20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid Them

Marilyn L. Grady, is professor of educational administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). She is the author or coauthor of 23 books, including From Difficult Teachers to Dynamic Teamwork (2009) with Brock, Getting it Right from the Start (2009) with Kostelnik From First Year to First Rate (2007) with Brock, 194 High-Impact Letters for Busy Principals (2006), 20 Biggest Mistakes Principals Make and How to Avoid Them (2004) and Launching Your First Principalship (2004) with Brock. Her research areas include leadership, the principalship, and superintendent-board relations. She has more than 175 publications to her credit. She is the editor of the Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. Her editorial board service has included Educational Administration Quarterly, International Studies in Educational Administration, International Journal of Learning, Rural Educator, Journal of At-Risk Issues, Journal of School Leadership, Advancing Women in Leadership On-Line Journal, Journal for Rural School and Community Renewal, International Journal of Learning, and Journal for a Just and Caring Education. She is the recipient of the Stanley Brzezinski Research Award, NCPEA's Living Legend Award, the Donald R. and Mary Lee Swanson Award for Teaching Excellence, UNL's Distinguished Teaching Award, and UNL's Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Status of Women. Grady coordinates an annual conference on women in educational leadership that attracts national attendance and is in its 24th year. She has been an administrator in K-12 schools as well as at the college and university levels. She received her bachelor's degree in history from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and her doctorate in educational administration with a specialty in leadership from The Ohio State University.

Introduction Acknowledgments About the Author I. The People Skills Mistake 1: Interpersonal Shortcomings Mistake 2: Communication Flaws II. The People Mistake 3: Neglecting the Professionals Mistake 4: Mismanaging Parents III. The Principal Mistake 5: Being Too Bossy Mistake 6: Inconsistency Mistake 7: Displaying Weakness IV. The Job Mistake 8: Endless Work Mistake 9: Mismanaging Time V. Tasks Mistake 10: Ignoring the Preparation Mistake 11: Displacing Goals Mistake 12: Decision-Making Dilemmas Mistake 13: Change Dilemmas Mistake 14: Professional Development Vacuum Mistake 15: Failing to Supervise VI. Personal Issues Mistake 16: Forgetting the Family Mistake 17: Ignoring Health Issues Mistake 18: Succumbing to Stress Mistake 19: Etiquette Gaffes VII. Fatal Attractions Mistake 20: Errors of Judgment VIII. The Leader's Response Response 1: Never to Err Again? Response 2: Over the Horizon Resource A: Building Visibility in the Community Resource B: Verbal Skills Self-Assessment Resource C: Principal Access Self-Assessment Resource D: Principal Self-Assessment References

"The information presented is true to life; school principals will see themselves on every page. The strategies presented to 'fix' or avoid our mistakes really do work! You don't have to be a new principal to benefit from this one." -- Kaye Peery, Superintendent "I wish this book had been written many years ago to help me with my first principal's position. It is an indispensable resource for new and seasoned principals to avoid the pitfall of administration." -- Ron Joekel, Executive Director Emeritus "I quickly learned that the situations I faced were similar to other principals' experiences. The answers to my dilemmas were based on common sense and experience such as the examples in this book." -- Barbara Marchese, Principal "An excellent resource for principals to examine their effectiveness." -- Principal Navigator, September 2007