The document discusses the critical role of school leaders in fostering a culture of excellence and dignity within educational settings. It emphasizes that principled leadership, effective communication, and a focus on social justice are essential for inspiring teachers and students, thereby enhancing overall performance. The author provides insights from personal experiences and references to notable leaders, highlighting the impact of leadership on creating supportive and productive learning environments.

1. NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL
VOLUME 30, NUMBER 3, 2013
50
LEADER AS MENTOR & COACH:
CREATING A CULTURE OF
EXCELLENCE AND DIGNITY
David E. Herrington, Ph.D.
Professor and Coordinator of Leadership Programs
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
ABSTRACT
Adult pro-social behavior in school settings and exemplary performance by
students on a campus are related. They hold in common a thread of expectation
in which ethical thinking and behavior are articulated, modeled, coached, and
consistently promoted by the leader. When a proactive, ethical school culture is
conceived, created and maintained, bully-free work places come into existence.
This is the kind of place where principals can lead a focused, collaborative work
group that yields the highest levels of productivity and excellence. Expectations
of what one is able to achieve and what behaviors are expected to take place
make all the difference. In the words of former football coach Mike Leach
“You’re either coaching it, or allowing it to happen” (Leach, 2011, p. 136).
Leadership matters when it comes to shaping cultures that value the dignity of
the individual, social justice, and excellence of thought and action.
Introduction
The principal of a school campus makes a difference. The
principal sets the tone. The principal determines whether the campus is
a supportive and caring place or one that is hostile and divided. The
principal establishes norms of interpersonal communication and trust.
Principals have multiple opportunities each day to inspire teachers to
higher levels of effort and learning. They can also discourage and
demotivate teachers. Great principals inspire great teachers when they
create a safe, dignified workplace where excellence and social justice
are consistently acknowledged and coached. Coaching teachers,

2. DAVID E. HERRINGTON51
leading innovation, achieving turn-arounds have one thing in common
-- committed leaders who consistently articulate the difference
between excellence and mediocrity and who nurture a culture of social
justice. To change a culture Dodd (2005, March) suggested that the
leader let the faculty and staff “know his core values that will guide
his decisions…[and establish] that there will be clear lines of
communication” (p. 90). Bass (1985) in his early formulations of
transformational leadership noted the importance of intellectual
stimulation, the ability to reframe reality for subordinates.
Inspirational leadership he saw as a way to appeal to the better side of
people to move them to higher levels of thinking and achievement. In
any case, to create a culture of excellence and social justice involves a
lot of work. It will not happen by accident. Reframing the context and
resetting teachers‟ views of themselves, their students, and the very
nature of their work requires multiple influence attempts at many
levels each day.
When a leader can inspire a new vision of what is possible,
when the mindful leader makes the workplace a safe place to
challenge assumptions and introduce new ways of thinking, the
subordinates are freed to question unproductive processes and
procedures. In a school campus, increased awareness of what is
possible to think and do leads to higher levels of ethical reasoning and
commitment to the welfare and learning of each child. When teachers
know and truly realize that greater effort and commitment will lead to
higher levels of student performance, they will come to understand
that they are improving the quality of their own lives as well as the
lives of their students. When the leader as change agent creates a
culture that inspires whole-hearted, passionate, committed effort, he is
considered a transformational leader (Bennis &Nanus, 1985; Bass,
1985).
During the 1960‟s, like many of my peers, I grew up hearing
about and reading the inspirational writer Norman Vincent Peale. In
his popular work The Power of Positive Thinking, Peale touted the role
of expectations in bringing about higher levels human achievement:

