Principal Supporters Come Together: One Chair’s Perspective

Board Chairs, members and Principal Companions were spoilt to have a day of professional dialogue and listening with Mike Greenslade as he challenged us to consider how Principal growth and wellbeing is a shared responsibility. 

Using Mike’s unique gift of storytelling, personal history, educational experience, grace filled heart and professional services, we were gifted into a journey of understanding, planning, encouraging and committing to supporting the health and wellbeing of our leaders. Importantly, Mike challenged us to think about ways in which we can bring greater life, energy and sustainability to leaders in our schools through our specific roles. 

Through the journey of the day we were encouraged to personally reflect about our own sense of who we are, about the opportunity to develop healthier relationships through the sharing of knowledge and personal insight, and being authentically ourselves so that our leaders can be authentically themselves.   

Critical to my understanding of the support for our Principal, is the need to have a supportive team around her, so that she has a wealth of resources on which to draw upon at any one time. This may consist of the Board Chair, the Pastor, he Business Manager, a Principal Companion, Mentors and Professional Colleagues. The opportunity to plan with the Principal, what team of people will best support her wellbeing now and into the future, will be pivotal in her success and longevity. These are critical conversations that have not always taken place in our schools. 

There were important practical tools provided to us throughout the session, including listening techniques, providing permission and resourcing to support the Principal, as well as developing mechanisms that allow our Principal to find the space, the movement and the behaviours to work strategically. 

Notwithstanding all of the above in support of our Principals in allowing them to thrive, I also walked away from the day considering how we sustain our Board Chairs in their voluntary roles as well. The elements of the team supporting the Principal, also reverberates in my mind, of the team I need around me to function well as a Chair, so that our leaders get the best version of me each time I ‘turn up’! 

My thanks to David Wilksch, Jane Mueller and especially Mike for sharing such a rich, thought-provoking and practical journey, that has allowed a group of Principal ‘supporters’ to come together to ensure that our leaders can flourish and provide their God given service, nurtured and valued into the future.