The top three traits that an aspiring or current school principal must demonstrate in order to be successful were hard to narrow down, as there were so many.
From observations, experience, and discussions with educators, the number one trait was integrity. The young staff and students looked at the values that the principal demonstrated in his daily life. It didn’t matter if the principal was an elementary or secondary educator, the discussions always came back to the point that integrity was something they really claimed as a foundation. Everything they stood for revolved around integrity.
The second trait was one of support. Support in the personal life of the principal and his constant support of the staff and students. All agreed that support created stability. A stable support network around the school principal included his home life with his partner and family. It was strongly suggested that the outcome of support and the delivery of support were the building blocks of intrinsic stability.
The third trait was consistency. The director had to be consistent with what he said and what he believed. The principal must demonstrate the direction that he wanted the school to take. A shared and clearly articulated vision was very important. When that happened, decisions about the direction of the schools were easily made.
Experience showed that being a successful school principal required the principal to know when to sit down and say nothing. Many directors said it was a skill they really had to focus on. Most of my research in this area showed that principals only had to get a slim chance and were quick to provide feedback when it would have been better to keep quiet and let the staff discussion continue rather than stifle the discussion. Most of the directors mentioned that this was the area that they needed to learn very quickly because when they saw that they did not interrupt or express their opinion in the early stages of the discussion, the staff remained engaged and felt that they were being listened to. The discussion was not closed. My observations of inexperienced vs. experienced managers saw a tremendous contrast in that discussions turned into debates very early in meetings with the inexperienced vs. experienced manager. The inexperienced manager seemed lost when staff did not contribute to discussions. The experienced director let diverse and free ideas and opinions flow. Experienced school principals said that the faster the inexperienced principal learned to keep quiet, the better for him or her.
There were many good things about being a school principal. The director had the ability to implement the things that he really believed in. Principals who firmly believed that students’ social and emotional well-being were as important as their academic ability ensured that there was always a focus on social and emotional well-being. The principal had the opportunity to have a general understanding of education. He allowed them to keep up with contemporary thought and practice. They had more opportunities for professional development. He gave them a good understanding of the directions of his educational system and systems around the world.
The successful director of the school did a lot of positive things with the children. A principal has a lot of positional power and is held in high regard by most students. For the student-oriented principals, it was very encouraging to walk around the school and interact with the students. It was very important that principals get to know their students as people.