Leadership Qualities of Great School Principals

School principals really matter. At New Leaders, our research and results already confirmed this, and when the Wallace Foundation’s “How Principals Affect Students and Schools” report was released a few years ago, it further affirmed the fact that effective principals have a pronounced and positive effect on the schools they lead.

Principals are change agents, challenging the status quo to drive excellence and equity in their school communities—and this change doesn’t happen by accident. The most effective principals have a specific set of qualities, cultivated by their own values as much as their desire to make school an empowering experience for students and adults alike.

The most effective principals have a specific set of qualities, cultivated by their own values as much as their desire to make school an empowering experience for students and adults alike.

In our 20-plus years of work with school principals all over the United States, here are the values that we consistently see in your leadership. As the school year comes to a close, we want to celebrate you for these qualities, and remind you of their importance.

‍You’re not afraid to have high expectations

Having high expectations means you believe students, teachers, and staff can all learn at exceedingly high levels. And, it’s this belief that instills the confidence and agency needed for everyone in your community to strive for higher levels of performance. 

You also know the key to creating a high-expectations culture is more than belief—it’s about engaging in actions that turn that belief into truth. It’s why you take the time to balance those expectations with a healthy dose of compassion, understanding that both students and adults need to have equal parts encouragement and challenge in their learning environments to be the best versions of themselves. 

For our full list of actions, visit How Great Principals Drive High Expectations.

You help everyone around you embrace inevitable change

As school leaders, we live by the adage, “the only thing constant is change.” So, why is change so hard to move through—and why can it be so tough to bring others along for the ride? We can blame this one on our brain chemistry. Humans are the most adaptable species on the planet, and yet our brains have also evolved to appreciate—and expect, to a certain extent—certainty. 

Effective school leaders do their best to disrupt that certainty, always seeking to be proactive about planning—and leading—through change. You do this through embracing an adaptive leadership approach, where you guide your teams to be problem solvers and embrace collaborative critical thinking.

Take a deep dive into adaptive leadership practices by visiting Adaptive Leadership: How Great School Principals Lead for Change.

‍You prioritize your own continuous learning, even when you’re low on time

Great school leaders take their professional development seriously. They know, in the words of leadership expert and author John C. Maxwell, that “good leaders are always good learners.” After all, it’s not only critical to feed your mind for your own personal benefit. It’s also for the success of the teachers, staff, leaders, and students you interact with every day. 

It’s not just the quest for additional knowledge that drives you. It’s the consistent opportunities to reflect, re-examine what you’ve learned, and determine if it’s still the right way forward.

For strategies you can use to continue to flex your own learning muscles, visit Everyday Ways K-12 Leaders Can Prioritize Continuous Learning.

You know communication is the foundation of trust and transparency

Of all the qualities that a great leader possesses, very few of them would be able to be realized without a foundation of strong communication. Effective leaders understand that so much of great communication depends on nuance—the style you adopt, the level of transparency you prioritize, and the amount of empathy and inclusivity you infuse. Each of these go a long way towards creating a school environment where voices are heard, connections are forged, and missions are fulfilled. 

That’s why you routinely audit your own communication to find ways to improve, and focus on creating a culture of two-way communication. In doing so, you encourage your teams to collaborate and learn from one another rather than work in silos.

Additional best practices for clear communication can be found by visiting Inclusive & Effective Communication: 4 Strategies for Education Leaders.

‍You’re continuously adding to your “resilience bank”

We don’t need to tell you that leading a school can be stressful at times. Whether you’re dealing with large-scale change management or simply absorbing the day-to-day experiences and exasperations of your school community, there’s an important characteristic that gives you the ability to lead through all of it: resilience. Leaders like you understand that personal resilience is like a bank account—one that you need to make small yet regular deposits into. Keeping your resilience bank full is what helps you better respond to adversity

To do this, great leaders understand that while they may not have much control about the nature and intensity of the adversity that they confront, they do have a choice in how they interpret it. It’s about shifting to a mindset of realistic optimism—where you not only seek to understand what’s going on, but you believe you can move forward despite the constraints.

For the days you might find your resilience is a bit lower than you’d like, visit Six Traits of Highly Resilient K-12 Education Leaders. 

You’re the data champion for your school

Data is everywhere in our schools. And with data comes equal parts opportunity and challenge. Just because schools have data doesn’t mean they know how to use it to drive improved outcomes. Great school leaders are aware of this, and they take their role of “Chief Data Officer” very seriously. 

Your primary responsibility as your school’s data champion is to make sure the right information is collected, reviewed, and acted upon based on strategic goals. This begins with ensuring teachers and staff have access to the right professional development that can help them feel more comfortable with using data. You also know that understanding data has benefits for your larger school community, especially being able to connect and collaborate with parents and families. 

Learn insights for continued data literacy by visiting How the Best K-12 Education Leaders Build Data Literacy.

You elevate and empower others to be leaders

Truly great leaders believe in building up the leadership of those around them by sharing knowledge freely, charting a path forward, and leading by example. Consider the leaders who have influenced you. If they had kept all they had learned to themselves, would they have had the effect on you and so many others?

You know that leadership is possible regardless of a title—all that’s needed is a desire to lead and a love for engaging others in your vision. When teachers and staff feel like they’re heard and seen, students feel like they have a voice, and families can be co-creators in their child’s educational journey. It's the first step toward sparking an interest in leadership. 

Leaders who want to empower others do so because they undoubtedly remember how it felt to know that someone saw leadership qualities in them that they hadn’t recognized in themselves. Now, you get to do the same for the aspiring principals and teacher leaders in your school. That’s a great feeling. 

Take a look at other ways to continue to help others see their leadership qualities by visiting How Great Leaders Pave the Way for Other Leaders.

You know joy is the foundation of teaching and learning

Joy might be the last quality on this list, but as school leaders, it’s actually one of our biggest goals. We want our learning and teaching environments to be joyful and inclusive because we know that when joy is coupled with knowledge and exploration, there’s no feeling like it.

Cultivating this kind of deep happiness requires us to build that same kind of joy for ourselves. Not only does joy remind us of why we’ve chosen to do this work in the first place, but it can also be a balm for the challenging days. Whether it’s working to keep cultural identity and belonging at the forefront of what we do, creating safe spaces that fuel learning experiences, or simply taking the time to have fun and celebrate both in and out of school, you know that joy is really emotional resilience in disguise.

For more insights on how to lead with joy, visit Why (and How) Great K-12 Leaders Prioritize Joy in Schools.

Your leadership qualities = transformational experiences

In celebrating the exceptional qualities of school principals, we can recognize the transformative impact they have on their communities. Your leadership goes beyond administrative duties, fostering environments where high expectations, continuous learning, and resilience are woven into the everyday fabric of school life.

We know you’re not typically into accolades, but you need to be honored. Your growth, adaptability, and joyful leadership ensures that both students and educators reach their full potential—leadership that has a ripple effect for your school.