99In today’s world of school leadership, collaboration, shared decision
making, and empowerment are buzz words. In most school districts, they
describe the preferred leadership style of supervisors, from chairs to su-
perintendents. So, instead of school leaders making a decision, they must
consult and meet with affected parties, collaborate with interested parties,
and bring their ideas to the appropriate venues (School Leadership Team,
Academic Affairs Committee, Safety Committee, Parent Association,
Union Consultative Council, Student Council, etc.) before actually acting
and implementing.
Decisions that could have been made and implemented almost imme-
diately now take days, weeks, or months to make and implement. For the
savvy school leader, the final result will be the same; however, the amount
of time and effort required will be exponentially increased.
That is the downside. The upside is decisions are not seen as top-
down mandates, but as the result of advisement and input. Instead of
decision making being a one-person monopoly, it is seen as a process
for achieving consensus. Decisions are more likely to be well imple-
mented, succeed, and become part of the fabric of the school culture.
There still will be the day-to-day operational decisions the school
leader will make, but these will usually reflect the policy decisions
made by consensus.
A competent school leader, by experience and training, has an instinc-
tive grasp of what is best for the students and the school. As a school
leader, you will be pressed for time on all fronts and will be tempted to act
and implement almost in unison. Over time, you will learn that engaging
Chapter Eight