My NAPP discussions on the VLN last year referred me to an article about "Secrets to being a Good CEO". I could make clear connections between a "good" CEO and effective leadership in schools... Mark Franklin believes that the skills of a CEO are a combination of innate understanding and  on the job learning and suggests that effective leadership includes: Self-awareness - of the impact you have on people and the impact people have on you Self-management - time management, emotional management & decision making Situational awareness - knowing what's going on around you and what you need to do.  Relationship management - being a unifying force in your school. Setting/modelling our ethics and culture.  Franklin's traits of an effective leader include: Humour - the ability to see the funny side, even at your own expense Technical competence - in something but not necessarily in everything Practicality - able to talk to people at all levels of the school,including the difficult issues Normality - being a normal person who acts normally, relates positively, reacts consistently. Franklin's list of key attributes that successful leaders have in common include: An ability to articulate their vision A strong commitment to achievement Readiness to demonstrate courage when things get difficult. Ready to take a risk (living on the edge). I am directly focussed on #1 in the list of attributes as I know it is the area that I need to work on most in my role  as a leader. I think I really did #2-4 well enough where I was but to ensure that I have people on board I need to be  able to articulate the vision that is shared and co-constructed between us.