Principal as the Fulcrum of Leadership in a School

John Hobson
To oversimplify things, the role of the principal is to provide leadership in a school. Defining
leadership and its role, however, is much more complicated. There are as many definitions of
leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept. The following is a
list of leadership principles that I believe are essential in defining the role of a principal in a
school.
Leadership is establishing a moral foundation for the work that is done in school everyday. It is
easy as an educator to become slowly unmoored from why one got into the business in the first
place. Leadership is about providing that clarity of purpose. Specifically, a leader is steadfast
about fulfilling what Michaell Fullan calls the moral imperative of school leadership that all
students learn, the gap is reduced, and what people learn helps them to be successful citizens
and workers in a morally based knowledge society. The role of the principal is to be willful in
establishing that moral purpose and then developing the capacity of others in order to sustain it.
To paraphrase Mike Schmoker, clarity should precede competence. The role of the principal is
not simply to be an effective manager
Aligning resources to meet the mission is a key element of leadership. Strategic thinking is not
limited to setting the direction of a school, but also includes marshalling the resources to
achieve the established goals. A leader understands context and fit and is able to maximize the
resources to meet the mission. Practically speaking, a principal gets the right people and
resources in the right places to achieve the shared mission of the school.
Leadership is a reciprocal relationship between leaders and followers. It is not a top-down
phenomenon in which leadership is exerted on followers. Rather, it is a mutually reinforcing
relationship in which the leader shares power and authority and values the contributions of
followers. A leader pays attention to the concerns and ideas of all staff members-- the success
of their leadership is dependent upon expanding instructional and leadership expertise in the
building.
Leadership inspires action and motivates followers. A leader taps into the expertise and
creativity of the members of the school in order to confront the complex challenges in education.
In a school that lacks leadership, teachers tend to close doors and become narrowly focused on
their own students and classrooms. A leader inspires a positive school climate that is public,
reflective, and collaborative.
In short, a principal provides the fulcrum of leadership that leverages the structures and systems
of school to