In day-to-day leadership operations, school principals and their leadership teams have responsibilities that extend well beyond spreadsheets, signature pages and approvals. There is also a distinct and essential paradigm and in many ways a tactic key for leadership success: situational awareness.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard Team Coordination Training Guide, situational awareness is the ability to identify, process and comprehend the critical elements of information about what is happening to the team with regards to the mission.

More simply, it’s knowing what is going on around you.

How do leaders gauge what’s going on around them? Embracing information and its significance, of course.

As we continue to Empower, Trust, and Verify, let’s consider three techniques to enhance situational awareness in leadership:

• Team Check-Ins– It goes without saying that principals hold administrative team meetings, and leadership teams hold their own meetings. Yet, every day, the essential information, temperature checks and moments of validation happen outside of a formal agenda. Phone calls, text messages and office “drop bys” hold merit, and they strengthen the connectedness of you and your team. Consider this time as beneficial as you make it. Your team helps you form “Voltron” (throwback for those that grew up in the 80s). Stay connected to them.

• Listening– A part of being leader of leaders is deciphering a litany of information, updates, personnel, and, true to our profession, determining how all of this will impact children. In researching the topic of situational awareness (a clear passion of mine in my role) I ran into references of “distraction” and “noise.” I am more inclined to believe, the more the noise and distraction, the richer the decision point and experience of being heard. If your team knows they matter and you listen, they will never hesitate to share with you what they see, hear and gather. Are you listening or doing more talking? Create an environment where you serve as the number one listener.

• Visibility– Our community, students, teachers, instructional leadership team and administrative team members must see us involved in the work. They need to know that we are committed to the commitment. There is potentially no better way to remain in tune with the culture and exhibit situational awareness than to make visibility the fabric of your leadership existence. You would be surprised the impact of being amongst our amazing teachers, students and staff members and also how much you glean in small observations, conversations and snapshots. Nothing great can take place from your desk, but you can cement yourself as a leader that practices situational awareness by remaining visible. By the way, let’s not be visible because we have to, be visible because you enjoy being with students and teachers and/or being a part of the work of your team.

As we take on the second nine weeks and prepare for semester’s end, invest in your team via check-ins, become a better listener and increase your visibility in your setting. Situational awareness is another form of intentional service to your leadership entity. Serve, help and be passionate about your mission. This eliminates blind spots, validates your team and lets our students know we are invested and aware.

We don’t Empower, Trust and Verify because it sounds catchy, we live it as a function of something bigger than ourselves.

Rashard Wright serves as the Chief Schools Officer in the Department of School Leadership. Wright pens the monthly Leadership Matters column for Kaleidoscope, which you can find posted on the 15th of each month. For more leadership insight, follow Wright on Twitter @VAeducatorRJW or find the hashtag #LeadershipMatters.

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