7 Quick Tips For School Leaders to Build Relationships
A regular recommendation on my Twitter feed is “building relationships” as a foundational core to a successful school environment. Even Bill Gates has chimed in on the power of relationship building.
Roland Barth, consultant, author, and founder of Principals’ Center at Harvard University, has stated, “The nature of relationships among the adults within a school has a greater influence on the character and quality of that school and on student accomplishment than anything else.”
What are action steps that lead to improved relationships? It is the little things as much (or more) than the big things.
Know Thyself
We all have personal/professional relationship strengths and weaknesses. I’ve taken the VIA Strengths survey to better understand myself. Survey results also help teachers to work productively together and has practical implications directly in the classroom too. Keep an eye on your bottom strengths (survey does not use term ‘weaknesses’) when improving relationships with others. The CliftonStrengths Finder is another evaluative tool I’ve used to better understand the components to building cohesive, more productive teams.
Prioritize It
You cannot rush relationship building. Make it core to what you do every day.
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Do you smile when greeting others? Do you practice the skill set needed to truly listen? Do you use first names? Are you open to new ideas? Are you approachable by all? If you have a steady stream of new ideas being pitched to you by students, teachers, or parents, you are approachable.
Find Sounding Boards
Get feedback from trusted community members on the school culture. Having a few open, frank relationships with trusted teachers and parents gives you unvarnished information to continue/improve relationship building.
Inspire
Yes, it is part of the job but don’t overdo it. I used carefully crafted messages to teachers, parents, and students meant to galvanize support for the work we do. There is tremendous value in taking time at faculty and parent meetings to share inspiring messages, video clips, and stories. Learning is about people, not things.
Celebrate, Laugh & Play
It was a wise person who stated, “Praise publicly, criticize privately.” Celebrate your successes, big and small. Sharing a leadership faux pas means it is OK to make mistakes. If you can, food and drink is always appreciated at faculty and parent meetings. I wrote personalized notes of thanks to several teachers every week along with a small bouquet of flowers. Saying “Thank You” in a variety of ways has a significant positive impact on everyone. If You Don’t Feed The Teachers, They Eat The Students and Brad Johnson’s Putting Teachers First are great resources on relationship building in schools.
Be Predictably Unpredictable
Everyone should know your core educational philosophy. Those beliefs are rock solid. Just about everything else can be negotiable. Say “Yes!” to those new ideas pitched to you. Change up your faculty meetings. Heaven forbid, cancel a meeting if it does not further a goal or specific need.
Bonus Tip
Never forget the potential power of every single contact you have with another person. You never know which one will be the difference maker.
