Page 4 - Mini-Module 2

Foreword

We had the wonderful experience of escorting a group of experienced
principals on an educational tour to Hanoi. The principals had not been to
Vietnam before and they really enjoyed it. In particular they loved the
shopping! The principals were all very effective at bargaining with the shop
keepers and expert at getting the ‘best price’. This might be a gross
exaggeration because I am sure that there are many principals reading this
who hate shopping and detest bargaining with stall keepers (many of the
male principals in particular will claim loudly that they do not like shopping).
But it is definitely true that experienced principals are very good at
bargaining and negotiation.

28 years ago, when some of us started teaching, the principal did not have
to negotiate – or collaborate – with his or her staff, the principal just
directed and teachers (within reason) just followed. Back then if students
collaborated in class it was considered cheating. Fortunately things have
changed. Now days we encourage students to collaborate and work
together in teams, and negotiating with staff is a matter of day to day
necessity.
Being an effective leader today means being able to engage staff in joint
decision making and collaborative team work. Principals have to be able to
share leadership with their senior team, and be able to get the best out of
teachers – and this means being good at negotiation.
This module is designed to enhance beginning principals interpersonal and
management skills. It has been developed to help hone interpersonal skills
when negotiating with staff in decision making.

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