When “Hands ON” Means “Leadership OFF”: How to Flip the Script in your School System

True leadership—the kind that has the power to transform systems—isn’t about titles or having your ‘hands on’ all the levers and decision-making dials in your organization.

It’s Possible to Be an Effective Leader by Adopting a “Hands Off” Approach

There are plenty of examples of school leaders who draw attention to their willingness to be “hands on” in their organizations, as if the ability to do one’s employees’ jobs proves leadership prowess. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you’re a seasoned and effective school leader, you know that working in the trenches with your staff is not where you should spend your time or energy, and—most importantly—it’s not where your team needs you.

Are you a school leader “in job description only,” but spend little, to no time coaching, training and developing your people? If so, it’s not just time to make a few changes: It’s time to change everything, including how you define leadership itself.

What It Really Means to Be the School Leader

Anyone with a few years of workforce experience has worked for a boss whose “leadership” consisted of nothing more than having officially been put in charge. However, attaining positions of authority in no way makes one a leader. True leadership—the kind that has the power to transform systems—isn’t about titles or having your “hands on” all the levers and decision-making dials in your organization. Effective school leaders understand that the true measure of their leadership is the amount of time they spend “hands off,” and the results their teams’ produce without their direct involvement.

Become “Superfluous” to the Operation

Have you ever seen an NFL head coach put himself in the game when his team is behind on the scoreboard? Does he head to the locker room with an injured player instead of letting the medical team do its job? No, and for good reason: if a coach did anything other than coach, the team’s shared goal—winning games—would be unattainable. Instead, a smart and effective coach surrounds himself with a team of players, each of whom has his own gifts, talents and potential. The best athletic coaches make clear #1: the goal is to win games, and #2: the coach’s only job is to develop players who can make #1 happen.

For a school leader, the dynamics are the same: Your staff members don’t need one more person in the trenches with them. They need your coaching, development and support so that they, themselves, can “win games.” In other words, they need you on the sidelines while the game is in play, but they do not need you to run the ball.

School Executives Have One Job

In our blog post, A Shift in Perspective on the Role of the Principal, we equate the job of a “School Executive” with that of a ship’s captain who thoroughly knows the mechanics of sailing. However, the moment he becomes “Captain,” he must let go of the mechanics and take up the business of leading and managing the crew. He must stop working “in the system” and start working “on the system.”

As Yakima School District Superintendent and Breakthrough Coach Graduate, Trevor Greene, stated in this client testimonial video, “When I learned my job was really to develop people, emancipate them to achieve, and help them grow, it changed my entire world.”

“Hands On” Means “Leadership Off”

If you’re spending your time thinking about and performing the duties of your employees, you will never be an effective leader. Transforming your system’s results means first transforming your own perspective about the nature of the school leader’s job, and then aligning your daily activities, habits and practices to match this new perspective.

If this rings true for you, don’t panic! Set up an introductory call with us to learn how to transform your leadership approach today.