A Principal is first and foremost a Teacher. Teaching is an integral part of a Principal's work routine and is as important as administration. Yet the world looks upon the Principal differently, much differently than upon a teacher. The Principal is a much-refined modification of the teacher and as such his duties and responsibilities go way beyond the arena of teaching.

Principals are not born with excellence; they have to achieve it. Depending upon the effort put in to understand the reality of higher education, the larger and more accurate our maps of colleges will be!

Generally, we find a lopsided kind of life in colleges. Many people with IQ's of 120 work for people with IQ's of 90. If there is a poor intrapersonal interaction and emotional bonding, the Principal will have concrete hurdles in the all round development of the college. Therefore, there is a need to prepare a team of teaching and non-teaching staff for the betterment of the college. In today's most difficult and competitive situation, the Principal should have the capacity to build a good team. Ability to delegate effectively, helping the employees at work and encouraging them to take decisions, supporting and guiding them is much required for the post of the Principal.'Trust' is the essence of 'Principalship'. So, the Principal should be appreciative of others' achievements, understand their difficulties, motivate them and render academic and professional guidance whenever asked. Long-term effectiveness requires genuine courtesy and respect for others.

The key to any inter-personal relationship is listening carefully and responding positively. For that, the Principal needs to be a friend, a guide and a philosopher. He needs to have a global mind set. Logically, therefore, the Principal must become the pivot, of the college system, giving directions, issuing instructions and redefining areas of work. His approach would thus help in team building and enhancing the sense of belonging. Of course, there will be arguments, counter-arguments and conflicts too. But the Principal should take these in stride and continue doggedly towards higher goals. From the perspective of a successful Principal, having hope means that one will not give in to defeatist attitude or depression in the face of difficulties or challenges. The desire and the determination to perform is of utmost importance. Prof. William James rightly said: “Your passion for the subject will save you. If you only care for a result, you will most certainly attain it. If you wish to be rich, you will be rich, if you wish to be learned, you will be learned, if you wish to be good, you will be good.” Indeed, the Principal who is active, intelligent and optimistic manoeuvres efficiently & intelligently through life in pursuit of his goal.

Principals with high hopes set themselves higher goals and have the grit to attain them. They believe in both - the will and the way to accomplish the goals. Making wise decisions and following a democratic procedure in college will bring about far-reaching positive changes in college development.

Many Principals do not make any real effort and therefore, their ideas remain small and sketchy. Their views of the colleges remain narrow and misleading. Only a few Principals continue, until the moment of retirement, their tireless efforts in exploring opportunities and possibilities of excellence in higher education, thus enlarging and refining the map of college development.

The most important qualities needed in a Principal are self-discipline, a virtuous life and self-control, as also the social knack to know, not just when but how to speak up productively against the critics and the skeptics. The Principal should know how to overcome prejudices. Self-motivation, self-guidance and self-assessment are the three mantras for effective leadership. Colleges play the central role in moulding the character of students by inculcating self-discipline and etiquette which leads to caring, altruism and compassion. To develop the college, the Principal has to develop himself. He must possess the willingness and the capacity for continual self-examination.

The pre-requisites of a good Principal are ---
1. the ability to think coherently;
2. the ability to do things in the order of their importance;
3. the ability to organise programmes;
4. the ability to supervise;
5. the ability to involve everyone in college activities.

The common problem with most Principals is the sense of helplessness, the fear and inner conviction of being unable to 'cope' and to change things. The basic tragedy of this 'sense of inferiority' and 'impotence' is a loss of authority and power. The reason for this is inadvertently the dilemma of distinguishing between what the Principal is or isn't responsible for as a Principal. No sane Principal would start to develop a college without some sort of :

Everyone expects a Principal to be quite familiar with :
1. The Situation at hand
2. The Options available
3. The Consequences of decisions.
4. The Probable Solutions to certain inevitable problems.

The Principal's job is multifaceted, specialized and demanding. The Principal is both - an administrator and a leader. The Principal is one who should take decisions that satisfy all those involved in the teaching learning process -
1. The Students
2. The Management
3. The Teaching Staff
4. The Non-teaching Staff
5. Parents.

The Principal should keep an eye on the future. Balancing the situation requires extra-ordinary flexibility. So a stable mental framework on the part of the Principal is essential to strike a delicate balance between conflicting situations, duties and responsibilities. The essence of this discipline of balancing is in well-established patterns of behaviour, ideologies and the style of life. Individuals are required to know their personality traits if they are to travel far on the journey of Principalship. Here are three guidelines for a Principal's behaviour :-

1. Skill of networking.
2. Integrity and Credibility.
3. Courage to admit and rectify one's own mistakes.

Today colleges are mushrooming but they are not progressing. Unless we make conscious efforts to improve a college from its grass-root level, we can't expect any real development. Therefore, the Principal should be a man of vision and maintain a healthy relationship with the Government authorities, the University, the University Grants Commission, the National Assessment & Accreditation Council etc. Moreover, the Principal should be well versed with Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994; U.G.C. Act. 1956; Service Conditions of teachers; Code of Conduct of Teachers; Code of Conduct of Employees; Government Reservation Policy; Statutes; Ordinances; Rules and Regulations, etc. 

Visionary Principals often go against great odds in order to implement their ideas. They design and implement their model and manage the present while keeping a firm hold on the future. A courteous Principal despite not being very sharp will succeed in life than a discourteous but an intelligent person. The emotional maturity of the Principal indicates the richness of academic life of a college. Understanding and caring in a Principal is of more importance than any other quality. The hallmarks of a good Principal are:

1. Simplicity and
2. Humility.

So, if a Principal wants to run a college smoothly, the rule is :
“Show respect for the other man's opinions”. It is true that faith is the force that sets Principals free to succeed. Principals with positive thinking are the winners who recognise their limitations, but focus on their strength. Lord Chesterfield said, “Be wiser than other people, if you can; but do not tell them so.” For that, the Principals need to be without prejudice, professional in their outlook and committed to transparency. A Principal has to be a strategist inspired by the vision of the changing world. Hard work and perseverance combined with faith can achieve great results. Other important qualities required of Principals are composure, neatness, total conviction and continuous pursuit of the goals in mind. A Principal should have a long-range vision and be well versed in ethics and methodology.

At present, very few Principals are really trained to meet the global challenges of higher education. The need, therefore, is to think properly about the role of the Principal in quality sustenance and enhancement. The time has now come to take the college right amidst the community and transform the traditional attitude about education into one befitting the global scenario. If the Principal is a visionary, he would be a task-achiever. He can bring into the college the kind of culture which is the need of the time. An honest approach on the part of the Principal would improve the quality of his college. He is the key person in innovation. And therefore, ----

(i) The Principal should define the exact meaning of quality in his college.
(ii) The effort and the methodology towards goal setting and goal achievement should be clearly outlined.
(iii) The staff & the students should be motivated and energies channelised in the right direction.
(iv) A concrete plan to face the challenges should be prepared.
(v) The required training and guidance should be provided to the staff and the students.
(vi) The best practices should be implemented.
(vii) Moral values should be inculcated.
(viii) Viable solutions should be provided.
(ix) Perseverance and systematic efforts should be maintained throughout.

In the near future, the college will be a problem-solving centre. It will be more electronic and answerable to all questions related to human development. Therefore, it is necessary to speculate about the future on the basis of the ever-changing trends of the present. A dynamic Principal can easily understand the winds of global change in higher education. And aspire to do everything in his capacity to keep the college at the peak of efficiency.

Prin. M. S. Kurhade
D.T.S.S. College of ,Commerce,
Kurar, Malad (E), Mumbai-400 097

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