This document contains a personal reflection from Tawanda C. Smallwood on human resource leadership. It discusses several aspects of being a leader, including ensuring professional development for teachers, establishing processes for recruiting and mentoring staff, and evaluating teachers in a fair manner focused on improvement. Smallwood recognizes the importance of using data to inform decisions and providing support to help teachers grow professionally in order to advance student achievement. The reflection emphasizes the leader's role in creating conditions for all staff to continuously learn and improve.

1. Personal Reflection on Human
Resource Leadership
Tawanda C. Smallwood
NELA Cohort III
DLP #2 Assignment 2.3

2. What is a Leader?
• A leader is an individual who significantly affects
the thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors of a
significant number of individuals
• Howard Gardner

3. Top 10 Qualities of a Great
Leader
(2012). Top 10 qualities of a great leader. Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/

4. Standard 4: Human Resource
Leadership

5. a. Professional Development/
Learning Communities
The principal ensures that the school is a
professional learning community.
• In order to improve learning and teaching, teachers must be involved in
professional development within the school. As a leader, I need to recognize
what types of professional development is needed for my teachers. I need to
look at test results, the NC Teacher Working Condition Survey, their
Professional Development Plans, mentor records, and beginning teacher
feedback. These are just of few things among many others that could be
used to provide the best and accurate professional development for my
school. I also know that all staff don’t need the same professional
development. I could offer choices for professional development or use
feedback from surveys to drive my decisions about what professional
development to offer.

7. b. Recruiting, Hiring, Placing
and Mentoring of Staff
The school executive establishes processes
and systems in order to ensure a highquality, high performing staff.
• As a leader, I recognize the need to put people where they will have
the greatest impact on student achievement based on their strengths.
I also know that before I can change anything, I need the data to
support any decision that will be made. I have to take time to get to
know the new staff beyond the interview process in order to take
advantage of their strengths as well. Recognizing potential leaders
and providing them support to grow is also essential to retaining
effective staff. A good leader is able to build even better leaders.
Building a support system with colleges and universities is key to
recruiting qualified personnel. I need to advertise what is going on at
the school so that others will want to join this phenomenal team.
Sometimes you have to “toot” your own horn.

9. c. Teacher and Staff Evaluation
The principal evaluates teachers and other staff in a
fair and equitable manner with the focus on improving
performance and, thus, student achievement.
• Using data to drive professional development is one way to improve the
overall achievement of the school. As a leader, I recognize the need to use
the evaluation as a growth model for teachers. My goal is to get them to
recognize the need to improve in their own area. I know that providing
feedback is essential to the growth of a teacher. I want my teacher to
become reflective practitioners, thus, improving themselves. All of this
would have a direct, positive impact on student achievement. All of the
feedback from the evaluations will give me the opportunity to provide
specialized and individualized professional development for teachers and
staff. I also recognize the importance of support staff such as counselors,
nurses, and social workers. They are vital to the operation of a school and
thus should be provided opportunities to grow as well.

11. Moving from Good to Great!
• In order to advance my current leadership knowledge, I
need to know what I should be doing to get distinguished
on this particular standard. I need to ask as many school
leaders as possible how they improve on this standard. I
need to know what types of things they are doing in their
schools and is it working. I need to pay attention to the
school improvement plan, NC Teacher Working Conditions
Survey, student achievement and testing data, teacher
retention data, NBCT, and teacher professional growth
plans. I need to make sure the master schedule has time
in it for teacher collaboration. I need to support the
county’s mentor and beginning teachers program by being
visible in meetings and checking in with mentors and
teachers.