Decision making: let your principles be your guide.

"WHEN IN CHARGE, PONDER. when in trouble, delegate. When in doubt, mumble."

The anonymous wag who framed these words of wisdom could well have been teaching a course in futuristic school administration. Almost any one who has been in education for any length of time will be able to identify at least one graduate of that course.

Why do so many administrators have difficulty exercising leadership responsibility in making a timely, prudent, and definitive decision? More often than not, it's because they have never developed a system of basic operating principles to guide them.

Without such a philosophical base, an administrator would have to approach each problem as if it were brand new and thus had to be resolved without recourse to an established frame of reference.

Is it any wonder, then, that administrative decisions are so often delegated to committee action or handled in an inconsistent, unpredictable and, perhaps, even an unintelligible manner?

Good leaders make their decisions by following their own internal compasses upon which they can rely for guidance. Simply stated, effective decision-making should be founded upon personal policies and principles rooted in a basic philosophy. A Webster's New World Dictionary of terms will help clarify this concept:

Philosophy: A particular system of principles for conduct of life.