“If we wait . . . we lose kids.” That is a powerful quote from my district’s Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in response to asking her about how a superintendent promotes and sustains a district culture that emphasizes student learning and professional development. She stated several times throughout the interview that the most important thing that a superintendent should remember and make decisions by is that “it is all about the kids and their learning.”
In reflecting on the interview, her response on how you should develop a shared vision stood out to me. She spoke often about collaboration and she thought that the strategic planning process was the most effective method to use to develop and share a shared vision. This method brings all the stake holders together to share their thoughts and ideas and then concludes with the groups coming to a consensus in the end.
She claimed that the biggest job she felt the superintendent had was to build good working relationship with the School Board. She explained that open communication was the most important aspect of having an effective working relationship with these important district volunteers. She shared that communication should happen in many forms from written responses to individual face to face meetings with the school board president. Effective communication prevents board members getting caught off guard to events that happen in the district. She explained that the superintendent also needs to know how the school board members think. They usually look at the district from outside in and focus on tangible items such as facilities; sports, etc. where as a superintendents usually looks at the district from the inside out with the focus on instruction and learning. Understanding how the school board members think is very important to know so that the superintendent can communicate effectively with them.
When I asked her how superintendents should approach the management of everything from budgets to technology applications, she answered, “Hire good people that are strong in the areas you are not.” I had heard this statement before and definitely see the wisdom in this statement. A superintendent cannot know everything. I know that when I am superintendent, I am going to want a great CFO and transportation director to run those departments smoothly.
This point was emphasized in her response to the next question about leadership and management principles that are important in organizational leadership. She recommended hiring strong and then staying in constant communication with those people. She suggested having cabinet (or advisory committee) meetings and round table meetings with department leaders on a consistent basis.
In the end, she left me with this advice. In order to be a successful superintendent, one should be visible on campuses, be a life-long learner, be organized and prioritize each day, and continually work on improving communication with all stakeholders. I find this advice to be valuable as I believe these are important traits that all leaders should possess.
