Pillars of the Superintendent as Moral and Intellectual Leader
School Administrator, August 2022
These pillars, as created by George Thompson, past president of the Schlechty Center, describe the traits and actions of a strong moral and intellectual leader. They are described frequently as aspirational, but in these past two years of the pandemic, they became real.
A strong moral and intellectual leader:
»Models and develops trust. Gives priority to building personal trust and trust in the organization.
»Clarifies the vision. Consistently and continuously communicates and clarifies a clear and compelling vision of the future.
»Knows what he or she believes. Understands the need to be clear about what he or she believes and understands that shared beliefs are the foundation of the direction of the organization.
»Enhances capacity. Attends to developing the capacity of the organization and the capacity of the people who are part of the organization to support continuous innovation.
»Educates community. Educates the community, especially community leaders, and informs policymakers about the condition of education.
»Thinks and acts strategically. Employs systems thinking to understand how systems are linked to one another and how they interact.
»Personalizes relationships with principals. Develops personal relationships with all principals in the district.
»Unifies central-office staff. Educates central-office staff so they understand and are committed to the direction in which they are being led.
»Shares authority. Shares authority rather than delegates it. Views authority as affective and highly personalized.
»Personalizes his or her relationship with the board. Strives to work as part of a team with the board in order to focus on the needs of children and the future of the community.
More about the pillars of leadership can be found on the
Schlechty Center website.
— STEVE MCCAMMON