Monday Moanin Thoughts #61 Focus On Communication

Happy Monday Moanin to all of  you. I trust that you have had a restful spring break and are fired up to get back to work. It is always a challenge when you return after a long break. A good way to help with this transition is to focus on enhancing your leadership qualities. Paul Warren wrote an article on the qualities that teachers want in their principal. One of those qualities is effective communication. It is an essential skill that all principals need to have and enhance to be a productive leader.  Listed below in bold are some great reminders for you to focus on over the coming weeks.

Good communication is one of the most crucial components of teacher satisfaction; the best principals will routinely examine their communication skills, then apply a variety of styles through the school day. There are a few things principals can ask themselves in an ongoing effort to improve in this area:

• Who did I communicate with today, even if it was for just a brief moment?  (List every single person you meet with.)
• Are my reasons for communicating helping lead my school through positive changes and improvements?
• Do I communicate in a way that contributes to meaningful problem solving?
• Does my communication style help to strengthen working relationships among my staff?
• What areas of communication are the most difficult for me? How can I work to improve in these areas?

Great organizations of all types require great leadership and this is especially true in education. In today’s evolving educational landscape, it is more critical than ever for principals to demonstrate to their staff, students and community that they have what it takes to guide their schools to success.

(“Leadership Qualities Teachers Want in a Principal” by Paul Warren)

Have a great week working on your communication and keep finding the good stuff.

Quote of the week: “The two most important skills every teacher needs is reflective practice and coachability.” ~Lori Cullen