Leadership magazine Jan/Feb 2016 V45 No 3 | Page 11
plan based on them.
Consideration: Who are the key people in
your district your new school leaders need to
meet with early on?
3. Peer shadowing opportunities
We all know every district has high performing leaders who exemplify the beliefs,
mindsets and work ethic that produce great
results. Wouldn’t it be great if all of our
newly appointed leaders exhibited those
same attributes? We can facilitate this by
providing new school leaders with opportunities during their onboarding program to
shadow high performing peers.
Not only do new school leaders further
job-specific technical skills by observing
high performers in day-to-day action, but
the new relationship can also lead to ongoing coaching and support through a continual exchange of best practices. This can
build a foundation for effective personal and
professional growth.
In the SBCUSD Onboarding Program,
new school leaders observe and interact oneon-one with two separate high performing
individuals. These shadowing opportunities typically consist of two full days at preselected elementary and secondary schools.
The newly appointed leaders can experience
firsthand how to maneuver successfully
through daily dealings. Expect questions to
fly back and forth between the new leader
and his or her high performing counterpart.
When determining who visits whom, take
into consideration school feeder patterns.
Peer shadowing helps onboarding participants quickly learn tips, strategies, and tools
to move their work forward. But it also has
benefits for their guides. Showcasing high
performers for their work re-engages these
seasoned leaders. Overall, the strategy creates
a culture and climate in the district where the
skills, knowledge and value of all employees
are recognized and validated regularly.
Consideration: Which high performers do your
new school leaders need to observe in action?
few culminating activities to reinforce the
key learnings and processes each participant
experienced during their 10 days of induction. The objective is to develop a thoughtful, practical written plan for succes ˈ