Ten Qualities of a Good School Administrator
Pam PrestonA school administrator is one of the figures with the greatest responsibility in educational institutions, especially at the basic and upper secondary levels.
Among the most important functions of the school administrator is decision-making. These decisions are related to the operation, organization, and administration of a school.
Public schools have an average of 13 staff members (excluding teachers) per campus, while private schools have eight staff. The performance and effectiveness of supervisory and support personnel depend on different factors: the roles and functions assigned to them, the organizational structure in which they operate, the workload, and how they are managed.
Individuals’ attitudes and abilities are strongly influenced by the training and support they receive when preparing for a career or job, as well as their working conditions and financial incentives. To a large extent, this also depends on the personal image entering the industry, which depends on the recruitment standards and procedures, and is inspired by its main role. The career opportunities open to them are equally influential.
Although it may be difficult for the managers of the central supervisory department to influence the daily work of supervisors directly, they still have a lot to say so that many reforms can be made to the management of supervisors. If careful reforms are carried out, it may have a major positive impact on the quality of supervision services.
It’s no surprise to educators when you tell them that the most annoying period of the day is the school dismissal period when you have to face angry parents and other challenges. For a safe dismissal process, you can trust Qmanager.
In addition to management and administration responsibilities of a school administrator, He or she must consider a decisive factor: the human factor.
Because a school administrator’s position is key to educational quality, here are the ten qualities necessary to be a successful educational administrator and to efficiently assume responsibilities of school management or coordination.
1. Leadership
Leadership is one of the most important skills that a school administrator must possess due to the responsibilities that he must assume.
The leader in educational environments is responsible for promoting the work and collaboration of all people related to learning: authorities, teachers, administrative employees and parents.
This leader must inspire and intellectually stimulate the people with whom he collaborates, listening personally to each of them and encouraging them to develop their best capacities to benefit from the common goal.
The most important traits of the educational leader are the ability to influence others without imposing their authority, the reflection of personal and professional values, and the ability to convey a vision.
2. Effective Communication
The ability to communicate assertively is one of the keys to leadership in educational settings.
The successful administrator conveys his ideas clearly, honestly, and directly.
His objective is to achieve adequate harmony between the different people who collaborate on the same project.
Good communication skills are also related to good listening skills. One of the most effective communication medium for an administrator is Qmanager.
The responsive leader adequately channels the opinion and perspective of the people who speak to him.
3. Generation of Commitment
The leader seeks the commitment of all members of the school community, including parents and students.
To achieve the commitment and involvement of all the participants in a common school project, the leader must have the ability to show openness and receptivity.
An educational administrator succeeds in generating his educational community’s commitment when its different participants are capable of working with autonomy and independence.
Ongoing communication and interaction are important to achieve the best results in school community engagement.
4. Social Interaction
The leader represents the interests of a group or a community. This representation implies the ability to constantly interact with community members to learn about their motivations, ideas, and goals.
The successful educational leader is one who stays in contact with the community he leads and who manages to make each of the members identify with a common project.
5. Persuasion
Due to their work nature, persuasion is one of the most important social skills for those who run or coordinate schools.
The leader who uses persuasion efficiently unifies criteria, channels efforts and leads his team on a path of collaboration and working together.
6. Empower Others
Successful leaders see greatness in others and work hard to bring the greatness out of them. The decision of a leader results in school growth. Every leader will tell you the role they played in making a school grow.
7. Assign More Tasks
Strong leaders lead by example, with the zeal of getting things done by themselves. It is important to assign some roles to other staff. The benefits of assigning tasks include enabling their team to meet set goals, better workload management and staff development. It will also make the team produce great results.
8. Act Decisively
Great administrators dedicate time to understand the problems they face and take strong, decisive action to solve such a problem.
9. Managing Risk
A good leader must weigh both costs and benefits when making decisions. They have to consider both possibilities and prospective outcomes of their decision. Successful administrators must look at both risks and opportunities that affect their schools.
10. Priority Management
To save time and energy wasted on unimportant tasks, it is advisable to get priorities right. The better an administrator can prioritize tasks, the easier will the task will be accomplished.
When you develop yourself with these skills, you will not only become a good administrator but a successful leader. Hence, for a safe dismissal process, you should make use of Qmanager.
