Taking Extreme Ownership of Our Leadership
There are hundreds of books and thousands of articles that have been written on the subject of leadership in general, and on school leadership specifically. It is often confusing to consume these books and then to filter out the critical, useful nuggets that we can integrate into our school leadership.
I recently completed Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, who share their lessons of leadership learned during their time as navy SEALS serving in Iraq. They make no specific references to the leadership of a school principal but their powerful points are worthy for serious consideration, not only by principals but by anyone who considers themselves a school leader or who desires to become one.
I would like to briefly consolidate several meaningful ideas from the book which may prove helpful and instructive.
1. EXTREME OWNERSHIP – the premise and foundational idea is a powerful, all embracing one, found in other forms in other leadership books, as well. This is the idea of a leader assuming total, full, and complete ownership of anything and everything that occurs in the school. That means a school leader does not blame others, complain about events, nor pass the buck to others. To be a leader and to be perceived as one, means that everything from teachers to toilet paper, curriculum to the copy machine, bullying to biology, is the responsibility of the school leader. You take ownership of anything and everything that occurs in the school, by anyone who operates under your leadership. This means making tough choices, at times, to make the necessary changes, but it does not mean taking credit for the good stuff. Own up to all the issues and give credit to others for the positives.
2. SET ATTAINABLE GOALS- Highly effective leaders understand the potential of their teams and set stretch goals that are attainable. Making these goals somewhat visual, perhaps by using data and charts and the like, enables the leader to create a team that works together towards a high standard goal. When that goal is met, have a brief period for modest celebration before moving on to a new achievement to be met.
3.IT’S WHAT YOU TOLERATE- Preaching about the work to be done, fancy motivational posters, and free lunches are nice but they do not form the engine that drives excellence. First and foremost, leaders roll up their sleeves first and get in there and get involved in the work with everyone else. But in order to truly reach excellence, remember that it’s not what you preach but what the leader permits himself to tolerate. Your team is only as strong as its weakest member so tolerating substandard work means you are willing to accept mediocrity. Poor performance becomes the new, acceptable standard in your school. Avoid this.
4. 100% BELIEF IN THE MISSION- In order to successfully and passionately convey the message of the mission of the school or a task at hand, the school leader must allow himself the time to make certain that he, fully and confidently, believes in the mission or task, to be “a true believer in the mission.” Without this full belief, one communicates with ambivalence, insecurity, and a lack of confidence which will result in flawed and sad results. The teachers and faculty begin to question their own belief in the mission and even in the leadership of the principal. Understand “the why” of the task and practice articulating it without any hesitancy.
5. PARK YOUR EGO- Allowing one’s own ego and personal agendas to contaminate clear vision will result in poor performance and mission failures. Leaders must operate with high degrees of humility and modesty. Know the difference between confidence and cockiness. Without having the humility needed for expert leadership, a principal will find it difficult to show “extreme ownership,” and instead blame others or communicate ineffectively.
6. BUILD TEAMS- Communicate and teach your faculty that your school will either win or lose, sink or swim, as a team! A team works for each other, covers for one another when needed, and mutually supports each other. Failure or celebration, whichever it is, is experienced by the team as one. To achieve this level of teamwork, requires the leader to establish appropriate, personal relationships and to engage often with the team members. This occurs most meaningfully, not by having school barbeques or after school happy hours, but on a daily basis, and with sincerity and support.
7. SIMPLICITY- The school leader must ensure that all members of the team understand the goals, mission, and instructions with clarity. To achieve this, the principal needs to communicate in simple and concise language so that all members understand the same thing. When plans are too complicated, things inevitably go wrong. At times, the leader may have true clarity but there may be a clouding of uncertainty in the minds of the team members. Simplicity not only allows everyone to better understand but also the ability to make quick and smooth modifications to a plan, if needed. Since the goal and mission were clear to all, necessary adjustments are more easily made.
8. PRIORITIZE AND EXECUTE- A day in the life of a school principal is rarely easy! There can be so many unexpected and unanticipated surprises thrown towards the principal that the day becomes quickly confusing and overwhelming. This is certainly a more common occurrence than we would like, so developing the ability to remain calm and focused in order to make quick decisions is a key and essential skill. To do so, the authors share the principle used in the heat of a battle, which is to “prioritize and execute.” Relax, reflect, and make a call. One way to stay ahead of the game is to stay ahead of the game….to anticipate what may or can go wrong and how you would deal with it. Staying organized, and self-managed, pre-planning helps the leader remain ahead of the curve so when everything, including the kitchen sink, is being thrown at you, you can remain calm and execute based on your prior experience and current assessment of the situation. The other part of this is to tackle the first issues first. Evaluate what the highest priority is for the school, and do what needs to be done to develop a solution to that problem or issue. Then execute the solution before going on to other problems on your plate. Maintaining calm and focus is the key to efficient adjustment. A strong and effective leader knows how to act decisively amid uncertainty, based on the available information.
9. DELEGATION- The authors of the book refer to this as “decentralized command.” What this means is to make sure that the leader shares leadership with others so that the leader can maintain a strong peripheral view of the institution. There are school leaders, who, in their insecurity, fail to delegate and share decision making and influence with others. This results in their plate getting filled far too quickly on far too many days, creating a sense of chaos and being overwhelmed. Instead, charge your people in subordinate positions with clarity and trust to make calls and decisions when necessary. Build trust and experience. A true leader has the strength to let go and does not make the error of hoarding control. If it turns out that that the team is not being effective or making decisions that are not working for the school, the leader should look inward and assume “extreme ownership” by considering that perhaps he was lax in effective communication or did not train the others as well as he can, or perhaps did not set proper and clear goals.
10. PLAN AND RISK- Highly effective school leaders plan effectively, in advance. They contemplate and anticipate their needs and plan what needs to get done to meet school goals. However, making a plan does not mean not taking calculated risks to try new ideas and strategies. Schools should not remain stuck doing “same old” when there is a possible good idea to try. The father of the U.S. navy, John Paul Jones said, “those who will not risk, cannot win.”
11. The authors make a point that a leader needs to be seen. The idea of a school principal being viewed as “visible” is a most powerful strategy to remain informed, knowledgeable, and connected to the troops in the classrooms. Helping to guide in a decisive way with regularity is a hallmark of leadership. Teachers, parents, and students know and feel when their principal is around and visible …or not.
12. SELF DISCIPLINE- To earn the respect of the subordinates in your school and to be viewed as the role model that a leader should be, he/she must develop self-discipline in all areas, personal and professional. The authors make the point that the starting test of self -discipline is when the alarm clock goes off in the morning. A leader does not hit snooze but gets out of bed. A leader demonstrates time management, keeps a clean and organized desk, stays fit, and maintains rules of ethics and professionalism. A self-disciplined leader does not gossip, does not yell or lose it, but apologizes quickly when he makes an error of omission or commission. He admits when he is wrong and sticks to promises made. He is confident but not cocky, shows appropriate levels of emotion, and is humble but not passive. He is attentive to details, keeps his eyes and ears open, but does not obsess about the minutia. He is a role model for both personal and professional excellence.
Perhaps the job of a school principal is dangerously similar to being in battle! A principal needs to look out for minefields and anticipate the lurking “enemies” wherever they may be. Maybe that is why the leadership principles in Extreme Ownership resonate so well with the school leaders position and should strongly be considered and reviewed.
