I Hear What You’re Saying … And I Respect You!

Framing communication into five strategies, we call upon our collective thirty years of public school administration and leadership identifying communication in the abstract and sharing application examples from practice. Together we have found that blending research and practice in the area of communication has proven to be successful in our leadership and experiences. As educational leadership practitioners, we apply theories and concepts from research and literature in support of our multi-faceted work. Collective experience teaches us that leadership is built upon trusting relationships, and communication is essential in support of relationships. Listening to others and showing respect and recognition go a long way in sustaining respectful and purposeful relationships. Fullan's work on culture has heavily influenced our work; his books like Change Forces (1999), Motion Leadership in Action (2013), and The Principal (2015), and their central message of relationships, form a foundation for how we practice. He and other leaders in research of culture and relationships, including Deal and Peterson, Hargreaves, Barth, Sergiovanni, and De Pree, are guides we suggest the reader review for additional guidance in leadership, communication, and culture building.