As new leaders, we assume that we are expected to do everything ourselves and be everything to everyone, after all we are the leader!
This stereotype of the superhero is perpetuated by the media and movies. How many times have you watched a movie where the entire story revolves around one leader who created significant change for everyone in the story single handedly? While that works for a well-crafted story from Hollywood, it is very seldom the reality in schools nor is it the ideal situation in creating change. True strength and sustainability come from relying on a lead team.
Distributing leadership isn't about giving away responsibility; it's about building capacity. By empowering others to take on shared leadership roles, we foster a culture of collaboration and create a more resilient organization that doesn't rely on just one or two people. We have seen this structure work effectively in many schools. The teams are sometimes called a steering team, guiding coalition, action planning teams or leadership council.
Regardless of what you call these teams, the purpose is to develop the leadership skills of your staff prior to diving into a formal role, create opportunities for in-depth learning and successfully contribute to school priorities. Through this work, team members initiate systems thinking which is an absolute necessary skill for school and district leaders. The lead team structure provides an opportunity to engage in leadership work without taking the leap into a new role.
When you have a lead team, you get a direct line to what's happening on the ground. A lead team, made up of representatives from across the school, provides a way to gather crucial information about how an initiative is being understood on the frontline. It also provides for the sharing of information that is essential to making decisions in regards to the next steps and perhaps adjustments needed for success.
A lead team might include a member from each grade level or from subject area specialists. They meet regularly with school leadership to discuss what's working and what needs to be adjusted in the work at hand. They can bring back feedback from their colleagues, helping the leadership team make informed decisions. This is a critical component of building trust with your staff when feedback is not only shared with the lead team but responded to through the shared decision making of the team.
A consistent cycle of feedback can create a sense of shared ownership for everyone in the school. The plan isn't "the principal's plan” but our school's plan that everyone is contributing to and helping to move forward.
To ensure your lead teams are effective, you need to be intentional about their purpose and structure.
- Define Their Purpose: Be crystal clear about the team's purpose. What is the team tasked with? Is it driving the implementation of Collaborative Response, a new literacy initiative, or a school-wide wellness plan? This clarity is essential.
- Empower Them to Lead: We've seen schools create action-planning teams focused on different priorities in their school improvement plan. Staff members choose which priority area they are most passionate about, and from there, a steering team is formed with a representative from each group. This allows leaders to build expertise across the school without having to micromanage every detail.
- Align with Professional Learning: A lead team can also take the lead on professional learning. For example, a team might develop resources for a new behavioral support system and then lead the professional development sessions to roll it out to the rest of the staff. This makes PD more functional and directly connected to your school's goals. It also provides an opportunity for teachers to lead professional learning and to get a glimpse into what it means to be an instructional leader.
- Maintain a Clear Agenda: Just like any other meeting, a lead team meeting needs a clear agenda. This ensures everyone knows what's expected and helps the team stay focused and productive.
Ultimately, putting lead teams in place is about developing more leaders within your organization. It gives staff a great avenue to build their skills, and it provides you with invaluable, on-the-ground feedback and support. A lead team also provides leaders with a team to share the challenges and assist with the problem solving necessary to lead well. We would contend that a lead team encourages and provides support for school leaders and can have a significant impact on the wellness of a leader whose role is sometimes overwhelming and isolated.
Several years ago, we published an article in the Principal Magazine published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. In this article, we shared our experience at the time of creating an action-planning process in our school that would ensure our school improvement goals were focused, ongoing and sustainable. Each team had a lead teacher which we would meet with on a monthly basis to problem solve and determine next steps functioning as a lead team that guided our school improvement plans.
We recently spoke with a principal who was lamenting that her best staff members kept moving to leadership positions in other schools. But as we learned a bit more, we realized this wasn't a failure—it was a success. She was having a tremendous impact on the entire system by building strong leaders within her own school who were going on to lead other schools through the modeling and mentorship they had received through their experiences on a lead team.
Your role as a leader is to create a culture where every staff member has an opportunity to lead, grow, and contribute to the success of your school.
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