The Cabinet without Drawers

When one thinks of a cabinet, one thinks of a place to store files, papers, supplies, unwanted items, and a place to hide clutter. As a principal, there needs to be a place to put all of the necessary things that you cannot get rid of, because some day someone may ask for that piece of information.

What is the Principal’s Cabinet?

The idea for a principal’s cabinet is not new. It has been called many things, for example: leadership teams, curriculum team, faculty representative team, etc. So what makes the principal’s cabinet different?

The principal’s cabinet is a team of professionals that are empowered to find solutions to problems, assist with policy making, and gather information from other staff members in the facility. The concept of the principal’s cabinet could be used by Deans, CEOs, Managers, and politicians.

The essential components to the cabinet might be:

(1) a representative from each branch, division, department, or grade is selected to be a member of the cabinet;

(2) representatives need to be made aware of their responsibilities on the cabinet;

(3) whenever possible a system of rotating membership over a period of 1 to 2 years should be established to allow for new members to be selected to the cabinet;

(4) there needs to be a mission statement for the body of professionals;

(5) and there also needs to be a goal assessment of the work completed by the cabinet.

The principal’s cabinet assists the leadership in our schools by building the capacity for leadership from within the organization. In many cases, teaching-professionals are more than willing to provide input when requested.