Seven principles of strategic leadership

Prompted by a perception that many leaders may not invest sufficiently in strategic effort, we set out to examine what might give school leaders the confidence to take on more strategic leadership. Based on our work with school leaders over three years, we identified what effective and successful strategic leaders seem to do. We tried to capture this in terms of seven principles. The purpose of these interconnected principles is to enhance individual leader effectiveness in leading strategically. They are written to inform focused leadership reflection and action. We suggest that being strategic is more than strategic planning, or strategic intent, it is about deliberate and sustained practice. The principles assist those who are preparing for school leadership to assess their professional learning needs. They may also assist principals and others who are currently in leadership roles to reflect on the effectiveness of their strategic efforts. The principles can be used as a device for reflecting on the strategic focus of schools and for assessing why some schools are better than others at positioning themselves to take advantage of an ever changing educational milieu. Copyright © 2010 Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration & Management (CCEAM).