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Expecting the best means that you put your whole heart, the
central essence of your personality, into what you want to
accomplish. People are defeated in life not because of lack of
ability, but for lack of wholeheartedness. They do not
wholeheartedly expect to succeed. Their heart isn‟t in it, which
is to say they themselves are not fully given. Results do not
yield themselves to the person who refuses to give himself to
the desired results. (Peale, 1952, p. 90 )
There is tremendous power in changing the way individuals see
themselves. To set the tone for “what is expected around here” within
a campus can be pivotal in how a group comes to function. Teachers
as leaders of students come to realize this power. Principals as leaders
of teachers have the same power.
My understanding of this powerful principle of setting a
positive tone of expectation and social justice came during my first
few weeks of public school teaching. When I first started teaching in
the 1970‟s, it was before inclusion was practiced extensively. We had
a tracking system for children that placed them in a “slow learner”
track if they had not demonstrated ability to learn things quickly. This
archaic system both created and reinforced lack of expectation in what
the child might capable of achieving. Low expectation affected
teachers, parents, and the children. When children lacked confidence
in their ability they came to doubt their value as learners.I will never
forget what happened on my first day in the classroom. It was right
after lunch in a junior high school that occupied the historic Tivy High
School building. My class roster for fourth period was on the rostrum
at the front of the classroom. In bold red letters the word
„REMEDIAL‟ was stamped at the top of the class roster. As the
children came in to be seated, I was greeting students as they entered
the classroom. A young girl, scanning the classroom to see who else
had been placed in the room with her, blurted out “We‟re the dumb
ones aren‟t we, teacher?” I was surprised to hear that but also quick
to respond, “No,” I said, “You‟re the best class I have!”I am thankful
that I was ready for that. That statement proved to be prophetic as I

4. DAVID E. HERRINGTON53
structured assignments that were success-oriented, geared to the
individual learner. It was not an easy year but I can say that most days
students in this class came excited to start working, knowing that they
would be rewarded for beginning their work on time and ultimately for
doing neat and careful work. They often exceeded their own
expectations of what they were capable of learning. Parents were
skeptical yet pleased as they came to school just to meet this teacher
that was making a difference in the lives of their children.I had already
decided before I met the children to teach them with the same
expectations as my students in other sections of U.S. History but with
an approach that would enable each child to succeed.I never forgot
that lesson of how these children began to question the assumptions
that they held regarding their own limitations once they were
introduced to an environment in which they could succeed.
Not all my first year teaching experiences were quite so
memorable. I learned from my principal, Mr. Jack Murray, one of the
greatest lessons ever for dealing with teachers. He called me into his
office to meet with some clearly “irate” parents. In their view I had
been overly corrective with their daughter and had not fully
understood their child‟s circumstances to their satisfaction. Mr.
Murray quickly acknowledged that I was a new teacher. Then he told
them that he had hired me and that I was a good teacher. He told them
that he trusted me to do the right thing with their child and that he
would support me as the teacher of their child. When the parents left,
Jack turned to me and said: “You know? I need to tell you that you
could have handled things differently. But I also want to tell you that I
am glad that you are here. I am glad that I hired you.” I was being
reprimanded but he made it sound inspiring. Then he said “You know
what else? You are making some mistakes. But you know what I like?
You are making them full speed ahead.” I thought about that later. I
felt affirmed, trusted, able to take risks. More importantly, I walked
back to my classroom, not dejected or resentful but fully free to reflect
on how to work with my students. I went back inspired to continue
putting myself into teaching, but ever more wary that I had a lot to
learn. Most importantly, though, I was going to be teaching and

