Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gayle Kimbrough
To be an educational leader is not a task for the faint of heart and requires
more than a cognitive set of leadership skills acquired through careful study and
focus and a sense of calm that will sustain me through challenges, changes, and
leadership skills with the intuitive art of leading people. I must possess integrity and
strength, and I must have trust in myself, my decisions, and the people whom I will
be leading. It requires a clearly defined focus and a strong internal voice. Although I
me to be an excellent educational leader, I must possess humility and the belief that:
The foundation of any good leader requires a set of skills that, although basic,
are essential for success. The skills that are necessary at the bottom level for any
communicate effectively, the best of intentions will never reach fruition. Without
for information AND materials, time will be wasted on unnecessary searching. For
sound, I do not believe I can be an excellent leader without a solid system in place
for processing, storing, and retrieving important resources. This is a natural segue
to technology, which even for those who are less confident, is a very manageable
technology with purposeful intention in the interest of time, money, and reporting
need to have served in every capacity of those whom they lead, it is important for
people to know that their leaders understand the daily challenges, frustrations, and
nuances of their jobs. I believe that educational leaders need to be advocates for our
profession and our students. Without a solid understanding of all facets of the work
The soft skills necessary for outstanding school leadership are what make the
job a blend of science and art or skills and intuition, and these are what distinguish a
good leader from a great leader. The aforementioned fundamental knowledge and
skill-base is necessary for effective leadership, but without some of the less tangible
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Leading Through Service
must always remember that I am leading people: people who have stories,
my colleagues or my very own children, I must realize that fair is not always equal
them. As a counselor, I know that each person who walks through my door is
entering with a unique reality, and I must be respectful and aware of that as I
vein, I know that the staff I will be leading will be the same. I must be present and
not respect or like. I understand, extraordinarily well, that I cannot, and will not, be
liked by everyone, nor is it something I aspire to, but I do aspire to achieve the
leadership. I know there are many types of successful leaders as well as leadership
styles, and I am also keenly aware of my own strengths and weakness. I want to
fragile ego, but to be able to work for a greater good and the belief that as a
collective group of people we can make amazing impacts on student success. This is
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Leading Through Service
what drives me, and by keeping this as my focus, I know it will guide me in the times