What are the qualities of great leaders? Which quality is most important? And which one is absolutely necessary for a school to be run well?
Schools are led well by a variety of people. Often they are men, but not always. Sometimes they are good people, but not always. Sometimes they are extraordinary in their leadership skills, and sometimes not. There are so many factors that play a part in the good leadership of a school, that Heads can be downright rotten, and still run their schools better than someone ‘good’ might have done.
I have worked for five Heads in my lifetime. All five were men. All five were white. All five were middle-class. Two were corrupt. Both were taken to court after I had left their employment by the school or by the staff. Either they were accused of bullying, attacking, or refusing to properly pay female staff, or they were accused of having policies of hitting children, cheating at exams, and stealing school funds. One was entirely incompetent and often did not arrive at school until after 10am (we start at about 7:30 am), missed meetings, was a bit of a joker and was always just ‘sitting around’. One was very ordinary, decent enough, a little bit lazy, and did an ordinary job. And one was simply extraordinary, in the way he led, in his dedication, in his brilliance, in his ability to just do the job well, and I consider it a privilege to have worked under him.
Out of these five Heads, three have now retired. One is still a Head at the same school and one was head-hunted for a better-paid and more prestigious headship elsewhere. Who is still in his job? The ordinary one. Who was head-hunted? The incompetent one. The extraordinary one retired and the two corrupt ones were forced to make various amends after they had retired.
What is interesting is that both of these men, who were so very corrupt, and so very twisted in shocking ways, ran their schools better than anyone before or after them. The incompetent one did not run his school well, but was somehow head-hunted for another headship. The ordinary one continues to be ordinary, and runs an ordinary school. And the extraordinary one was never sought by anyone, and eventually retired a happy man.
Losing the corrupt Heads was the worst thing that could have happened to these two now very unhappy schools. The first, while he only promoted people he liked, made life a living hell for those he didn’t, deliberately blocked certain women, and talked about how the black kids had heads like coconuts and had come off banana boats, so terrified most of the staff into obeying him, that the school, in the end, fared better under him than anyone else.
The second, while he siphoned money off into his own pocket, also spent some of that money on his staff. So while the building was falling to pieces, and the children never benefited from theatre visits, and other extracurricular activities, which is what is intended by the government in providing those pots of money, the staff were complicit in the school’s corruption, were grateful for their engulfed salaries, and as such, did as they were told. Hitting children also has the effect of making children behave. When the new, untainted Head took over and didn’t hit the children, didn't cheat at exams, and didn't pay top-up staff salaries, the school melted into bubbling chaos.
My experience has taught me that while one might seek a ‘good’ leader, and one might always strive to be a ‘good’ leader oneself, the complexities of running modern schools are such, that one can never be quite certain of what one should look for.
Schools are led well by a variety of people. Often they are men, but not always. Sometimes they are good people, but not always. Sometimes they are extraordinary in their leadership skills, and sometimes not. There are so many factors that play a part in the good leadership of a school, that Heads can be downright rotten, and still run their schools better than someone ‘good’ might have done.
I have worked for five Heads in my lifetime. All five were men. All five were white. All five were middle-class. Two were corrupt. Both were taken to court after I had left their employment by the school or by the staff. Either they were accused of bullying, attacking, or refusing to properly pay female staff, or they were accused of having policies of hitting children, cheating at exams, and stealing school funds. One was entirely incompetent and often did not arrive at school until after 10am (we start at about 7:30 am), missed meetings, was a bit of a joker and was always just ‘sitting around’. One was very ordinary, decent enough, a little bit lazy, and did an ordinary job. And one was simply extraordinary, in the way he led, in his dedication, in his brilliance, in his ability to just do the job well, and I consider it a privilege to have worked under him.
Out of these five Heads, three have now retired. One is still a Head at the same school and one was head-hunted for a better-paid and more prestigious headship elsewhere. Who is still in his job? The ordinary one. Who was head-hunted? The incompetent one. The extraordinary one retired and the two corrupt ones were forced to make various amends after they had retired.
What is interesting is that both of these men, who were so very corrupt, and so very twisted in shocking ways, ran their schools better than anyone before or after them. The incompetent one did not run his school well, but was somehow head-hunted for another headship. The ordinary one continues to be ordinary, and runs an ordinary school. And the extraordinary one was never sought by anyone, and eventually retired a happy man.
Losing the corrupt Heads was the worst thing that could have happened to these two now very unhappy schools. The first, while he only promoted people he liked, made life a living hell for those he didn’t, deliberately blocked certain women, and talked about how the black kids had heads like coconuts and had come off banana boats, so terrified most of the staff into obeying him, that the school, in the end, fared better under him than anyone else.
The second, while he siphoned money off into his own pocket, also spent some of that money on his staff. So while the building was falling to pieces, and the children never benefited from theatre visits, and other extracurricular activities, which is what is intended by the government in providing those pots of money, the staff were complicit in the school’s corruption, were grateful for their engulfed salaries, and as such, did as they were told. Hitting children also has the effect of making children behave. When the new, untainted Head took over and didn’t hit the children, didn't cheat at exams, and didn't pay top-up staff salaries, the school melted into bubbling chaos.
My experience has taught me that while one might seek a ‘good’ leader, and one might always strive to be a ‘good’ leader oneself, the complexities of running modern schools are such, that one can never be quite certain of what one should look for.
