Not all leaders are strategists.
Though leadership and strategy appear to go hand-in-hand, the truth is that not all leaders are expert strategists. But there’s considerable value in honing your strategic leadership skills and bringing strategy to your educational leadership role.
Strategic leadership starts with a vision that eventually becomes a detailed plan of action. For educational leaders, this means creating that vision, establishing goals and a plan for achieving it, and then driving the action to achieve your goals.
Strategic leadership provides the clearest path to success for leaders focused on continuous improvement in their school or district. Through strategic leadership, educational leaders are better able to visualize, plan, and then lead their teams toward an achievable goal that is always, of course, focused on student success.
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before the defeat.”
Who Is the Strategic Leader in Education?
Consider the strategic leader as the “big picture” person. The best leaders have what is frequently referred to as strategic agility – the ability to act as a visionary. They can see the big picture, initiate a strategy, and design a blueprint for realizing their vision.
Strategic leaders in education have a clear vision of where they want the school or district to go. Their passion and enthusiasm inspires educators, administrators, staff, parents, and the community to embrace their vision. If they meet resistance, they take the time to address questions and concerns and ensure that everyone has a voice. Though they craft a solid strategy and implement actionable short- and long-term goals, they’re able to carefully adjust them, if necessary, and refocus without sacrificing the forward momentum they’ve established.
Successful strategic leaders:
- Effectively communicate their vision – Make sure the members of the team understand why their work is meaningful and what goals you’re hoping to achieve.
- Create a detailed framework that details their objectives, plan of action, and the outcome – A strategy isn’t a strategy without a solid plan of action.
- Turn a long-term vision into daily objectives by setting both short- and long-term goals – A big picture vision doesn’t become a reality overnight. Both short- and long-term goals are necessary to achieve success.
- Remain laser-focused on achieving their goals, leaving no room for distraction – It’s easy to get side-tracked, particularly when something doesn’t go as planned. A good strategic leader in education knows how to refocus, regroup, and get their vision back on track.
- Make the most out of their talent and resources - Know when and how to allocate financial resources and talent and delegate responsibilities.
- Consider their team’s strengths, talents, feelings, and perspectives and encourage collaboration and communication - Your strategic leadership efforts can’t get off the ground until you’ve created a cohesive, collaborative team where educators and administrators are able to put their best foot forward.
Reflection for the Strategic Leader in Education
High-level reflection is a great way to kickstart your strategic leadership plans and position yourself for success.
Some of the questions strategic leaders in education often ask include:
- What do we want to achieve, and what is the best way to achieve it?
- Does the plan relate to strong student outcomes? Is the vision student-centered?
- Where do we need to concentrate our efforts to achieve our goals?
- How can I involve my team and other stakeholders in the school community to achieve both short- and long-term goals?
- Who should be part of the strategic planning process?
- What are my available resources and how can I go about maximizing them?
- What obstacles are in the way? How can I go about removing them?
- What does success look like?
How to Become an Effective Strategic Leader in Education
Strategic leadership isn’t a leadership style so much as it’s a tactic for achieving a specific plan or initiative in your school or district. The key is knowing how and when to kickstart your strategic leadership mindset to realize school or district goals.
To become an effective strategic leader, you must:
Anticipate Challenges and Prepare for the Unexpected
Chances are you’ll encounter bumps along the way. COVID and the advent of remote learning by the masses were an excellent example of this. Don’t be so rigid that you can’t pivot and change strategies along the way.
Challenge Common Assumptions
No great leader ever accepted the status quo. If there’s a different way of achieving a goal, consider its merits before automatically following a prescribed direction.
Consider Other Points of View
Build trust and find common ground to elicit the support of educators, staff, parents, and the community. Recognize the importance of good communication. Seek to understand others’ concerns.
Strive to Strike a Balance
Don’t get so caught up in the day-to-day that the vision is lost, and vice-versa. It’s all about achieving a balance with short- and long-term goals.
Establish a Strategic Leadership Development Plan
Once you have your strategic vision nailed down, it’s time to put your efforts into action. A strategic leadership development plan is the easiest way to visualize your thoughts and organize the steps that you’ll need to put into motion to get things moving.
There are no hard and fast rules for creating a strategic leadership development plan, but you can give yourself a running start by organizing your plan into the following, four components:
- Leadership Team Development – You’ll need a solid team by your side to make your vision a reality. This may include all educators, for example, or just a select group. It may also include administrators and staff members, parents, colleagues, and the community. Outline who you’ll need, identify your team members’ strengths and knowledge. This part of the strategic leadership development plan includes assigning roles to the members of your team. Roles are important because it creates defined responsibilities and expectations for each member of your team.
- Gaps in Talent - You’ll want to ask yourself if there are any areas that need to be addressed or improved upon. You’ll also develop a plan on how you’ll address this gap in talent. Consider additional support, coaching, or training to prep your team for the job ahead.
- Plan of Action – Identify the most pressing issues and organize them in order of importance. Consider how you’ll organize and allocate your resources.
- Make It Happen – Your strategic leadership development plan isn’t complete until you nail down the specifics—start dates, end dates, progress check dates, etc.— that’ll keep your vision on track.