The Balance of Leadership: Areas to lean into and areas to show grace

By Rod Berg  |  March 24th

If you looked for the ultimate leader of schools in the 1960s and 1970s, it was usually a strong, direct leader who controlled every area of a school. Grace, adaptability, a good rapport with the community, and a soft side were often missing. But that style of leadership does not work well in this culture.

What areas should leaders lean into and be relentless on?

Vision

Bringing clarity and focus to a community is critical and requires full-out relentlessness! You simply never arrive at this area, rather you constantly pursue it! The more focused a leader is on vision the more effective a school becomes. Without a leader or board keeping the foot on the gas non-stop in this area, schools can drift. The leader of the organization needs to be obsessed with vision and the future for a school to thrive.

Strategic Planning

Having a keen eye on the future involves deliberate, strategic planning. The wonderful thing about schools constantly updating their strategic plans is they are always improving and redeeming who they are. This is another area where you never actually arrive, you just keep updating and improving the organization non-stop year after year.

Innovative Instruction

If schools are about learning, then our best thoughts and most creative energy also need to be focused here. As leaders, we should cringe when we miss reviewing curriculum and it remains dead and old for years. We can’t run creative projects every hour of every day, but we also can’t close our eyes and let the curriculum go stagnant for ten years. Our precious young image bearers of God deserve so much more! I am convinced that instructional coaches for teachers are the next level for schools to stay sharp in this area. Someone on your staff needs to keep their finger on the pulse of this critical area.

Boundaries

Good student management and boundaries also require a firm approach. Culture feeds and nourishes learning, and a healthy student and staff culture requires attention to keep the joy in the organization. Students, staff, and parents should treat each other well, in order for the kingdom to function as it should.

What areas to show grace in?

People

Teachers are the gold of your organization and require support and encouragement. The job of educators is not getting easier, and an extra bucket of grace and understanding should be reserved for your staff. They should get your attention, your extra grace, and your benefit of the doubt.

Conflict Resolution

Leaders have seen more challenging situations in recent years than ever before. Staying in the moment, being pliable and open to changes is the new approach. It requires a new level of listening, keeping the main thing in mind and stretching beyond where you thought you had to go. It is not about changing with the wind, rather it is about staying nimble, pivoting when needed, and following the lead of the spirit to new paths when nudged. That old stubbornness in leadership or my way does not cut it anymore! Communities will not tolerate that level of selfishness any longer.

Creative Approaches

It only takes a little bit to get creative and open to a new idea, but that one small step can lead exponentially to wonderful new roads for a school. Cracking the door open to something new can be a whole lot more fun than doing the same thing over and over.

In Summary…

A wise leader once told me that running an organization is a lot like holding a baby chick in your hands. You hold on too tightly and over-control, and you squeeze the life out of the community. But if you hold on carelessly and things get away from you, then you lose a sense of focus.

Good schools require a focussed vision and a keen eye toward future planning. They also require a deep love for people, processing things with grace and adaptability.

Hold on loosely, but don’t let go! The next generation of Christian leaders are counting on you to carry your school to the next level.

Rod Berg is the North Toronto cohort leader for Edvance and principal of Timothy Christian School in Barrie, ON.