The Hammer Principle Analysis

“The Hammer Principle” is one of the principles for building relationships in Winning with People by John C. Maxwell. As the principal of a school, building relationships must be one of the top priorities. Relationships are the foundation upon which student learning begins. When a principal has the support and loyalty of the teachers and staff at the school, student learning occurs because teachers have the desire and attitude to get the job done. Developing respectful and trusting relationships begins by having good communication skills like being an active listener and having good interpersonal skills such as controlling one’s actions or behaviors and meeting the needs of others. Achieving this goal must be done with kid gloves rather than blowing in like a hurricane. Being proactive and looking carefully at how situations are handled, completed, and stated gives the leader an upper hand. Overall, the article expresses the importance of relationships and how to effectively and …show more content…
Understanding the difference between power and authority will benefit a school principal. Power means having control over someone, but having authority refers to the influence a principal can have over the teachers. With a positive attitude and mindful effort, a leader can be more attentive by using interpersonal skills to initiate building relationships. According to Maxwell (2004), if a leader focuses on the total picture, timing, tone, and temperature, relationships can be nurtured and improved. The total picture refers to actively listening to the entire conversation and not speaking until the person has finished. Hearing and questioning the speaker allows the listener to completely and fully understand the spoken words. The attention also makes the speaker feel valued, and that the conversation was important. How a leader acts toward someone and when that action occurs definitely affects the bond