7 Qualities of a Successful School Principal

Making the decision to become a school principal might seem like an awesome promotion at the time or a good job opportunity. As a principal, there will be many tasks you must perform. You’ll be the leader of the entire school’s community.

It’s up to the principal to supervise all teachers and students while managing major administrative tasks. It’s also important to understand that while in this role, you’ll have many young ones looking up to you. You not only supervise everyone, but you create a role model for them.

For this reason, it’s ideal to strive to be the best school principal you can be. To ensure you’re a right fit for the job, there are a few key qualities to look for in yourself or in the next principal. In the guide below, there’s a list of some of these key qualities.

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1. Wonderful Communication Skills

Because a principal oversees the entire school community, they should know how to effectively communicate with everyone. Communication should be done through both writing and speaking. They should be able to intrigue those around them in a way where everyone wants to listen to what’s being said.

Great communication isn’t only about being heard, though. Good communication skills mean being able to listen as well. A school principal should also show students and teachers that their ears are open.

Everyone should feel comfortable and safe approaching the principal with questions, concerns, or anything else. When they do approach the principal, they should be heard. A good principal understands that to be successful, they must listen to the needs of everyone.

2. Great Decision-Making Skills

Lots of decisions will be made by the principal. There will be small and big decisions to be made all throughout the year. Principals might have to make decisions about school closings due to weather.

They will also need to make financial decisions and plan for long-term situations or concerns. For long-term situations, a principal might need to collect data, evaluate the data, and then make the best decision possible. There’s no way to determine what exact decisions a principal will need to make at a school.

Most of it will depend on the location of the school and the school itself. Because of this, a principal will need fast decision-making skills.

3. Strong Problem-Solving Skills

There will be lots of decisions to be made, but there will also be lots of problems to be solved. A principal should expect a variety of problems to arise at the school. This is normal and a part of managing everything.

There will be a variety of problems, ranging from issues with students to issues with school maintenance and faculty workers as well. A good principal will know how to analyze each problem and come up with a strategy to solve them. A principal might need to gather different resources and use the minds of more than just themself to come up with a solution.

For example, in some situations regarding students, a principal may need to work with the parents and the guidance counselor to come up with the best solution possible.

4. Ability to Form a Plan

To be a great leader, a principal must have a vision and form a plan. They should have a main goal for the school and create a team of people who can ensure the goal’s reached. This provides direction for students, teachers, and all school staff.

The principal should also be able to explain this vision clearly. Students, faculty, and staff should feel motivated, excited, and inspired by the principal.

5. Always Ready to Learn

Learning is a process that never ends. A good principal, like Jasdeep Singh, COO of 3BC, knows that they’ll never stop learning. You can never know or see everything, even after years of experience.

Working in a school is an ongoing learning experience that should be embraced. A great principal is someone who’s confident in their knowledge and experience yet is always willing to explore and learn about different outlooks on topics. They should constantly be pushing themselves to grow each and every year.

6. Practices Fairness and Consistency

A goof principal also knows how to stay fair and consistent. No two situations or problems will be the exact same, but a principal should handle similar situations in a similar way to ensure consistency. This is especially true when it comes to handling situations involving students.

You must be fair by implementing consistent disciplinary actions. The principal will also need to keep in mind the minor and major differences in each problem as well. If any of these affect the disciplinary action taken, then they should be noted.

These are the signs of a well-organized and fair principal.

7. Builds an Inclusive Learning Environment

The school should be a safe place for everyone, including all students. An amazing principal understands inclusion and how to build an inclusive learning environment. The principal must be prepared to participate in the changes and improvements of a school’s learning environment.

Every student should be nurtured and given flexible learning choices. A principal should encourage collaboration between the students and all faculty as well.

This Is What It Takes to Be A Successful School Principal

If you know how to reflect these key qualities, then you’ll know how to be a principal. The top school principal will possess these skills and qualities and understand how to use them to benefit the students, the faculty, staff, and the entire school as a team. If you can keep these qualities in mind, you’ll know how to hire a principal or how to be a great principal yourself.

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