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learning in a safe environment where I was expected to do good work
and respect the needs of all students. I never forgot the way that this
former coach, my principal, Mr. Murray handled the situation that day.
Everyone left his office that day a winner. I had experienced a leader
who knew what he expected from me and who modeled for me the
principles of excellence, dignity, and social justice.
Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence and Passion for
Excellence, remembering a television interview he heard regarding the
legendary Notre Damefootball coach Knute Rockne. When asked
“How do you motivate your players?” His response: “I don‟t motivate
my players. I try not to de-motivate them. They come with
„motivation.‟ I try like the dickens not to switch it off” (Peters,2003, p.
288). Leaders within the organization must assume that individuals
possess within them, a passion to do good work and an interest in
doing the right things. When proven wrong, this must be dealt with but
looking for this traits and acknowledging them goes a long way
toward bringing it out. The leader, therefore, must strive diligently to
create opportunities for these qualities to manifest themselves.
Certainly the leader should avoid condescending or dismissive
comments which only serve to discourage motivation and good will
that already exist within subordinates. Not to heed this advice, leaders
risk demotivating subordinates. If the disrespect is prolonged and
deep, good people will leave anaversive or negative organization
altogether as matter of self-respect.
Building a culture of success goes beyond the issue
demotivating subordinates. It goes beyond raising expectations for self
and others. There must be a daily awareness by all team members of
what is considered acceptable behavior and performance and what is
not. The leader must model and communicate expectations, exercising
diligence, reinforcing behaviors and attitudes that support the culture.
Former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach wrote about a time
when his team lost an important game, playing pessimistic and
uninspired on defense. He attributed it to a defensive coach who had
not bought into the organizational mindset that Leach was trying to

6. DAVID E. HERRINGTON55
create.
There were a lot excuses and second-guessing. After giving up
600 yards, in a game we lost 49-45, to Oklahoma State, I
realized that a change needed to be made. It had been pretty
obvious to others that I‟d been resistant to making the change
for a long time. Ultimately, it was simple. He wasn‟t buying
into our vision of the program, so he resigned for personal
reasons. As soon as Lyle left, I hung up a sign that said,
„You‟re either coaching it or allowing it to happen.‟ (Leach,
2011, p. 136)
Allowing the wrong things to happen in the organization for too long
can kill its culture. The leader must be proactive and courageous to
bring about change. W. Edwards Deming, cited in Walton (1986)
wrote, “It takes courage to admit that you have been doing something
wrong, to admit that you have something to learn, that there is a better
way” (p. 223). Phyllis Sobo also cited by Walton noted, “Top
management must feel pain, and dissatisfaction with past performance,
and must have the courage to change” (p. 223).
A healthy organizational culture must be nurtured, preached,
coached, and defended at all costs. Coaching by the leader is not
merely the monitoring of a subordinate. Coaching is leading,
encouraging, redirecting, building the spirit and courage of a
subordinate to try new behaviors. Monitoring, on the other hand, is
simply observing and noting mistakes or deviations from a standard.
Monitoring involves technical skills while coaching involves
interpersonal skills. While monitoring can be useful, it cannot replace
or substitute for coaching. Monitoring without coaching makes
subordinates timid and resentful; coaching empowers them and builds
capacity for risk-taking and success.
Finally, organizational culture matters. It is tied directly to
student achievement and other organizational outcomes. The campus
leader is the catalyst that makes this happen. What the principal does

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as a moral and ethical leader is critical to building a strong and
positive learning climate. Conversely, what the leader fails to say and
do consistently permits or even encourages the culture to degenerate
into one that tolerates meanness and mediocrity. Ultimately the ideal
goal for a leader is to establish a culture where the subordinate is
challenged and encouraged to create a more civil and productive work
environment that promotes social justice and commitment to
excellence where teachers can become great teachers and where
children and adults feel safe and motivated to perform at their highest
possible level. That is the highest aspiration that a leader can have.

8. DAVID E. HERRINGTON57
References
Bass, B. (1985). Performance beyond expectations. New York, NY:
Free Press.
Bennis, W. G., & Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking
charge. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Dodd, A.W. (2005, March). Making change happen: Shared vision, no
limits. NASSP Bulletin, 89(241), 90-92.
Leach, M. (2011). Swing your sword. New York, NY: Diversion
Books.
Maslow, A. (1971). The farther reaches of human nature. New York,
NY: Penguin Books.
Peale, N.V. (1952). The power of positive thinking. New York, NY:
Simon & Schuster.
Peters, T. (2003). Reimagine! London, England: Dorling-Kindersley
Limited.
Walton, M. (1986). The Deming management method. New York, NY:
Perigee Books.