A Seat at the Table: An Autoethnography of Interpersonal Relationships and Leader Development

Abstract

Assistant principals are the underserved leaders in K-12 education. With limited research highlighting the lived experiences of these leaders, there is still much to be learned about assistant principals. More specifically, there is more to learn about their relationships with their principals and their development as leaders. Utilizing leader-member exchange (LMX), this autoethnographic study highlights the interpersonal relationships between a principal and assistant principal team at a small, suburban middle school in Georgia. The results of the study indicate a relationship characterized by a variety of low-LMX outputs which impact the leader development of the assistant principal. This study will provide university leader development programs, school districts, and principals with the levers to support positive interpersonal relationships among principal and assistant principal teams.