I was sitting on a large rock reflecting on the school year which was about to swing into action. I was thinking of a friend of mind who was informed by his board that “he had taken his eye off the ball.”

Probably a good message to be given at a review before it is too late. It is valuable for a Principal to maintain really good relations with the Board Chair and to meet regularly with them. I had lunch with my chair most Mondays and we could explore immediate issues or drift into the world of educational philosophy which was always envigorating. But the Chair and I got to know each other well.

He was Chair for 20 years and that amounts to heaps of lunches.

Early in the piece, at one of these lunches, he fixed me with his surgeon’s gaze and said, “Chris we have to raise one million dollars”. You see we were wanting to build a school hall. Being characteristically optimistic, I replied, “No worries we can do that!” I instantly regretted my reply because, regardless of optimism, raising even $100,000 in Alice Springs was a near impossible task. So, I quickly regrouped and said, “Yep, plenty of worries”. The meeting had meant we were both on the same page and would be at a future Board Meeting. By the way, the fundraising was a hard slog but with heaps of help and much time we raised more than a million. I was lucky but it is not always easy to have a weekly meeting with the Chair, though it is worth pursuing, even if it is by phone.

School Culture is one of the key balls for a Principal to keep their eye on. Losing a fine Culture can result in losing the school. Of course, a good Culture relates to a good reputation which is the diamond bracelet (thanks “Antiques Roadshow”) of the school. Whilst the hope is that all staff fully embrace the Culture, it is something that a Principal cannot delegate away. The Principal, as the leader, must clearly model the virtues of the School’s Culture and have their finger well and truely on its pulse. There is no place for a staff member who does not agree with the School’s Culture. Hopefully such a person can be weeded out at interview or through reference checking because if they come on board, undermine it, refuse to change, they must then go.

I think a key reference point in the School’s Culture is its Motto. I’m a believer in effective School Mottos, though I know some schools don’t have them, which I think is a pity. My grandchildren attend a local school which has a strong but understandable and easy to follow Motto. Two of them were writing something this week, showed it to me and I was taken with how much they valued their School’s Motto. Sadly, some political organisations generate self-interested Mottos that are uncaring and destructive. But fortunately, I’m not talking about these. Prominent in my grandchildren’s Motto is the word “Kind” and they really embrace its meaning and importance. So the Motto for them would hopefully result in the growth of some positive attitudes as they make their way through the school. The Motto I had at school was in Latin and translated was “Work and Pray” and was complicated in its own way. I guess it originated in the nineteenth century with the rise of the Protestant Work Ethic and the desire for a committed workforce.

As Principal there are plenty of opportunities to promote, discuss and describe the School’s Motto and to not let it rot on the school’s flag. If the Motto doesn’t fit the school’s culture anymore think of changing it. I changed ours (with permission of the board) in 1988.

Of course it goes without saying that the Principal must be an outstanding model of the Motto.

When it comes to modelling School Culture, the Principal must be conscious of this all the time. To not do this is a short journey to criticism and unpopularity. It the next few paragraphs I’ll note some things that I see as important in a School’s Culture and therefore for a Principal to model. The first one is Fairness. I have seen Principals who favour some students or staff over others. It is essential that a Principal is really aware of this, because it is obvious, creates resentment and disharmony. I have seen Principals who have been blind to this and my thoughts were simply “Can’t you see this?” This is not to say that Fairness is tricky and for it to be somewhere near the front of the mind is valuable.

A “biggie” is for the Principal to ongoingly promote the School’s Vision. Both staff and students want to know where the school is going and want to be reminded of it. Progress is infectious and will underpin morale. A new building is an obvious sign of progress, but a school is unlikely to build a new one each year. It is therefore worthwhile undertaking smaller projects which are obvious and will make a difference to the school - perhaps a garden, shade area, story board on a wall, or more seating or a new sign board if the old one is getting tired.

Yes, sadly a school without a Vision is a school without a rudder. It quickly becomes “any school” which is not what the school community wants. Be careful, for if you the present the Vision once it will be missed by many. You have to say it and say it so the school community can predict what you are going to say.

A school where “Praise” is well used will be a happy school. A Principal can be very obvious with this, though I know some Principals who obviously forget that this is important. The staff are more inclined to praise if you provide the clear example.

The words “Avoid Nothing and Show Something” are helpful to remember.

“Care” should be written all over a Principal from their smile to the tracking of their feet. As a car stops when it runs out of petrol, so do teachers if they believe you are running low on Caring - sometimes difficult when you are exhausted.

Stories can be a Principal’s best friend. Be a storyteller, even if you don’t do this naturally. You can become good at it and stories are always powerful to illustrate things.

Interestingly, my great mentor Paul McKeown, listened intently as I proudly said I could now enrich speeches because I had purchased the Oxford Book of Quotations. He then proceeded to take the “wind out of my sails” when he commented “Why don’t you create your own?” So, from that day forward I did heaps of that and loved doing it. It was good advice because your quotation could be thoroughly targeted and not have to be bent to fit the point being made.

The career of a Principal is a challenging but terrifically satisfying one where you are able to do lots of good. But if you are going to make runs you must always keep your eye on the ball.

Written by Chris Tudor