There has never been a great orator who didn’t first learn to speak, just as there has never been an accomplished musician who didn’t first learn to play an instrument, and there has never been a gifted writer who didn’t first learn the alphabet.
This is a simple way of saying that there is no shortcut to confidence, credibility and wisdom. I have come to discover through some successes and many mistakes in my career that we are not really leading if no one is following us, and that no one will follow us for very long if we don’t know what the heck we’re talking about.
In an industry with so many young teachers, we need our instructional coaches, assistant principals and principals to be ready and able to offer them great advice, from School Board policy questions to classroom best practices.
This is why we should feel a great duty to support the young administrators in our schools, and our aspiring leaders should feel a great duty to stay abreast of instructional best practices, current research findings and educational trends. In fact, our best leaders should be in a constant state of learning, experimentation, observation, collaboration and reflection.
Instructional leadership is an action, not a noun
True instructional leadership demands constant attention in light of our roles as key advisers and because of the dire consequences at stake when we skip a step, when we don’t read the article, or when we stop learning, quit observing or think we know it all. Why? In short, because our students, parents and teachers believe us when we say something. They trust that we know what we’re talking about. They view us as the experts who will not lead them astray.
Yes, dire consequences can arise when we lose sight of our own learning. When that happens, we make mistakes and students suffer. We also lose the trust that our stakeholders put in our leadership. As a result, respect and relationships suffer as well. In fact, poor advice can be worse than no advice because (for example) a new teacher may be following the suggestions of an administrator who is not well-informed. In turn, best practices are misidentified, miscommunicated or misapplied.
Instructional leadership requires, you know, leadership
As school and district leaders, no matter how busy we are, we cannot shortcut our own learning. Let us never forget that first things come first. We must first know best practices deeply before we can ask others to follow our leads. Like you, I have learned a few things in life and leadership that may help others. One of the most important is that there is a proper order to things, that first things comes first.
That we have to learn to speak before we can pray. That someone has got to learn us our letters first in case we’ve got something to say. That we cannot savor life’s sweetness without first knowing the sour. And that we have no shot at making really yummy, cheesy biscuits without first finding the flour.
That struggle and toil and sweat come first, and victories later. That humility comes before honor and honor before triumph. That you cannot know happiness without first having a good cry, and that you must live a life first before you can die.
You see, first things come first, and I pray that we do not lose sight of this.
So here’s hoping that we read the book before we rent the movie. That we admit our own faults before we blame others. That we say we’re sorry, that we ask for forgiveness, and that we never, ever shortcut our own learning. Why? Because we must lead long before we can expect others to follow, and because we must be credible before we can expect to be incredible.
