It is time to go to the cliche’ well. Every school leader would be well served to put the following saying on her mirror, “…if it is to be, it is up to me.”

The failure of most change initiatives is that the change is for everyone except leadership. That is a sure fire method for ensuring that any change will at best be superficial and at worst be non-existent. It also represents a colossal leadership failure. A failure that is too common, entirely avoidable and brazenly self-inflicted.

Change is difficult, uncomfortable and often scary. If as a school leader, you are serious about improving your campus, then you must first engage fully and publicly in changing your practices. Your staff must see that you are willing and able to deal with short-term adversity to achieve long term gains. Only then will you have the credibility to support those who are engaged in the change and the moral authority to take action against those who are not.

As a leader you are always setting an example. What example do you want to set?

Your turn…