For the last two years, I have had many talks with Mr. Wiggins and found that our discussion, again, turned into a very informative, intuitive and lesson sharing discussion. As I tried to come and be very professional, Mr. Wiggins asked me about my family. When we started catching up on the previous three days since we last spoke, our discussion turned into a collaborative session of prior experiences.
When asked the questions about the positive and negative aspects of being the superintendent, Mr. Wiggins responded with answers that would resemble some of our answers to being in our leadership roles. The positives are always focusing on the children of our district or campus and how are the best practices to help them realize and reach their full potential. With that said, the two main focuses being achievement and safety will always be utmost importance. He followed up by saying the negatives are what sometimes sidetracks us from our focus. He listed some examples of what can pull you away from your district goals but then concluded with sometimes those negatives can turn into learning experiences when approached with a positive attitude. My self-reflection on his answers, like all of us, is how many times we let ourselves be taken off focus of our district and campus goals to “put out fires.” Every time you walk into work is a new day and with that new day comes many different opportunities to make a positive difference in a child’s life. With every decision we make, we must keep our district goals in mind and do our best to follow the path that our district leaders have established for us
His response to building a good relationship with the board was not a response that surprised me but it was a response that all school leaders should use. Transparency was the keyword in his response and focused on good communication through invites, emails, phone call and incites given about the way you conduct business. When first starting a superintendent position, your communication with the board members and stakeholders is key. Trust is not built overnight; it is developed over time in the knowledge of the stakeholders on how you conduct business and doing it the right way. Making them aware and having a system on how you communicate with them is a large part of having a great rapport with the school board.
In regards to Mr. Wiggins’ response to the question over Competency 8, he used the words, “trust with verification.” Those words really sum up what a good administrator uses for accountability. As a superintendent, you are responsible for the hiring of your principals and a few other positions. When you hire those folks, you have given them the trust that they will perform the job well. That trust is affirmed when the job is and the data show a positive shift. The superintendent must be able to verify everyone’s position in the district is worthy and necessary in achieving the goals of the administration.
Data is the driving force behind all decisions that are made and Competency 10 is no exception. Mr. Wiggins, in his explanation, said that knowing your deficiencies and forming a focus group to outline a correct course of rectitude. Collaborating not only gives everyone buy in to what you’re doing, it also allows you to come up with ideas a single person would not have come up with. Helping each other “think through” different issues is the best way to have a shared common goal in your district.
My interview process has enlightened me to some of the day to day dealings that the superintendent has. Mr. Wiggins and I continued to speak about other situations and realized something. Just like a principal, the superintendent can be taken away from the districts goals by seemingly small issues that can dictate and entire week. Those small things are important to someone and you must deal with them the way you would anything else. In the end you are a hired hand by the community and the job you do is a service to them. You must keep your districts goals and vision in mind in your dealings with everyone, because in the end you work for them.
It sounds like you have a good relationship with your superintendent. He seems to be someone who will be very helpful to you over the next nine months.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating to read your interview and see so many similarities with my interview of my superintendent. It is really interesting to me that they both used the term "transparency" with regard to their relationship with their school boards. Nice reflections.
ReplyDeleteGood job, Lee. The description of the superintendent as a "hired hand" was interesting. Perhaps Dr. Bob Thompson says it best when describing the governance of a school district. He says this about the Board of Trustees, "It is their kids, their money, and their schools." Superintendents must either comply with a board's directive or, if they believe the board is not acting in the best interest of the district, they must find a way to convince the board to collaborate with him/her in taking action that may not be their first choice. In many ways, I guess the superintendent is a "hired hand." Dr. Jimmy Creel
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