Those who want to advance their skills and upgrade their knowledge to improve as an educational leader can appear to be a tricky task. Gaining those skills that they don’t have will help them become complete, get promoted to senior ranks, switch to better career opportunities, and grow professionally. They can do several things to achieve perfection, become flexible and lead a team more efficiently. Besides the hardcore aptitude and competencies, they will also be able to hone their soft skills.
How to determine your level of efficiency or you need improvement?
In this dynamic and enterprising profession of school management, a leader must be spot on. Therefore they must evaluate how he has progressed over the years or what impact his strategies have had? Has he evolved? Has he managed to learn innovative theories or practices? Was there a change in his approach? Well, to find out answers to the questions, they need to consider factors like:
Have they received admiration or compliments on specific abilities?
Taking into account the skills other managers or colleagues have noticed or complimented in the past. For instance, if a leader has got high scores for a team effort on a performance review, it means there has been great progress and has managed to contribute to the success of the organization he is running.
What do the track records say?
Another way to measure the performance effectively is by analyzing the track record and past achievements? Considering the times when a leader has achieved something at work, big or small. He might have won accolades, an award or simply taken a decision or completed a project, or initiated a new strategy that had produced better results than expected. It goes to show that he has been successful and displayed dexterity.
How to boost job-specific skills as a school leader?
Job-specific skills refer to the abilities and competencies needed for a certain position comprising of both hard and soft skills. They’re generally gained through education & training, undertaking educational leadership and management course, or on-the-job experience. It may happen that even after several years of experience or on-job training, educational leaders are unable to meet the expectations or standards. In such cases, they’ve to develop modern leadership skills from time to time, gain in-depth knowledge through a blend of concepts and hands-on training and follow the tips mentioned below.
• Set goals to make sure they reach the desired targets and everything works according to their plans. Setting smaller, measurable, and relevant goals are tried and tested formulas to success.
• Enroll in an online or regular educational leadership and management course for gathering skills and knowledge and becoming upgraded with the latest leadership practices and strategies and implement them successfully while running the school. The course will also impart lessons on soft skill development such as adaptability, communication, creativity, time management, leadership, decision-making, teamwork, motivation, conflict resolution, etc
• Ask for feedback about strengths and weaknesses to evaluate where they’re going wrong or in which areas they need improvement as well as build on their strengths and skills
• Assess job descriptions for positions for making job switches and getting better opportunities careerwise.
• Research is online for utilizing their idle time. The best way to do it is to read blogs and articles on instructional leadership published on the internet.
Is politics or time management bothering you and proving hurdles in your career as an educational leader? Are you looking for ways to leverage your career trajectory for the better? Want to run and manage schools effectively? Opt for an educational leadership and management course at IITT and become an achiever by surmounting all challenges and obstacles. Excel in your role as an educational leader by getting intensive training on various aspects of school leadership. The course is ideal for both aspirants and working professionals who’re looking for valuable guidance from coaching materials and experts.
Laxmon Gope is an avid freelance writer who has shown his expertise in writing informative blogs and articles in educational leadership and management course. Earlier, he worked as a senior leader at a leading elementary school.