Another September rolls around, bringing with it new students—and new Division Heads! Welcome! Knowing that many of you new folks might have first-day jitters, we asked our ISM Consultants if they had any words of wisdom to share. So without further ado, here’s our advice for new—or new-to-school—Division Heads.
- Be present in the moment. A big part of leadership and developing trust with all those you contact—administrators, teachers, and students alike—is to listen and really see what’s going on right in front of you. That means developing your emotional intelligence, to “hear” what people are really saying between the lines. That also means being healthy—mentally, physically, and emotionally—so that you can handle every curve ball the school community hurtles your way at any given moment, as well as taking advantage of every professional development opportunity you can get your hands on.
- Remember that it’s all about the students. Consciously consider the “why” of every decision you make, and ask yourself, “Is this pro-student?”
- Your job is to build the capacity of teachers. This can be anything from budgeting and planning for faculty development, to encouraging leaders to grow “within the ranks,” to making yourself available to hear both suggestions and issues. At the end of the day, you are one of your teachers’ greatest resources and allies.
- Develop a great relationship with your School Head. You do that by executing on the strategic plan elements that are your responsibility, and communicating what he or she wants and needs to know. Be proactive in your communications and solutions to potential hurdles. Speaking of which ...
- Get to know your HR person and employee handbook. You'll never know when you'll need his/her support with a faculty or staff issue. Also, if you're in charge of faculty evaluations, he/she will be able to be a resource of tactful ways to navigate hairy situations.
- Spontaneous “fires,” like parent complaints, are at the bottom of the priority totem pole. You will have to deal with those, of course, and often promptly. Still, make sure the time you spend on those things is in proper proportion to higher priorities. If you do your other tasks well, the number of fires you have to put out will decrease exponentially.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Division Heads Vol. 10 No. 7 Things to Remember as a Division Leader
The Source for Admission Directors Vol. 14 No. 1 Advice for New Admission Officers
The Source for Development Directors Vol. 14 No. 1 Advice for New Development Directors
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 39 No. 5 The Division Head: A New Reality
