In the following will be recorded what I learned through my ongoing contact with the principal I followed, Shakuur Sabuur. This began in March of 2013, and Mr. Sabuur permitted me to accompany him throughout his working days at the school. We were together during his morning announcements, lunchroom discussions with faculty and students, parent/teacher conferences, and a variety of administration meetings. Essentially, I was at Mr. Sabuur’s side continually, with the exception of principal meetings, and was positioned to take in a great deal regarding how he carries out his responsibilities.
In reflecting on this experience, I am most impressed by what I term the totality of Mr. Sabuur’s commitment. More exactly, there was a process in place actually encompassing all the functions of the principal, in that those functions relied a great deal on his character and approach to every situation. This reality became apparent to me as I followed Mr. Sabuur and he graciously welcomed my presence. If I had ever believed that leadership in such a setting was a matter of attending to a multitude of duties, I learned that the role is far more “organic” than that. Certainly, Mr. Sabuur addressed each circumstance professionally and with a clear sense of his responsibility to it; at the same time, however, his leadership became evident in the way his personality and energies were consistently in place no matter the issue at hand. I began to perceive this as a visceral leadership quality, even as it relied on certain skills and abilities, and I also came to feel that this quality reflected genuine concern combined with active intelligence.
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If I were to alter the arrangement I carried on with the principal, I would seek to more clearly define my own role, and in terms of those with whom Mr. Sabuur interacted. He was completely comfortable with me, but I suspect that others were not all necessarily so at ease. When he sat in on parent/teacher sessions, for example, I had the impression that some parents were more guarded because they saw me as a “witness.” It may be advisable then for a follower in my position to be introduced as a school functionary of some kind.
With regard to specific experience, I was impressed by how Mr. Sabuur incorporated ISLLC standards in a natural manner, in his dealings with students, staff, and parents. In the parent/teacher sessions, for example, Mr. Sabuur’s approach was fully that of the advocate who comprehends the importance of the home and family in encouraging student progress, in keeping with Standards 1 and 6. Parents are very much stakeholders, and Mr. Sabuur addressed their concerns as such even as his focus remained on the students’ welfare. This also reflects Standard 4, as I actually observed parents actively engaged in a positive relationship with him. Then, the morning announcements, which I had expected to be rote duties, were used by Mr. Sabuur as opportunities. I noted that he was aware of what would compel student interest, and his encouragement of student participation reflected the nurturing elements of Standard 2. One announcement addressed student input on a new media center technology, so a further component of this Standard was evident. In his many walks through the school, I witnessed a consistent awareness of safety parameters, as described in Standard 3. There were no real safety problems encountered in my time with Mr. Sabuur, but he made clear to me that this awareness of potential issues in the hallways or on the grounds was essential.
Perhaps most interesting to me were Mr. Sabuur’s interactions with students and staff during lunch hours. He never failed to present an agreeable persona that encouraged open communication. The components of Standard 5 were observable to me in how his behavior reflected individual integrity and simultaneously promoted the same in both students and staff. He did not, in my experience, ever discuss ethics or integrity with the students as such; instead, he let his own character, as revealed in his communications with them, express his sense of their importance. The Standard 5 principles of democracy and diversity were also maintained in Mr. Sabuur’s willingness to entertain any concern from any student. While I do not believe Mr. Sabuur’s behaviors were “perfect,” I am compelled to conclude, after having spent a good deal of time with him, that he is a leader who truly appreciates the complex and often personal requirements of good leadership.
