Assistant Principals: My Knee Jerk Reaction

What it really means to lead intentionally to avoid this common pitfall

Welcome to the LEAD-17 Engineering by Design Blog segment, where we examine real-world examples of good, not-so-good, and great leadership techniques. We learn best from the success and failure of ourselves and others; therefore, this blog segment examines the good, bad, and ugly to help us develop our leadership framework, standards, and values. It has been said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...so let us begin.

Be Intentional, Be focused, and Be Informed!

Be Intentional, Be focused, and Be Informed!

What does the idiom "knee jerk reaction" mean when school and district level leaders use the phrase "My knee jerk reaction is?" What message does it convey? Does it build confidence in one's leadership ability, vision, standards, and goals? Do words matter when we lead?

My Knee Jerk Reaction

As a newly hired or veteran assistant principal, you seek to absorb everything you can from leaders in a variety of positions ranging from building level to the central office, to professional educational speakers, to consultants, and even a host of leadership gurus in one of the thousands of leadership books available on Amazon. In addition, the podcast from educational experts lures us into the deep motivational dives we all need to pull us forward, challenge our thinking, and make us better educators. The books, blogs, podcasts, and TedTalks are intentionally designed to convey a particular point of view---messages designed to be intentional, focused, and inform the participant on one specific topic.

As a growing professional who aspires to advance to the principalship role, take stock in the intentionality of the messages delivered when we have time to prepare. However, as you know and have likely experienced, school administrators' daily job is focused on being reactionary to our environment. As we walk the hallways, take a call from a parent, respond to emails, visit classrooms, and participate in meetings, we often respond with little to no time to prepare a thoughtful and intentional response.

We need to have a plan for responding, acting, and carrying out daily duties. Without a plan, you may fall victim to the "knee jerk reaction" and inadvertently sending the message you act without thinking which can be rather demoralizing to a student, teacher, parent, or superintendent to think that the issue they have brought to the table lends itself to nothing more or less than a "knee jerk reaction" from a leader within the school. A decision made without examining the facts, considering the impact on people and programs, or without the intentionality to deliberately build a school or program culture represents knee-jerk reactions—ultimately leading to failure.

The Plan

Be Intentional. As a leader in your school, you are faced with countless opportunities to make decisions as you field innumerable questions in a day. Do you answer every question the moment it is presented? Do you find yourself saying "my knee-jerk reaction" is to say....? Do you write the question down or ask the questioner to send you an email, and you will get back to them later? Do you feel a sense of urgency to answer the question "in the moment"? Questions and situations related to the health, safety and well-being of those in our environment require an immediate response. Other questions which need and deserve more intentional thought can wait--- say, that is an excellent question; let me think about it, and I'll get back to you within the day or next 48-hours. Be sure to follow up. Do not leave people hanging, or your effort to demonstrate thoughtfulness and intentionality will be met with an impression of avoidance of the question and disregard for essential issues. Remember it is ok to say, "I'm not sure. Let me do some research and get back with you" or "Let me think about it and check a few things, and I'll follow up with you." Always end with thanking the person for their thoughtful questions and the discussion, as this keeps the door open for future talks.

Be Focused. Ensure your actions are aligned with the vision, mission, and goals of the school district's strategic plan and the school's improvement plan. Know where you are headed and ask questions. How does this lesson support the goals of our school and school district? How does this initiative, program, extra-curricular or co-curricular activity support who we are (#mission), who we want to be (#vision), and demonstrate forward-thinking and risk-taking (#values)? If I use the idiom "knee jerk reaction" when addressing the school's core values and beliefs, it begs the question--Do you know our purpose and how to take us there?

Be Informed. Read, read, read! I once worked with an assistant principal who stated very clearly on multiple occasions, "I do not like to read," to which I responded, "then you better find another occupation" because you cannot survive in this profession without continuous growth---and that includes reading professional books, journals, and yes, from your professional learning network (#PLN). Being informed of the latest and most effective leadership techniques and strategies, instructional strategies, and cultural development process is imperative in a constantly morphing profession to meet the needs of our future scholars. Grow with profession---stay informed---ask questions--and draw connections to the vision, mission, values, and goals while always thinking, "how will I do this when I'm a principal"---what are your beliefs, how do you grow your leadership legacy?

The LEAD-17 program focuses on and supports leaders utilizing field experiences and current research to support an individualized leadership approach. What are the five words that describe your leadership approach, beliefs, and values? These will ultimately be the five structures of intentionality, focus, and information to deter you from falling victim to the "Knee Jerk Reaction."