Qualities of a Successful PTO President
Leadership qualities
Being the president of the organization, you must have the leadership qualities that will help you to bind the entire organization towards the common goal. You must be confident about your decision but not be a dictator. Always be a motivator, a teacher, a friend, a visionary, and a critic of your entire group. You should have the ability to make people follow you willingly. You must have a clear vision and should be able to decide what you want the entire group to achieve. Discipline is mandatory for a leader and his entire team. When you expect the students to learn discipline, you must yourself be well-organized with your meetings, fundraiser, proposals, etc.
Must be a good planner
As a president, you have to work hard on various issues such as enhancing parent teacher involvement, hiring volunteers, budgeting, working on the fundraiser, and much more. For one person, handling all these will be impossible. As a leader of the group, you must know how to delegate these tasks among your member. Planning and delegating tasks is one the hardest responsibilities of the being a president. A good and timely plan can reduce your stress and work load by half. Do not hesitate to take the help of your fellow members while making the plan, as they might come up with some excellent ideas. Even if they don’t, a good leader is someone who respects people’s ideas and encourages participation.
Excellent communication skills
Convincing people to join your organization or buying your products is not an easy job. You need to be an excellent communicator in order to provoke people to do whatever you ask them. Explain your audience what a PTO is all about; tell them your objective, how you operate, what they can contribute, and how it will benefit the students and the school. A simple talk will not be as much effective as an emotional one. You need to make people feel that you really need their help. Sometimes, you have to pamper people because not everyone will be interested in social service.
Down to earth
Being the leader of the organization, you have to be compassionate towards others. Listen to their problems and discuss your issues with them. Do not consider yourself as the decision maker; rather promote an environment where decisions are made through mutual discussions. Accept criticism optimistically and take every possible step to avoid the pitfalls that can ruin your fundraiser. Be confident and boost the confidence of others as well.
You have to be a good leader in order to become a president of a successful PTO.
