Page 9 - Leadership Basics 9

INSTRUCT?
SITUATION CONSULT ?
ARBITRATE?
NEGOTIATE?

µ The school has to lose a teacher because of falling enrolments. As a leader
the final decision rests with you as to who should leave and who should
stay.

µ The parent association and old student’s Alumni, have asked if you would
introduce half day Saturday sports events for students. It would be
compulsory for all staff to attend. Staff are not used to being required to
work on Saturdays.

µ There is a request from the library to move one of the School Assistants
from their current job assisting teachers in classrooms to be placed full
time in the library.

µ A recent critical incident has highlighted the need to increase the vigilance
of teachers on yard duty. You want to increase the number of teachers on
duty at any time.

µ A student has had his expensive prescription glasses stolen from his bag.
The boy’s father is angry and demands compensation from the school.
Should you pay him?

µ A teacher has requested permission to take a day off school to attend to
pressing personal business, unfortunately if she is given the time off it will
affect the schedules of many other teachers who are going on an
excursion.

µ The school Janitor wants the school to purchase him a cell phone so that
the staff can contact him wherever he is in the school without putting
announcements over the PA system.

Each day in schools there are many examples of when a leader should negotiate a
decision with his or her staff. In fact, it could be said that a process of negotiation,
in some form or another, is best used for most of a leader’s day to day decisions.

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