The School Principal – "The Daring Succeed "– A Rare Combination of Leader and Entrepreneur

A well-known secret in the business world is that a decisive factor in the success of an organization lies in the person who manages it. The most successful and prominent managers in the world are those who have a rare combination of management capabilities alongside entrepreneurship, which is expressed in ongoing attempts to promote the organization they manage. When an organization does not succeed and does not meet its goals, it is clear that the responsibility lies with the manager and he or she will be the one who is liable to pay the price. Successful managers must also be professionals with leadership qualities and abilities in order to lead their organization to great achievements. Management experience, knowledge, and abilities will not be sufficient in this changing world, especially facing the technological and human challenges that are developing as Generation Z and Generation Alpha start entering the workforce. Reality shows that many of those successful managers were in fact leaders and entrepreneurs who were able to look ahead and mark the change required and lead it to growth.

But is this also true in the world of education? Is there anything similar to managing a school in the public education system? It is a management model in which a principal is simultaneously required to manage dozens of workers in various professions, along with managing / educating hundreds of learners on a daily basis. It is a model in which one must work and report to several bosses: parents, students, the Ministry of Education, and the municipality. Here, too, is the place to raise the problem of defining the relationship between the principal of the school and the parents, as well as the students themselves. Is this a supplier-client relationship? It is difficult to define this, but it is clear to everyone that this is a large and complex challenge placed on the shoulders of the principal.

The following are some of the tasks included in the position of school principal (not in order of importance): Management, recruitment, retention and development of staff in the field of teaching and administration, planning an annual work plan, planning and integrating pedagogical innovation, meeting goals - achievements and grades, compliance with all the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Education (Ministry Guidelines), filling out reports to various departments, fundraising, logistics, safety, security – daily as well as emergency preparedness, frontal teaching, and of course ongoing management – meetings, problems that pop up, and more.

So how do school principals deal with this unique situation? Have the managers responsible for leading the organization with the most important human capital for all of us been tested, chosen, trained and have they received all the professional tools required to achieve success in their organization? Do the principals regularly receive all of the professional assistance and support, both in the personnel aspect and financial aspect? There is probably no single answer that is clear and correct, but it is clear that there are principals who are more successful than others, and in my opinion, if we look at them, we can try to learn about the suitable characters for running a school and about the content and skills that should be imparted to principals during their training.

Looking at unique and successful educational institutions in Israel reinforces the conclusion, with which this document opens, according to which the principal has a tremendous and perhaps even an exclusive contribution to the success of a school. Each of the principals in these institutions is an inspiring figure who is motivated by an educational mission, most of whom even have a broad education and training beyond the regular training of principals. But most prominent is the fact that they are leaders who are capable of conceiving a change, making it happen, and then managing it and leading it to a growth that envelops and affects their environment. In practice, these principals provide the conditions and create an atmosphere and a physical place that supports and leads the change in the educational institution. An examination of the actions of these principals can attest to and expose the content and skills that must be taught and imparted to principals in their training, as well as the qualities which must be sought after and developed in any principals of an educational institution.

Character

Walk the talk - First and foremost school principals must understand their place as leaders in the communities surrounding them. The school is in fact a bridge between the students and their parents, creating a community. As leaders of their community, they must present to their environment a personal example in a variety of issues and values, but above all, they must exemplify the courage to change and create change. Leading a change in a community requires a major confrontation, especially with parents who have studied in the old school model. Therefore, school principals must be visionaries and lead the way with complete faith in it, while listening to the people around them, both old and young. They must put the needs of the students and teachers in their schools first and work towards their vision. The field of education is constantly evolving and there is always something better, so principals must have an internal drive for constant renewal and change and always be on the lookout for upgrade ideas and ways to implement them. They should aspire to the advancement of everyone; even the outstanding teachers can improve and school principals should know how to challenge them.

Managing people

Team Management - The school principal's management challenge includes the rare combination of employee management and student management which, in my opinion, is a distinct category in the defined range between customers and employees. In light of the great challenge that exists in teaching and the erosion which many teachers report, the work of a principal is great and requires dealing with several parameters:

A. Creating and managing a team - The teaching staff in a school is comprised of new teachers and veteran teachers. Like the students, each teacher is also a unique individual with unique opinions, experience, passion, and talent. The challenge for the principal is to effectively manage experts, collect and form all teachers into a cohesive team that works together towards a clear goal and vision around the school principal. At the same time, the ability of each teacher must be fulfilled where the inner Eros is present.

B. Encouraging initiative and autonomy - The principal must know how to transcend day-to-day management and initiate and encourage employees to work for the benefit of the school. An important parameter for maximizing the capabilities of the school staff is to empower both employees and students by increasing their affiliation to the organization. In order to encourage initiatives, principals must allow for autonomy and flexibility and give their employees a sense of security and inspiration.

C. Personal and team development - One of the problems that many school principals face is the fact that many teachers remain stuck in their position for many years without any change or progress, leading to erosion and a significant decrease in the motivation to teach and the quality of instruction. People like to feel they are progressing and contributing. The principal must stimulate a constant learning culture, while looking at each teacher individually and creating a personal development track with them (no matter what age), based on initiative and talent. This track should include both aspects of the educational world and other aspects for the enrichment of the teacher. For example, going to professional conferences in and out of the country, graduate studies, and classes and workshops from various fields of knowledge. Another aspect is the construction of an internal development hierarchy within the school, and possibly even with cooperation between several schools, that makes it easier for the principal to manage and enables teachers to feel that they are in motion and progressing. For example, appointing a teacher responsible for visits to the school, responsible for developing the field of learning methods, responsible for developing collaborations, etc.

