Staying positive and being student focused was the theme of my interview with the Director of the Galveston-Brazoria Cooperative for the Hearing Impaired (GBCHI). I decided to interview the Director of GBCHI because she is in the unique situation of working with ten different school districts which function as a co-op. GBCHI is even comprised of its own board of directors, which is made up of the ten superintendents of the participating districts. During the interview the director enlightened me with her experiences as a district leader.
The first answer I found interesting was how she described leadership. She described leadership as being a guiding voice that empowers others to lead. It is inspiring others to make the right decisions by always being a positive model role. Leadership is not asking others to do something you would not do yourself. She later explained leadership is how you act under pressure while guiding people in the right direction and always maintaining child focus.
The Director of GBCHI got this district level position just a little over a year ago. Prior to being promoted to a district level position she was an assistant principal in the district. She explained she enjoyed being in a district leadership role because you get the chance to interact with students at all levels and people in all different roles. She explained when you are at a campus you do not truly understand the function of everyone’s roles in the district, but now being in a district level position she is able to see how we all function together as a district. Another positive aspect she saw of being in a district level position is you are able to impact the community even more. You have the ability to build and maintain community relationships, which she saw has an extremely important role as a district leader.
The next answer that stood out to me was when we started discussing how she developed a working relationship with the GBCHI board. She explained you have to be upfront and honest at all times with the board. Everything must be relayed and explained to the fullest. She described the relationship as being an “open book”. To have a good working relationship you must be transparent, let the board know all of the issues going on with the co-op. Her advice to build the best possible relationship was be honest, upfront and stay positive at all times.
Next, the director and I had a conversation about decision making and how to sustain positive change. This is an area I feel passionate about myself. So, it was extremely interesting to hear her discuss sustaining positive change because we had very similar beliefs on the issue. Her first word of advice on this matter was lead by example and be transparent with your staff. Always focus on students’ needs and not always about what we do not have. You have to celebrate the small accomplishments. Then she explained to maintain positive change all stakeholders have to feel vested in the idea. If the stakeholders feel they had a say in the decision then the decision will be seen more positively and it is more likely to sustain because the individuals are vested in the change.
Her final words also stuck with me. She started to explain how most of her days start the moment she gets out of bed with a problem and do not end until her head hits the pillow. She explained she never knows what is going to happen from day to day. But, you must always stay positive and never let things get to you. Parents, teachers and the community are just trying to be advocates for their children of the district. We as district leaders can never take things personal. You always have to give a 100%. There is not a down day for administrator and there is never such a thing as a bad day. No one cares if you are having a bad day. They still want their problems fixed and you as a leader are there for the staff, parents, community and foremost the students.
Those words really stuck with me because sometimes I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. It is often evident when I am having a bad day, but she is right in saying that no one cares. Parents still want their issues addressed. Students still need to learn and the staff still needs to feel that they are being heard. So, with those words in mind, I am going to start making a more conscious effort to stay positive and keep the students in mind at all times.
Finally, I learned from the interview that no matter what leadership position you are in that there will be positives and negatives, ups and down, but in the end, as long you stay focused on your mission, the children, it is all worth it. I also learned that through the experiences I had as a campus administrator I will have the opportunity to expand those leadership skills when I too have a district leadership position.
5 comments:
I enjoyed reading your interview. I did not realize that superintendents were board of directors in a co-op. The advantage of this leadership position is knowing you are serving many districts, not just one.
I was dealing with our special education co-op director a few days ago, and I had learned that her board of directors were the area superintendents. While reading your post, I see how your person that you interviewed has to develop a strong relationship with the board of directors (the superintendents). Work hard at not wearing your emotions on your sleeves, you're not always going to have everyone agree with you. Best wishes in your pursuit for your superintendents certification.
What a unique opportunity to have interviewed the director of a co-op. The interview responses were honest and experience based.
I enjoyed reading your interview.
Considering the many special interest issues that come before the Director of GBCHI and the skills required to respond to these issues and to resolve the myriad problems that she apparently faces on a daily basis, I see significant correlation between the skills and knowledge required to successfully lead the Co-op and those required for a superintendent of a school district. You did a good job asking questions and pursuing the nuances of her job.
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