Why school leaders need to be good learners

In 2012 Michael Fullan said "the degree to which the principal participates as a learner  is twice as impactful as any other factor" in achieving school change.

So that's why we need school leaders in our school change teams. They need to help articulate the vision, and model risk taking, willingness to fail and demonstrate their own learning transparently, honestly and with candour. They need to lead from within and empower others to act, build ownership, interest and  draw on the intrinsic motivation of their staff.

So, as a start, let's have a think - as a school leader, how good are you at:

• listening to others
• being creative
• articulating your educational vision concisely
• demonstrating a positive attitude and a growth mindset
• coaching others
• motivating yourself to change
• motivating your staff
• showing your learning side, not just your leading side
• persevering
• being self-directed and accountable for your learning
• working in teams
• delegating and empowering others to act
• loving and valuing your employees
• authentically connecting with your school community
• celebrating successes
• acknowledging and owning failures
• evaluating initiatives
• articulating your moral purpose
• giving others license to try
• building leadership capacity - formal and informal - across your staff
• managing your time
• being organised
• adapting to change
• creating an environment in which great ideas can happen
• moonshot thinking
• handling criticism
• having critical conversations with staff when needed
• being resilient 
• prioritising
• collaborating and connecting with others not just in your school but across networks, locally and globally
• showing empathy
• critical thinking
• divergent thinking
• taking risks
• being willing to fail
• modelling all of the above?