D. Collaboration and good use of manpower – co-operational leadership is of great importance and enables the principal to lead the organization in the right direction while feeling its pulse and emotions. Giving the teachers responsibility allows the principal to share the burden of management and promote important areas that are not urgent and are therefore often pushed aside. In addition, the appointment of teachers in certain fields enables principals to supplement and strengthen school management in areas in which they are not as strong. An example of such an appointment is a teacher responsible for school innovation.

E. Autonomy - Management is not a natural thing. Management in its old and traditional form is good if one wants to achieve obedience. But if one wants involvement, self-direction will work better. In order for this to work, the financial issue must be taken off the table (paying properly), and then people are given a lot of autonomy. For example, give your teachers 24 hours once a year they sit and develop content, study methods, or whatever they want, as long as it is not related to their work. And at the end of the day create a party in which everyone presents what they have created.

F. Motivation - The right and appropriate approach today is being internally motivated to do things we want to do because they are interesting and are part of something important. School principals must take this into consideration and understand that in order to improve the product of their employees they must relate to three components that motivate them:

1. Autonomy - the urge to find direction for their lives.

2. Skill - the desire to get better and better at something that matters to them.

3. Purpose - the desire to do what they do in service of something that is greater than them.

Managing students – Given the position of principal of an educational institution, there is great importance attached to the character of the principal as it appears to the students. There are many models of management that are based on the principal's vision and pedagogical approach. That said, there three aspects are essential in my view:

A. Listening to students and learning about their needs.

B. Understanding the gap between the adult and the child - this requires the adult to bend down to the child and talk to him or her in the right way to convey the message.

C. Understanding that as principals, they are role models and that they must give a personal example in every aspect of their life in the school and beyond it.

Managing Parents - Another major challenge in working with people is the relationship with parents of students. There are many models whose amplitude is stretched from parents who run the school themselves to parents who are completely uninvolved. Here, too, there is importance to listening, understanding and inclusion. However, school principals as leaders must know how to draw the line and lead their own path within the community in order to enable the school to operate and fulfil its pedagogy.

Management skills

In order to implement their pedagogic approach while complying with the Ministry Guidelines, principals must acquire and maintain several basic management skills:

Planning - Planning, implementing, and debriefing a work plan - Planning for optimal implementation of the school year alongside planning personal development tracks for teachers and students. Writing a plan from formulating a goal, selecting suitable and up-to-date content, examining existing resources for realization (not only financial), up to following up on implementation and ongoing and debriefing examination of the work plan.

Management and leadership - Recognition and practice of management skills - Exposure to management tools, among them time management, motivating people, team building, change management, risk management, visualization of a whole with all of its parts, and more.

Resource management – Finding, collection, and optimal us of resource - The school is in constant shortage and therefore the principal has the task of managing and increasing its resources in different and creative ways. Examples of this are the examination and identification of existing resources available to the school, from the environment surrounding it through the parents of the students to external factors, forging professional relationships, and building collaborations.

Encouraging Learning - In a changing world and facing the challenges of new generations attending school, there is a need for constant learning and renewal at school. The principals' role is to push their people to learn from their pedagogic environment in their school and in other schools in Israel and around the world. In addition, they should encourage their teachers to learn from different worlds in order to promote ideas and creative solutions to pedagogic challenges.

Evaluation and Assessment - Every organization has a basic need for data about its conduct. Management of an institution whose purpose is to develop the learner in various aspects from language acquisition to teamwork skills must be based on data about: learners, methods of instruction, and the results obtained during and at the end of the process. Therefore, a principal must have knowledge in the terms of classification, evaluation, and assessment, along with constant and appropriate examination of the assessment in relation to areas and aspects that have not been evaluated in the past.

The Freedom to Dream

Successful principals in the education system are those who do not stop dreaming innovating from the day the school was established and throughout their tenure. In order to cope with pedagogic challenges, existing bureaucracy, and other constraints that inhibit entrepreneurship, school principals must be able to think outside the box. Creative thinking, both pedagogical and bureaucratic, is a necessary condition for running a successful school. Many principals also note their ability to act flexibly and allow flexibility for their employees as the central component that enables the development and fueling of school entrepreneurship.

Conclusion:

There is no argument about the importance of the head of any organization. Studies have shown that, like business executives, high-quality school principals have also raised their organizational achievements about a year after taking office. However, it seems that in the system that is so important to us, many people are appointed to the position of principal for the wrong reasons. The principal's role was always complex and important. However, it seems that the past few years have witnessed new challenges, the most prominent of which are human - coping with the management of a variety of human generations - teachers of the X and Y generations and the students of the Z and the Alpha, alongside technological challenges.

This article reviews some of the characteristics and skills required for the school principal in the 21st century. The challenges faced by today's school principals also increase, however, so do the potential and opportunities. In the face of the challenges and changes, the role of the principal needs to be updated and focused. They must be leaders, managers and mentors all at the same time. They must serve as an example to their surroundings, as a lighthouse for all the "ships" operating under it. As leaders, they must be real and authentic leaders and understand that people do not buy actions; they buy the reasons behind them. Leaders who inspire motivate us to action. In addition, they must act with organizational courage and see how their organization is constantly changing. My view is that a person's way of running a school should start with a thorough evaluation and diagnosis based on the search for the qualities mentioned in this document. Furthermore, the training of a person who has been tested and identified as suitable for the management of the school must consist of a number of stages / courses throughout their career, as well as until and also after their appointment (the candidate may have undergone relevant external training, such as the world of business school). Finally, it is important that a person who heads an educational organization act out of love for all those who walk through the school’s doors and out of respect for the diversity of each and every one of them.