Very few people know everything and fortunately even fewer know nothing. The rest of us lie somewhere in between. It would be great if we came to every job with a complete knowledge base but that's not likely. Unfortunately, a great many novice school administrators are under the impression that whenever they are asked a question, no matter what the topic, they are expected to come up with the correct answer immediately. Part of this reaction is ego and part is the misconception that administrators are supposed to know everything.
The late great Country Western singer Johnny Cash once said "know your limitations". This idea is as important in life as it is on the job. School administrators are not born knowing the correct answer to every question they encounter during the course of their work day. It is also important to remember that very few decisions that an administrator makes are a matter of life & death and must be acted upon immediately. So I suggest that you take the time to find out the correct answer.
That's why its very important for novice administrators to develop a support network of senior administrators and other like minded neophytes whom you can seek out to answer your questions. Scheduling regular meetings to discuss ongoing concerns not only helps to build your knowledge base but also helped to reaffirm that prior decisions that you made were correct under the circumstances you were given.
Most importantly, and probably the most difficult aspect of this process is admitting when you made a mistake. Hopefully it won't happen too often, but when it does, act quickly to correct your error. The worst thing that you can do is to stonewall the situation and continue down the wrong path just because you are too proud to admit you were wrong. Contrary to what our current President thinks, you don't get extra credit for being stubborn.
Remember, learning to be a school administrator is as much about growing as a person as it is about learning your craft.
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