Leading the Journey

When people are asked to name a great leader, familiar names surface almost automatically: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi. Each led through different circumstances and toward different ends, but each shared a common thread: they cast a clear vision, communicated it in a way that moved people, and empowered others to carry it forward.

For those of us leading Adventist schools, we also need to include Biblical examples, like those that can be found with Nehemiah rebuilding a wall against opposition, with Paul discipling young leaders from a prison cell, and above all with Christ himself, who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Adventist school leadership carries a dual calling: the practical demands of managing school budgets, staffing, curriculum, enrollment and the spiritual weight of shepherding a community entrusted to your care. This combination requires a specific set of qualities. In this article we will explore five of those qualities. They can be remembered by the acronym V.I.B.E.S.

Every effective leader can answer a simple question without hesitation: where are we going, and why? Vision is what keeps a school anchored when enrollment dips, when a difficult board meeting looms, or when a global pandemic upends the calendar overnight. Without that vision, the school drifts from one reactive decision to the next.

For an Adventist school principal, vision isn’t just strategic, it is theological. Habakkuk 2:2 instructs the prophet to “write the vision; make it plain,” so that it can be clearly communicated and understood by others. A principal’s job isn’t only to hold the vision personally, but to make it plain enough that teachers, parents, and students can see themselves in it. A school that exists “to develop students academically and spiritually” has a clear vision. A school where staff worship, curriculum choices, and disciplinary conversations visibly connect back to that vision is a school that is being led.

There is a well-known story about a mother in India, frustrated that her son ate too much sugar. Nothing she said changed his habits, so she brought him to Gandhi and asked him to intervene. Gandhi told her to come back in two weeks. When she returned, he looked at the boy and simply said, “Stop eating so much sugar.” Confused, she asked why he had not said that the first time. He answered, “Two weeks ago, I was still eating too much sugar myself.”

As an Adventist school principal you should hold high standards of character, diligence, and spiritual growth. James 3:1 warns that those who teach “will be judged with greater strictness,” a sober reminder that a principal’s example carries as much weight as their instruction. Staff and students alike are far more likely to internalize what they see modeled than what they hear announced at a staff meeting or during an assembly.

The truth every effective principal eventually learns is: a leader’s reach is only as far as the team around them. A third-grade substitute teacher struggling with classroom management, a tense conversation between an upset parent and a teacher, or bullying by a middle-schooler on the playground during recess can all happen throughout the day without the principal’s direct supervision. They occur under what the principal has already instilled in the team: training, trust, and the confidence to carry the mission forward in his or her absence. A school’s true strength is not measured by how present the principal is, but by how well the school continues to run when the principal is not in the room or building.

There is a story often told about a 100-meter race at the Special Olympics. As the race began, the last-place runner stumbled and fell. Without hesitation, the runner behind her stopped to help, then the next, and the next, until every runner had turned back to support and provide assistance. Eventually, they crossed the finish line together, hand in hand. The organizers awarded each athlete a gold medal that day. None of the athletes were thinking about their individual achievements anymore. They were thinking about each other. This is the posture that should be exhibited on our campuses between teachers and staff. A few attributes have to be in place to build this type of a team.

• Trust that holds when the leader is not in the room. The team should be able to operate with confidence, not confusion, in the leader’s absence. Moses chose capable God-fearing men who were placed over groups (Exodus 18).
• Being a person of your word. Scripture is direct about this: “Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ be no” (Matthew 5:37).
• Genuine delegation. Delegating is an act of trust that gives your team real ownership. Exodus 18:17 shows us Moses learning this lesson from his father-in-law Jethro, who warned him he would “wear himself out” trying to do it all alone.

Leadership is carried largely through words, and there are a few phrases that matter. These phrases can shape the culture of a school far more than any mission statement posted on a wall. They show up in ordinary, everyday moments, not just in formal speeches, a hallway greeting, a comment after a difficult classroom observation, or a quick note left in a teacher’s mailbox. These small, repeated exchanges accumulate over time into either a culture of trust or a culture of tension. Staff members remember not just what a principal decided, but how it was communicated to them and whether they felt informed or blindsided, valued or managed, trusted or supervised.

A few examples of powerful words and phrases a principal is encouraged to use often are:

• “I made a mistake.” Take personal responsibility when something goes wrong, and give the credit to the team when something goes right.
• “I’m proud of you” / “Thank you.” Naming a specific person’s contribution, rather than offering vague praise.
• “What’s your opinion?” People support what they helped to shape.
• “Would you please…” rather than a directive presented from a position of authority.
• “We vs I.” builds trust, shares credit, and unites the team. It shifts focus from a top-down hierarchy to a shared mission, making team members feel valued, involved, and equally responsible for both the work and the results.

This is the quality that most distinguishes Adventist school leadership from leadership models built purely on management theory. Christ’s own definition of greatness inverted the world’s: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Mark 10:43). A principal secure in this identity does not lead to be noticed, thanked, or credited; they lead because the mission and the people are worth serving.

Practically, that looks like a principal who covers a classroom when a teacher is out sick without being asked, who knows students’ names and stories beyond their discipline files, and who treats the custodial staff with the same respect given to the school board. Servant leadership is the whole foundation everything else is built on.

Vision gives a school direction. A trusted team gives it capacity. Intentional communication gives it morale. Integrity gives it credibility. And a servant’s heart gives it its soul.

None of these qualities require charisma or a title; they require consistency, practiced in the unseen moments as much as the public ones. As you think about your own leadership this year, a few questions worth asking are: Is my vision plain enough that my staff could restate it themselves? Do the people around me trust that my word is reliable? Am I modeling the standards I am asking my staff and students to meet?

Great leadership, in an Adventist school or anywhere else, is not about being the most visible person in the building. It’s about being the most faithful one in vision, in words, and in example.

Robin L. Banks is the high school principal at Loma Linda Academy