can go, and then pass it on to someone who can develop it. Enrolling others in the work helps them to grow, as you gain credibility. This desire for continual improvement captures the essence of The Impact Player Mindset.

     “The Impact Player Mindset is the pathway to leadership because, after all, isn’t the essence of leadership the desire to make something better and a willingness to do something about it?”

    Liz Wiseman

    The Importance of Outsight

    In Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader, author Herminia Ibarra, describes the importance of first acting as a leader, to then think like a leader. She refers to this cycle as having Outsight. Actions, after all, speak louder than words, and we learn from doing. So, what better way to develop your leadership capacity than by stepping up and acting like a leader?

    Outsight emerges when we redefine our job, stepping out of our normal day to day responsibilities to do the work that we know needs to be done. These additional tasks will help you develop a stronger, more connected network. Successful completion of leadership tasks and communicating with more experienced leaders will support your learning, providing you with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed as Assistant Principal. It will undoubtedly influence how you perceive yourself reducing the likelihood of imposter syndrome when promotion comes knocking on your door. This completes the cycle. You stepped into a leadership role allowing yourself to begin thinking like a leader.

    “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”

    Henry Ford

    Stepping out, stepping up and stepping back will help to ensure that you are already doing the work associated with the Assistant Principal. You will become indispensable, and when a leadership position opens up, people will approach you, rather than you approach them. You will already be acting as and viewed as a leader.

    The Disease of Me

    One final note. It is easy to believe that after 10 years of teaching or having gained a Masters Degree that you are entitled to, and have earned a promotion. You would do well to remember that we are not entitled to a promotion at the expense of someone else. Ryan Holiday’s ‘Ego is The Enemy’ is an enlightening and humbling read that reinforces the point that it is the work that matters. If the promotion comes, take it with both hands and run with it, however, you had better be sure that you are doing a good job, without the need of recognition, in service of the school mission. This is the role of the Assistant Principal.

    Journeying

    Videos:

    Ego Is the Enemy Video Summary

    The Ideal Team Player Ted Talk

    Impact Players Book Promotion-Liz Wiseman

    Books cited:

    Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra

    The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

    Impact Players by Liz Wiseman

    The Culture Solution by Matthew Kelly

    Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday