“With a bit of training and a new focused mindset you and your school can gain the confidence to ask for what you need to implement effective leadership practices and hire the best of tomorrow’s workforce.”

The New Concept of Leadership in the Workplace for Retaining Top Talent

The leaders of some of America’s most successful corporations across any industry understand that their companies’ ability to innovate depends on attracting and retaining the very best talent. Having little in common with the traditional hierarchies of the past, these organizations focus on empowering their people and allowing them the space to do what they do best.

Google is an example of one such company: It has a flat organizational structure that enables employees to have direct access to the CEO without working their way up a chain of command. This makes it more likely that innovative ideas make their way to decision makers, which can move the company forward faster. These types of structures also attract top talent – according to an article on CNBC.com, Google is only one of two companies that have remained on Glassdoor’s “Top Places to Work” list for the past 15 years!

While school principals may not be able to readily retool all the chain-of-command structures in which they work, a more modern organizational approach can offer an important underlying takeaway: success depends upon attracting and retaining top talent, and principals can—and should—use this to their advantage.

The Scarcity of Top Talent in Schools

Between the scarcity of school administrators (particularly high-performing, effective principals), coupled with a national shortage of education applicants in K-12 schools, the issue of acquiring and retaining top talent can seem like an impossible mountain to climb. 

An article from 2023 in EdWeek cites issues of a generally tight labor market, overhiring under-qualified professionals, teaching professionals leaving for higher wages outside the industry and district competition. Even tenured employees are leaving one school for a better and more balanced opportunity at another school. The article mentions that “Educators have become more family-minded since the pandemic began, prompting them to prioritize their personal lives in deciding where to work.”

All of this means building a more solid foundation for your school to operate and thrive on. The stronger school environments will attract not only the talent, but also retain them. Without rethinking and re-shaping a school from the top down, many recruitment efforts will end up futile.

Shaping the Work Environment

Every person wants to have some power in shaping his or her work environment. For principals, this starts with changing many assumptions about what it means to be a principal today (including their definition of “leadership”). It also means understanding the ability to be your own champion, clearly conveying your value to other executives and administrations, and asking for what you need to do the daily work of being a transformative leader. 

Once you have your needs met as a leader, the shift begins. Instead of micromanaging and issuing orders, a strategic approach to school leadership should work to support the team and give them what they need to succeed. This perspective will take you out of your comfort zone, but the result will transform the work environment and help make the case for prospective employees to choose your school over the countless options available. This leadership style should be effectively communicated on job listings and during interviews, to reassure potential teachers and staff of the positive work environment and support from management.

Take Control of the Conversation

If you’re looking to gain increased support for changing your leadership style, start by regularly communicating with your superintendent, reiterating these points:

  • Why the superintendent hired you for the job at this time
  • What outcomes you have been hired to produce for your school community
  • How you intend to accomplish your goals, including how you must schedule your time to produce the desired outcomes
  • How this new focus will allow you to empower your current staff, and to attract the top talent for new hires

No matter the field or industry, both employers and employees must be satisfied with the way things are working. This might mean addressing today’s most challenging issues head on and pivoting or innovating to see better outcomes. By understanding and accepting the current labor and talent shortage, you will be in a strong position to have tough but productive conversations with higher-ups. With a bit of training and a new focused mindset you and your school can gain the confidence to ask for what you need to implement effective leadership practices and hire the best of tomorrow’s workforce.

It might be time to reevaluate your leadership style, and the structure in which your school operates.

The Breakthrough Coach method aims to build you as a leader first, so that your school, staff and students can find success. Learn more today!

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *