LEADERSHIP & WELLNESS ISSUE / SPRING 2022
PEAK PERFORMANCE THROUGH HEALTHY LEADERSHIP HABITS www.iasbo.org
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GIVE ONE DAY to improve every day.
Join Illinois ASBO at the Children's Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County in Hoffman Estates to share your passion for helping others at the 2022 Annual Conference Legacy Project! Spend the day serving with your peers taking part in projects across the grounds to improve the daily experience for the children served by this great organization.
SAVE THE DATE Tuesday, May 3, 2022
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022
INSIDE
Illinois Association of School Business Officials UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022 / v.30 / i.03
LEADERSHIP & WELLNESS ISSUE
THE NEXT ISSUE: TECHNOLOGY
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Tech Trends to Watch and How to Evaluate the ROI
THROUGH HEALTHY LEADERSHIP Explore the impact of mental health and emotional well-being, along with the role of the leaders in bringing mental health to the forefront. Cover Story by Karen Rice Harris and Rebecca Jenkins
telling truth t ermen w o p m e sity genero ess
openn
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LOOKING FOR PAST ISSUES?
Visit www.iasboupdate.org to access past articles and more!
Values-Based Leadership What makes a leader worth following? Beyond a set of skills or behaviors, living out these values make a leader stand out as worthy of imitation. By Stephen Treacy
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www.iasbo.org
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Building a Comprehensive Employee Wellness Program How one district developed a wellness program focusing on physical, mental and financial health — and saving the district money in health insurance premiums. By Susan Harkin, Ed.D., CSBO, SFO
PERSPECTIVE FROM-THE-PODIUM
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Becoming a Healthier Version of Me. 07
FROM-THE-OFFICE The Building Blocks of Effective Leadership. 09
FROM-THE-FIELD Applying Leadership Wisdom to Our Daily Lives. 11
Leading Forward in Uncertain Times
SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 Leaders that Inspire: From a Personal and Historical Perspective. 19
To help us in the leadership aspect of our role, we can tap great leaders of the past for insights and inspiration. By Todd Drafall
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leadship lioff! establishing yourself in a new position Starting in a new CSBO position is a challenging opportunity to start anew and establish your leadership identity. By Dr. Seth Chapman, Dr. Brian O’Keeffe and Dr. Dean Romano
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Pandemic Aftershock: Looking Back & Moving Forward The pandemic has shaken up the business of school operations, creating an opportunity for lasting changes that benefit students. By Dr. Victor Simon
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Leadership Lessons from Lasso While not everyone may have experienced this hit TV series, everyone can bring a little bit of Ted Lasso into their leadership and their lives. By Jeff Feyerer
RESOURCES
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ON MY LIST Open your mind to becoming a great leader by reading this review from Wendy Sedwick of St. Charles CUSD 303. 45
The Final Word Stefanie Croix
Dir./Business Services Lockport Twp. HSD 205 Stefanie’s role as a school business official varies from day to day — from being a risk management consultant to a financial consultant. She believes that we should all be life-long learners and that we can always do better once we know better.
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www.iasbo.org
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THE
MAGA ZINE Illinois Association of School Business Officials
CALENDAR OF
Northern Illinois University, IA-103 108 Carroll Avenue DeKalb, IL 60115-2829 P: (815) 753-1276 F: (815) 516-0184 www.iasbo.org
EVENTS
UPDATE Editorial Advisory Board
Check out www.iasbo.org or the latest Calendar of Events included in the UPDATE mailing to see full seminar listings including location, PDC sponsorship and registration information.
May 2022
April 2022
S 27 3 10 17 24 1
M 28 4 11 18 25 2
T 29 5 12 19 26 3
W 30 6 13 20 27 4
T F S 31 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30 5 6 7
S 24 1 8 15 22 29
M 25 2 9 16 23 30
July 2022
June 2022
T 26 3 10 17 24 31
W 27 4 11 18 25 1
T 28 5 12 19 26 2
F 29 6 13 20 27 3
S 30 7 14 21 28 4
S 29 5 12 19 26 3
M 30 6 13 20 27 4
T 31 7 14 21 28 5
W T F S 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 29 30 1 2 6 7 8 9
S 26 3 10 17 24 31
M 27 4 11 18 25 1
Event
T 28 5 12 19 26 2
W 29 6 13 20 27 3
T F S 30 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30 4 5 6
Date
Time
Location
4/11/22
9:00am
Delegate Advisory Assembly
4/20/22
9:00am
Optimizing Transportation Operations, the Claim Process, and the Safe Transportation of Students
5/3/22
8:00am
Seminar on School Finance AAC #1062
Schaumburg
5/3/22
8:00am
Sustainability for PK-12 Schools AAC #1889
Schaumburg
5/3/22
9:00am
2022 Illinois ASBO Golf Outing
Wheaton
5/3/22
9:30am
2022 Legacy Project at the Children’s Advocacy Center
Hoffman Estates
5/4/22 to 5/6/22
8:00am
2022 Annual Conference
Schaumburg
5/5/22
8:00am
2022 Annual Conference Support Professionals & Facilities One-Day Rate
Schaumburg
5/6/22
10:30am
PDC Networking Meeting at the 2022 Annual Conference
Schaumburg
5/12/22
9:00am
Crisis Communication: Prepare, Respond, Reflect AAC #3008
Online
5/20/22
8:30am
The Legal Rights of Students and Parents AAC #1415
Online
5/26/22
8:00am
Support Professionals Full-Day Seminar: LIFO
6/1/22
9:00am
Successful Leadership: The Influence of Learning Teams AAC #1872
Online
6/3/22
9:00am
From Words to Action: Your Response to Racism in Schools AAC #1874
Online
6/14/22
9:00am
Women in Leadership: Learning, Leading, Living! AAC #3665
Online
6/14/22
9:00am
Legal Standards for the Management of School Personnel AAC #820
6/27/22
9:30am
Presidents’ Cup Golf Tournament
7/14/22
TBD
7/14/22 7/19/22
Naperville Online
Arlington Heights
Naperville Aurora
2022 Leadership Day
Glen Ellyn
2:00pm
PDC Networking Meeting/New Connections Happy Hour
Glen Ellyn
8:00am
Emerging SBO Summit
Naperville
PDC MEMBERS Jacquelyn Bogan Special Education: Admininistration & Finance Amy Curtin Accounting Auditing & Financial Reporting Myron Spiwak Principles of School Finance Todd R. Drafall Public Policy, Advocacy & Intergovernmental Relations Todd Dugan Technology Timothy J. Gavin Budgeting & Financial Planning Raoul J. Gravel III, Ed.D. Communications Frances A. LaBella Legal Issues Daniel R. Mortensen, CPMM Planning & Construction Thomas M. Parrillo Purchasing Brian K. O’Keeffe Human Resource Management Brian Rominski CPMM, CPS Maintenance & Operations Anthony Ruelli Leadership Development Lyndl A. Schuster Ed.D. Sustainability Mark E. Staehlin Cash Management, Investments & Debt Management Justin D. Veihman Risk Management Wendy Sedwick Food Service Kenneth E. Surma Transportation BOARD & EXTERNAL RELATIONS MEMBERS Jan J. Bush President Charles L. Czachor SAAC Chair STAFF MEMBERS Michael A. Jacoby, Ed.D., SFO, CAE Executive Director / CEO (815) 753-9366, mjacoby@iasbo.org Susan P. Bertrand Deputy Executive Director / COO (815) 753-9368, sbertrand@iasbo.org Craig Collins Statewide Professional Development Coordinator, (630) 442-9203, ccollins@iasbo.org Rebekah L. Weidner Senior Copywriter / Content Strategist, (815) 753-9270, rweidner@iasbo.org Stacia Freeman Senior Graphic Designer (815) 753-9393, sfreeman@iasbo.org Kevin Nelligan Graphic Designer (815) 753-7654, knelligan@iasbo.org
Illinois ASBO Board of Directors
Jan J. Bush President Eric DePorter President-Elect David Bein, Ph.D., SFO Treasurer Mark W. Altmayer Immediate Past President 2019–22 Board of Directors Maureen A. Jones, Tamara L. Mitchell, Nicole Stuckert 2020–23 Board of Directors Anthony R. Arbogast, Edward J. Brophy, Patrick McDermott, Ed.D., SFO 2021-24 Board of Directors Todd R. Drafall, Sean Gordon, CPMM, CPS, Raoul J. Gravel, III, Ed. D.
Illinois ASBO Board Liaisons
Charles L. Czachor Service Associate Advisory Committee Chair Steven J. Kowalski Service Associate Advisory Committee Vice Chair Deborah I. Vespa ISBE Board Liaison Perry Hill IASB Board Liaison
Privacy Policy
All materials contained within this publication are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed or published without the prior written permission of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. References, authorship or information provided by parties other than that which is owned by the Illinois Association of School Business Officials are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.
For a Complete Listing of Upcoming Spring Events Visit: www.iasbo.org/events/calendar
PERSPECTIVE / Board President
FROM–THE–PODIUM Becoming a Healthier Version of Me The theme of this Spring UPDATE Magazine is “Peak Performance Through Healthy Leadership Habits.” How could I possibly know anything about health leadership habits? Have you met me? A few years ago, the school ID badge I was issued said “Jane Bush.” Even though I received a new badge with my correct name, as a joke, I sometimes wore the “Jane” badge on my lanyard because my story was that Jane was the “kinder, gentler Jan Bush.” But due to two years of difficult and contentious bargaining with our teacher’s union and a teachers strike, I didn’t wear it often. The strike was brutal and I took it very personally. One of my board members asked about Jane, and I said, “Jane is dead. They killed her.”
Jan Bush BUSINESS MANAGER MURPHYSBORO CUSD 186
SIMPLY SAYING
I now give my job and Illinois ASBO everything I have LEFT after I give my time and energy to my family. In the middle of all of this, in June 2019 at the Illinois ASBO Board Retreat, Dr. Dean Romano, incoming Illinois ASBO President for 2019-2020, challenged the group in attendance to write on a notecard something we wanted to accomplish at the end of the year and put it in a sealed envelope. He challenged us to “find our clarity.” If you know me at all, you know that I am the job. My husband and I have had an empty nest since early 2015, and I allowed my work to consume me and I put my all into what I have described as “my dream job” and into serving on the Illinois ASBO Board. In March of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, my mother passed away suddenly. I was just figuring out how to deal with my grief when the pandemic hit me with fear, isolation, anger, frustration and a lot of uncertainty. Then in January 2021, I moved in with my father to care for him due to complications from COVID. One day I caught myself saying that COVID took two and a
half months of my life from me because I had to live with my dad. But then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Clarity. What was in the sealed envelope when I opened it at the 2020 board retreat? “Be in the moment.” In reality, COVID has been a blessing for me. I had the privilege of caring for both my mother and father. We spent quality time together and I realized that I had been given a gift — the gift of time. My clarity was to be in the moment. To be Jane, the kinder and gentler Jan Bush. None of the other stuff matters. Do not blink or you will miss all the good stuff. I still love my job; it is still my dream job and I still love Illinois ASBO. But I do not give my job and Illinois ASBO all I have like I used to. I now give my job and Illinois ASBO everything I have LEFT after I give my time and energy to my family. My advice about work/life balance and healthy leadership? Be like Jane and be in the moment.
www.iasbo.org
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ILLINOIS ASBO
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022
PERSPECTIVE / Executive Director
FROM–THE–OFFICE The Building Blocks of Effective Leadership At Illinois ASBO we have invested a good amount of time, energy and resources into leadership development. We have a Leadership Institute, Leadership Day, a Leadership Conference, a Leadership PDC, a Leadership Blog and a new Emerging Leaders program that launches every summer. We strongly believe that for our members (school district and Service Associate) to be successful and lead their organizations and staff well – leadership knowledge is foundational in their career. In our world today, just leading by your natural instincts can lead to failure of the greatest magnitude.
Micheal A. Jacoby, Ed.D., CAE, SFO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ CEO ILLINOIS ASBO
SIMPLY SAYING
In our world today, just leading by your natural instincts can lead to failure of the greatest magnitude. In this issue of UPDATE, there are some great articles that begin to open up your thinking on being a leader. In addition, I would also encourage you to check out “22 Ways to Become a Better and More Effective Leader” by Matt Mayberry. I posted this on Twitter recently and got a good amount of feedback. If you do not have a lot of time to read and contemplate, this is a brief list that hits the mark (in my opinion) for all leaders: 1. Understand the responsibility 12. Prioritize training 2. Forget the title 13. Engage your team often 3. Be authentic 14. Provide clear expectations 4. Lead from the heart with hope and kindness 15. Practice being vulnerable 5. Lead with a servant mentality 16. Don’t place a strong emphasis on competition 6. Never stop learning 17. Be fanatical about driving alignment 7. Overcommunicate 18. Become more self-aware 8. Focus on purpose 19. Increase the frequency of performance reviews 9. Obsess about culture building 20. Put your people first 10. Become a coaching leader 21. Control what you can control 11. Show your face 22. Take decisive action In the “practice what you preach” arena – here are some of the values or agreements that the Illinois ASBO staff are embracing: Communicate honestly Accept feedback Hold no grudges Set clear expectations
Make clear requests Speak directly with respect Be present Make it safe to share
Be open to new ideas Encourage others Support the end game
There is definitely some congruence here with the “22 Ways” article. What about your staff? What about you? Do you lead by example? Do you look for ways to inspire? Would your team be effective without you? Read this UPDATE cover to cover and begin to make a world of difference as you influence others. www.iasbo.org
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ADVANCE YOUR EDUCATION & GROW IN YOUR PROFESSION INOIS ILL A
S OFFICIA ES L N
IATION OC of SS
S
OL BU HO SI SC
FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS
FOUNDATION GRANTS
Pursuing a school business degree?
Want to broaden your school business network?
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY JUNE 15!
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY OCTOBER 15!
There are multiple scholarships available to help ease the financial burden by covering a portion of your tuition or internship costs.
Foundation grants allow you to travel to conferences including the Illinois ASBO Annual Conference and ASBO International Annual Conference & Expo.
LEARN MORE AT WWW.IASBO.ORG/SCHOLARSHIPS
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022
PERSPECTIVE / SAAC Chair
FROM–THE–FIELD Applying Leadership Wisdom to Our Daily Lives “Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.” – Steve Jobs As you could probably have safely wagered from the quote above, the overarching theme of the Spring UPDATE Magazine is leadership. Leadership has always been one of those “buzzwords” in all walks of our professional, school and even social life, but in recent times seems to have been elevated to another stratosphere. In the current cultural era of memes and gifs, those attributed to leadership are more plentiful than mosquitos on a sweltry and humid Midwestern summer’s night. Quotes such as the one above by Steve Jobs can be found by the hundreds, if not thousands. A quick Google search of leadership quotes by Steve Jobs alone yields no less than 30 different quotes. I challenge anyone to scroll through a “LinkedIn” news feed and see how long it takes to come across some type of quote or other sage words of wisdom regarding leadership.
Charlie Czachor SR. V.P. INVESTMENT SVCS./ LGIP INVESTMENT DIRECTOR PMA FINANCIAL NETWORK LLC
SIMPLY SAYING
Illinois ASBO dedicates substantial resources and time to fulfilling the objective of creating visionary leaders. The sheer amount of space dedicated to leadership in all mediums of communication from social media to lectures, seminars, retreats and print is a testament to the utter importance of this topic and principle. I often pause to read these quotes, digest them and attempt to draw inspiration. The challenge, of course, lies not in simply reading and understanding the various leadership pearls of wisdom, but in how we actually implement the advice in our daily professional and personal lives. Illinois ASBO stands ready to assist you in filtering through the “noise” to provide meaningful and actionable insights and solutions.
One of the core tenets and missions of Illinois ASBO is “empowering school business professionals to be visionary leaders in their profession.” Illinois ASBO dedicates substantial resources and time to fulfilling this objective of creating visionary leaders. This month’s UPDATE is bursting with great content ranging from general leadership topics and principles to navigating the rough waters of being a leader in a brand-new professional role. This issue also addresses the extremely hot and timely topic of mental health. Mental health has sprung into the national conscience like never before, and we must spend time examining a leader’s role in this area. Lastly, each year Illinois ASBO hosts a multiple day signature leadership experience. I have received nothing but rave reviews for this event and would encourage you to add it to your calendar in the future.
www.iasbo.org
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CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Seth Chapman
Todd Drafall
Jeff Feyerer
Asst. Supt./Finance & Operations/CSBO Glenbard Twp. HSD 87
Asst. Superintendent for Business Downers Grove SD 58
Asst. Supt./Finance & Operations/CSBO Fairview South SD 72
Is in his first year at at Glenbard HS District 87 after eight years at St. Charles CUSD 303. Seth served on the Illinois ASBO Board from 20182021 and is currently a member of the DEI Steering Committee, Foundation Governing Board and the Budgeting & Financial Planning PDC. He received his Ed.D. from NIU in 2017 where he is currently an adjunct professor.
Has worked in school business management for the past 21 years. He has been a member of Illinois ASBO for 20 years, serving in various roles within the Association, and is currently on the Board of Directors.
Is in his 11th year as CSBO, Jeff currently serves as chair of the Budgeting and Financial Planning PDC and is a graduate of the Illinois ASBO Leadership Institute. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northern Illinois University.
seth_chapman@glenbard.org
tdrafall@dg58.org
jfeyerer@fairview72.com
Susan Harkin, Ed.D., CSBO, SFO
Karen Rice Harris
Rebecca Jenkins
Superintendent Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 300
Special Education AdministratorInstructional Leadership Comm. Cons. Sch. Dist. 168
Deputy Superintendent Lake Forest School Districts 67 & 115
Has been a school business official for for 15 years and is currently a superintendent. Susan is the Vice Chair of the State Evidenced-Based Funding Professional Review Panel and serves on the ISBE ESSA SiteLevel Financial Reporting Committee. She is an Illinois ASBO Past President and an ASBO International Past Director.
Has worked in education for over 20 years as a district administrator, special education teacher and counselor. Karen currently serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair for the American Association of School Personnel Administrators and the Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators. Karen is also a member of the South Suburban Human Resources Administrators Association (SSHRA).
Has served in education for over 20 years in the roles of teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent and as an adjunct professor. Rebecca has served on many committees for both the American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) and the Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators (IASPA).
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karenriceharris@gmail.com
rjenkins@lfschools.net
UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022 susan.harkin@d300.org
Dr. Brian O’Keeffe
Dr. Dean Romano
Asst. Supt./Business Operations Wheaton CUSD 200
Asst. Supt./Business & Operations Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 95
Began his education career in July 2009. He has worked in a special education cooperative school district, a K-8 school district and a unit school district. He has served as the South Suburban Regional Chair and is currently the HR PDC Chair. Brian received his Educational Leadership Ed.D. from Western Illinois University.
Is an Illinois ASBO Past President, serves on the Legal Issues PDC and is a past SWASBO Regional Chair. Dean received his Educational Leadership Ed.D. from Aurora University.
brian.okeeffe@cusd200.org
dean.romano@lz95.org
Dr. Victor Simon
Steve Treacy
Superintendent Gower SD 62
Principal Steve Treacy and Associates
Is a Chicago native and has served Gower SD 62 since 2013. Victor’s upbringing made him keenly aware of the importance of a safe and supportive school environment and the critical role that school leaders play to ensure students’ interests and needs are top priority. He sums up the call for the urgency and relentless advocacy by reminding practitioners bluntly, “This ain’t no dress rehearsal.”
Has consulted to organizations since 1985. He has a special interest in the development of leaders in education organizations of all types. He is an educational professional himself, teaching leadership and organization development at Benedictine University College of Business for more than thirty years. Since 2005 Stephen has been co-developing and co-leading numerous workshops for the Illinois ASBO Leadership Center.
vsimon@gower62.com
steve@streacy.com
www.iasbo.org
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Values-Based LEADERSHIP
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022
By Stephen Treacy
ARTICLE
PRINCIPAL STEVE TREACY AND ASSOCIATES
ing l l e t truth t n e m r e empow ity s o r e n ge s
es openn
For more than 15 years, Illinois ASBO has been committed to the leadership development of its members. Administrator academies (e.g., Life Orientations, Leadership Practices Inventory, Myers-Briggs), our new Leadership Conference and the Leadership Institute (over 140 individuals have now completed the Institute) have provided individuals with the opportunity to increase their effectiveness and expand their influence as a leader. This is quite an accomplishment and Illinois ASBO deserves its reputation as one of the preeminent organizations in Illinois, delivering high quality leadership training to its members. It has been a privilege for me to be a contributor since the start. Over the past several months, Illinois ASBO Executive Director/CEO Dr. Michael Jacoby and I have been conversing about some new directions for our leadership development efforts as an organization. I would like to share some of these ideas and get your feedback regarding if this might be the next step in Illinois ASBO’s ongoing support for school leaders in Illinois.
What Makes Leaders Worth Emulating
In my nearly thirty-five years of helping leaders grow, I think back to the times when I worked in the industry as an individual contributor and a follower. I was very aware of leaders who I wanted to follow and those that I did not. The leaders I wanted to follow possessed certain personal qualities that I admired; they engendered allegiance because of the ways they lived their lives in plain view. They made me want to “lean in” to learn more about what contributed to their effectiveness. They made me want to emulate them. While they may have been skilled in certain behaviors (e.g., a good listener, decisiveness, adept at solving problems), what stood out were the values they lived by as human beings. Prominent were the values of truth-telling, empowerment, generosity and openness. I call the use of these values-based leadership.
www.iasbo.org
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Defining Leadership Values Truth Telling means
saying it as it is. Stressing the “what is” — what happened, what you saw, what you think, how you feel. Furnishing the whole story, including all that the listener needs to know.
My Story
Openness is sharing
what you know and what you think so your follower has the best chance for success. This can especially apply to giving and receiving feedback. If your followers experience you as willing to be open, your trustworthiness and effectiveness increase.
In my early career in the industry, and later as an educator/consultant, I had two memorable leaders to follow. Ironically, they both had the same first name, Richard. “Richard One” was the owner of an engineering-construction company. I was his chief executive officer. His values of generosity and empowerment made me work hard to succeed and avoid failure. In terms of generosity, he paid me extremely well and gave me a very liberal expense account. He empowered me by allowing me to make all the corporate decisions except those affecting serious policy matters. His downside behaviors did much to lower my enthusiasm and genuine love of my work. Richard One was not truthful and as such not trustable. I worried about his telling stories about me to others just as he did about others we worked with. He practiced openness only as much as he needed to, and it was not always genuine. See the notes to the right for more examples and the rankings I applied. Ultimately, the rewards he gave me were not enough to make me want to stay under his employment.
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UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022
Generosity is more
Empowerment
than financial. It can mean giving your followers everything they need to be successful, including your time.
relates do the design of the follower’s job. Is it interesting? Does it include decision making responsibility (autonomy)? Does it include the opportunity to use multiple skills?
tings
Leader: Richard One Ra (Scale of 1-10)
Truth Telling: 2
Openness: 2
Generosity: 8
Empowerment: 8
Comments: • Held back info I needed. • Would use humor to dodge real issues.
Comments: • Was generous with pay and benefits. • Not generous with his tone or information.
Comments: • Held some information close to his chest. • Not willing to interact socially enough to understand him and his wants.
Comments: • Left me to run the company. • Rarely overruled my decisions.
ARTICLE / Values-Based Leadership
“Richard Two” was owner of consulting company I worked with early in my career in the field of organization and leadership development. Richard Two’s chief qualities were the opposite of Richard One’s. He was totally trustworthy because anything he had to say was truthful. He was open to sharing my good points with me; if there was constructive feedback to share, he delivered it clearly, at the right time and in an appropriate setting. Conversely, any time I wanted feedback or support he was ready to give it. He would never discuss my shortcomings with anyone but me. Regarding empowerment, he let me run my client engagements as I saw fit and generously rewarded me with a significant share of project margins. In terms of openness, he was willing to share his plans for the firm and invite suggestions for change. Again, you can look below for a description of how these values were measured.
tings
Leader: Richard Two Ra (Scale of 1-10)
Truth Telling: 9
Comments: • Answered my questions fully and clearly. • Could be trusted to not divulge matters that were private to me.
Openness: 9
Comments: • Offered his time for feedback, creative ideas for my projects. • Was open to my sensitive questions.
Generosity: 9
Comments: • Rewarded me with a percentage of the margins on project. • Was comfortable with open conversations regarding rewards
Empowerment: 9 Comments: • Left me to run my own projects. • Would ask me what I needed to be successful.
Your Story
Who are leaders that have inspired you or are currently inspiring you? Who are the leaders in your life that you want to follow and learn from? Using the format below, assess these leaders’ performance as it relates to Truth-Telling, Empowerment, Generosity and Openness. Add additional values as they apply to you. What do you learn about leadership from this review?
My Leader Analysis (Scale of 1-10)
Leader Name Rating > Truth Telling:
Leader Name Rating > Openness:
Leader Name Rating > Generosity:
Leader Name Rating > Empowerment:
Leader Name Rating > Truth Telling:
Leader Name Rating > Openness:
Leader Name Rating > Generosity:
Leader Name Rating > Empowerment:
Comments: ------------------------------
Comments:
Comments: ------------------------------
Comments:
Comments: ------------------------------
Comments:
Comments: ------------------------------
Comments:
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Download these charts to complete for yourself on the UPDATE website at www.iasboupdate.org!
Create a Values-Based Improvement Plan
Assess your current performance as it relates to Truth-Telling, Empowerment, Generosity and Openness by completing the notes below. When and where have these values contributed to your leadership effectiveness? Could more intentional adherence to these values help you in your role as leader? Are there other values that have or might contribute to your leadership growth? You might consider asking a trusted colleague to help you complete the notes below or review it when you have finished.
Self-Analysis and Improvement Plan
Leader: Myself (Scale of 1-10)
Where would I rate myself on Truth Telling? Comments:
Where would I rate myself on Generosity? Comments:
Where would I rate myself on Empowerment? Comments:
Where would I rate myself on Openness? Comments:
How to improve:
How to improve:
How to improve:
How to improve:
Start doing (more of):
Start doing (more of):
Start doing (more of):
Start doing (more of):
A New Leadership Direction
Could examining the values of those who inspire us as leaders be a new direction in Illinois ASBO’s leadership development strategy? Could Illinois ASBO members benefit from identifying their most cherished values and looking for ways to live them out? I welcome your feedback to these two questions. Watch for an upcoming Lunch and Learn webinar where we can take a deeper dive into values-based leadership. In the meantime, feel free to contact me at steve@streacy.com or Dr. Jacoby at mjacoby@iasbo.org.
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ar love to he We would you. from
UPDATE Magazine / Spring 2022
PERSPECTIVE / On the Profession
SCHOOL BUSINESS 101 Who is a leader that inspires you and why? program at NIU, Dr. Brad Hawk spent a lot of time teaching us about the Bolman and Deal “ In the School Business Management Four-Frame Model. My Superintendent, Dr. Lane Abrell, does such a tremendous job of putting this model into practice. I started at Plainfield 202 during the pandemic, so in many ways I still have not seen a normal year. But what I have witnessed is his unwavering leadership to make decisions and get people on board to keep moving our district forward.
He seems to see all situations from every angle; he knows when to be supportive and when to push back. He is never afraid to stand up for what he believes in but is always willing to listen to your perspective as well. Having lived in the district, I always admired Dr. Abrell for his role, but seeing how he truly leads our district from the inside has given me a strong admiration for his leadership and what he does for our students.” ANTHONY ARBOGAST, Asst. Supt./Business & Operations, CSBO, Plainfield CSD 202 business managers who inspire me are Stacey Mallek and Mary Kalou. I was lucky “ Two enough to meet them early on in my career as a school business official. In my opinion they are
both cut from the same cloth — incredibly competent, confident in their abilities, fearless and supportive of their colleagues and communities. Stacey and Mary are leaders who are willing to stand up for the right things, who speak plainly and are clear with their communications, and who expect and promote excellence among those with whom they interact.” DR. DAVID BEIN, Asst. Supt./Business, CSBO, Barrington CUSD 220 Churchill. His leadership during the Second World War and his acumen in organizing “ Winston peace was instrumental in bringing the entire world back together and forging a tremendous post-war period of prosperity. His incredible leadership skills are even more impressive when we consider that he struggled bitterly with depression and bipolar disorder. America (and the rest of the western world) would not be in such a terrific place without the leadership of Winston Churchill.” DR. BRADLEY SHORTRIDGE, Asst. Supt./Finance & Operations, CSBO, Genoa-Kingston CUSD 424
Roosevelt is the only President of the United States to also be a Medal of Honor “ Theodore recipient. He supported the conservation movement, establishing the National Parks and
Recreation. He also fought against monopolies and was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for ending the Russo-Japanese war. He facilitated the construction of the Panama Canal. Roosevelt was supported by the Right and later by the Left as well, holding strong to his beliefs. I admire his ability to work across both party lines.” STEVE CHASSEE, Associate Principal, GreenAssociates, Inc www.iasbo.org
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Building a Comprehensive Employee Wellness Program
One Illinois school district developed a wellness program that focuses on physical, mental and financial health—and saved the district money in health insurance premiums.
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Self-care and wellness have been passions of mine as I navigated my career as a school business professional. My initial interest in employee wellness stemmed from my search for ways to encourage staff to participate in their own wellness and to reduce district health insurance costs. What started as a desire to minimize the annual increase in health insurance premiums became one of the most effective programs in helping Community Unit School District 300 in Algonquin, Illinois, get through the pandemic.
The Financial Benefits of Wellness
According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2017 report on employee benefits, 88 percent of organizations with a wellness program rated their wellness initiatives as somewhat or very effective in improving employees’ health. In addition, 77 percent of organizations believed their wellness programs were somewhat or very effective in reducing healthcare costs. What’s more, as I learned at an ASBO International professional development session on wellness, for every dollar a district spends on wellness, it can save $3–$7. There is no more important time than now to support staff wellness. As I developed our wellness program in CUSD 300, I knew I had to find creative ways to provide low-cost programming to our staff. And that is where the fun began.
Meeting Diverse Needs
Wellable, an employee wellness consultant, identifies eight dimensions of well-being: physical, emotional, financial, social, occupation, purpose, intellectual and environmental. The diversity of District 300 school employees indicates a multitude of well-being needs; therefore, the first step to developing our District 300 wellness program was to determine the dimensions that would best support our staff. In 2018, district staff issued a request for proposals for wellness services. On the basis of the proposals submitted, the district leaders determined that the local hospital was the best partner to assist with the program’s initial phases. Its wellness services provided biometric screenings, flu shots, a wellness portal, wellness challenges and monthly activities focused on physical health.
By Susan Harkin, Ed.D., CSBO, SFO SUPERINTENDENT COMM. UNIT SCH. DIST. 300
Because we knew that these items wouldn’t resonate with all staff members, we decided to broaden our wellness offerings to include fitness programs as well as seminars on insurance benefits, mental health and financial health. The cost of the biometric screenings with the local hospital depleted the budget, so we needed to get creative. That is where our local partnerships came into play.
Wellness Offerings Through Local Partnerships
Not all school district employees have the same wellness needs; indeed, our custodial staff’s wellness needs are different from those of our teaching staff. Our paraprofessionals’ needs differ from the needs of our administrative staff. With that in mind, we asked some of our local community partners to develop programming that would resonate with all District 300 employees. Physical Health Our partnership with our local hospital allowed us to leverage some of the hospital’s physical health programs at little cost. In January 2019, we kicked off the SIP (Self-Improvement Plan) of the Wellness Challenge. The program included journaling, challenges, one-to-one coaching and prizes. This was a great way to kick off the new year, with employees focusing on their own wellness needs. In February, we celebrated Heart Healthy Month with lowcost electrocardiogram screenings and information on the importance of heart health care. Finally, in April, we offered staff an opportunity to get a second blood screening to see if lifestyle changes had made a difference. We ended the year with a Wellness Celebration where employees could “ask the expert” from the hospital questions about their overall health needs. The partnership with the local hospital has been a win-win for all sides.
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• • • • • • • • • • • •
Financial Wellness We reached out to our local teachers’ credit union and 403(b) provider to build monthly training sessions on the following financial wellness topics: Build a Basic Spending Plan Financial Fear Factors Own Your Future Debt Management Security and Fraud Prevention Identity Theft Managing Your Investments Amid Uncertainty Understanding Credit Buying a Home Getting Ready To Retire/Estate and Retirement Women and Retirement Auto Buying
We were able to provide educator discounts for such services as wills and low-cost loans. In addition, we offered free one-to-one financial sessions through our 403(b) plan to provide personal insight into employees’ retirement plans. Mental Health To focus on mental health, the district first leveraged its Employee Assistance Program. This program provides immediate mental health resources to all employees, including free one-toone counseling, online resources and monthly webinars. To support themes that we thought were essential to our employees, we highlighted the following sessions: • Organizing Your Workspace • Saving for the Future • Top Social Issues for Teens in Today’s World • Embracing Life’s Challenges: The Expected and the Unexpected • What Stress and Diet Have in Common • Calm Down: Meditation and Relaxation Guide On the mental health front, we partnered with a local mindfulness coach/yoga instructor who provides monthly resources to support staff members’ mental health. Monthly activities include yoga classes and mindfulness sessions.
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At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we offered a free, virtual, self-care series to all employees. Again, although all employees may not be interested, more than 50 people participated virtually in the self-care series; many reported that it was one of the highlights of their year. Employee Health Benefits As another service, we partnered with our local insurance broker to provide free monthly sessions on how staff members can better understand and use their employee insurance benefits. Topics of the monthly sessions for this group included: • Deeper Dive into HSA (health savings account) • Maximizing Your Flexible Spending Accounts • Understanding the Value Adds by Carriers • Dental Insurance—PPO vs. Premier vs. Out of Network • Medical Insurance—Understanding Your EOB (explanation of benefits) • Vision Insurance Plan (VSP) We also shared information about how to take advantage of free wellness services through our carriers. For example, we highlighted the Blue Cross/Blue Shield “Well on Target” program, where employees could earn points for completing various wellness activities. They could redeem those points for prizes, such as Apple Watches and other items of interest. Fitness Programs Fitness programs are the traditional wellness initiatives, so we engaged a local fitness instructor and district park employees to provide various fitness programs. We negotiated a low rate with the provider to pass along to our employees. Pre-COVID, we hosted these programs in our schools, which made it convenient for our employees and reduced the overall costs. Throughout the year, local partners provided themed walking challenges with prizes. These challenges—which are some of the most accessible activities to spark engagement—were scheduled right after the new year; we offered a quick week challenge over spring break.
ARTICLE / Developing an Employee Wellness Program
Reward System and Communication
As part of the overall program with our local hospital, employees can access a portal to track their screening results and wellness activities. This portal promotes monthly activities and lists wellness resources on specific topics. In addition, the platform has a personal health dashboard inclusive of results from blood screenings and access to hundreds of webinars. Because we all like a little healthy challenge, we developed a point system for various activities. We set the District 300 Yearlong Wellness Program reward levels as shown in the chart below. A monthly newsletter describes the activities and acknowledges top-point winners. At the end of the year, our District 300 Wellness Warriors receive t-shirts and facemasks with our District 300 wellness logo.
Wellness During COVID-19
Although it was difficult to promote our traditional wellness programming during the pandemic, we provided various levels of support to our staff. In January—when we planned
to bring our staff back to in-person instruction—we offered a one-hour training session for employees to assess their mental health. If employees did not have good mental health, we immediately connected them with our Employee Assistance Program. We offered a six-week COVID-19 virtual support group for stress management, underwritten by a grant through the hospital for those employees who needed a little extra assistance. Finally, to promote healthy self-care activities, we provided the self-care series through our local yoga instructor.
Next Steps
As we enter the third year of our wellness program, we will continue to leverage our local partnerships and to survey staff on the programs they value most. Although it hasn’t been a perfect rollout, I believe our staff has appreciated our commitment to their overall health. As the pressures of educating our students continue, it is more important than ever to ensure that we model self-care and overall wellness for all employees.
District 300 Wellness Program Points and Rewards Reward Level
Points
Incentive
Complete wellness screening with nurse manager or personal physician
0
Will not incur wellness surcharge for a year
Wellness champion: complete wellness screening + health and lifestyle survey
150
Access to hospital wellness portal (view screening results + earn points)
Wellness warrior: 200 points achieved per person
300
All of the above; prize awarded in May
Participants in the Self-Improvement Plan program
15
Cash reward
High-point winners for quarter
Raffle prizes awarded quarterly
High-point winners for year
Prize awarded to top three in May
Participants in walking challenges
Raffle based on challenge criteria
This article originally appeared in the September 2021 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates. www.iasbo.org
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PEAK PERFORMANCE
THROUGH HEALTHY LEADERSHIP A LEADER'S ROLE IN BRINGING MENTAL HEALTH TO THE FOREFRONT
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ARTICLE / District Use of ESSER Funding
By Karen Rice Harris
SPECIAL EDUCATION ADMINISTRATOR INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP COMM. CONS. SCH. DIST. 168
Rebecca Jenkins
DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT LAKE FOREST DISTRICT 67 & 115
The K-12 Mental Health Landscape
March 2020 marked a new era in K-12 education. For many school districts, the years-long goal of ensuring one-toone laptops for students was no longer an aspiration, but a requirement for student learning. This was an exciting necessity that launched innovation, but the stress on the personnel in education was extreme. During the FY20-FY22 school years, human resources administrators became contact tracers, CDC experts and managers of Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) leave. We were the listening ear of teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals who struggled to teach their own children in addition to performing their job duties. In addition, we strategized with our fellow administrators who received guidance from the state almost every Friday and would spend the weekend preparing for the next tumultuous week. When districts returned to in-school learning, emotions ran high for so many. Educators in general are so glad to return to normal during the 2021-2022 school year, but the residual effects of the pandemic still linger in the background.
Impact of Mental Health & Emotional Employee Well-Being
When teachers were thrust into educating their classrooms from home during a pandemic in one weekend, new pandemic-related concerns compounded everyday life challenges. On the home front, the pandemic created new frustrations, anxieties and depression never experienced before. Employees, like the rest of the public, searched multiple stores for masks, hand sanitizer, bleach and toilet paper. Some employees developed significant COVID symptoms, cared for family members with COVID and even buried friends, family and coworkers who died of COVID. New guidance was provided almost weekly from a state level and continued to change the education landscape while many staff worried about family members’ job security and health. Some employees even made the tough choice to take unpaid leaves of absence because of fear of returning to the classroom or to stay home with their own children.
AS EDUCATION LEADERS, WE CANNOT OVERLOOK HOW THE PANDEMIC IMPACTED THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND OURSELVES.
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In addition to stressors caused by the pandemic, the stressors of everyday life issues continued. Couples continued to divorce, and family obligations continued. Some continued to deal with their own pre-pandemic work stress and physical, emotional and mental challenges, as well as those of other family members. The combination of pre-existing and pandemic stress challenged the mental well-being of the education community. As education leaders, we cannot overlook how the pandemic impacted the mental well-being of our employees and ourselves. As many schools have returned to in-person learning, we did not return to school as “normal.” Teachers were welcoming students with smiles while they held back tears and administrators were sleep deprived while trying to support staff. School systems were hanging on by a thread. School systems came together to support students during the pandemic but it still has impacted each employee in various and nuanced ways. Employee morale is low, teacher retention is a concern, absenteeism in some districts has skyrocketed and recruiting and retaining talented employees is a struggle. As administrators, we are trained in creating district emergency plans and crisis teams for major incidents but school districts, as a whole, rarely create plans to manage complex traumas and ongoing traumas, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID crisis has been hard on many fields, but it has hit education in the gut.
How to Support Our Employees Moving Forward As education leaders we must acknowledge our employees have and continue to experience pandemic-related issues and other factors that challenge their mental well-being. Our employees are the keys to student success, and we need them to be physically, emotionally and mentally well to provide quality education and services. Bringing employee mental wellness to the forefront of K-12 education will assist school districts in thriving during the pandemic and in the transition to a post-COVID K-12 landscape. Bringing mental wellness into focus takes commitment, education, planning
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and action. Consider the following recommendations to begin or enhance the mental wellness initiatives in your district. Educate your team. Education leaders can gain a deeper understanding of the impact of mental well-being on district climate and culture. Utilize your internal experts such as school counselors, psychologists and social workers to provide mental and emotional health education to administrators and staff. Community resources such as public health agencies and mental health consultants can also provide mental health education. Consider tapping into content specific to district administrators in areas for support. For example, human resources administrators can educate administrators on the impact of employee wellness on employee absenteeism and recruiting. Special education administrators can educate employees on the impact of employee mental and emotional wellness on students with special needs.
ARTICLE / A Leader’s Role in Mental Health
Use district data to identify mental wellness needs. To understand the mental wellness needs of employees, utilize employee data to find issues that may encompass employee mental wellness. As educational systems, we need to look at ways to do things differently. For example, if teachers share they are stressed about instructional loss, do not interrupt their instructional day with professional learning. Rather, offer professional development differently such as offering both live and recorded. Are teachers and paraprofessionals being forced to give up their lunch and prep periods to teach classes for lack of substitutes? Perhaps significant absenteeism may reflect an employee’s dissatisfaction with the work environment. Conduct stay interviews with your employees to minimize work conditions that are excessively overwhelming and replicate the things that make people want to stay in your organization. Are your employees leaving the district like birds leaving for Florida for the winter then permanently nesting away from your district? Collect data that capture information regarding employees’ reasons for leaving the district. Surveys are a great way to capture employee information; however, be sure to devise a strategy that is transparent, unbiased and confidential. The reason is trust issues can exist between employees and administrators, which could mean many employees will not trust how their district will use the information. For example,
we have seen school administrators review districtcreated Google forms responses regarding workplace concerns. Once a negative comment or rating was found, or comments did not fit the district’s narrative, the administrators attempted to identify the employee and created a narrative to disregard the negative comments.
OUR EMPLOYEES ARE THE KEYS TO STUDENT SUCCESS, AND WE NEED THEM TO BE PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY WELL TO PROVIDE QUALITY EDUCATION AND SERVICES. To prevent this from occurring, we recommend using a third-party data company to administer stay interviews, exit interviews and climate culture surveys. When employees know the data is being collected from an independent company, they will be more likely to report accurate information regarding their work experiences. In addition to surveys, consider using qualitative data from employee focus groups or one-on-one interviews. Examples of data tools that can speak to employee social and emotional wellness include stay interviews, exit interviews and climate and culture surveys and interviews. Create (or expand) your district-wide system of mental wellness support for employees. After data is collected and human capital and other resources are identified, utilize your district team to develop a districtwide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) wellness initiative with strategies that address the social, emotional and mental wellness needs of employees.
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Keys to a Successful District-Wide Mental Wellness Program Utilize and Increase Your Current Organizational Capacity School districts have a wealth of human resource capital, including school counselors, psychologists and social workers. Now is the time to increase our school clinicians’ knowledge with refresher training on mental health counseling best practices in individual and group counseling. Particularly, training should focus on complex trauma. Complex trauma is the ongoing, pervasive exposure to multiple and/or ongoing exposure to trauma events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing employees and students with the skills and practice to effectively manage their mental health will increase their ability to successfully navigate through the pandemic, as well as other ongoing traumas that existed before and have developed after the pandemic. Education leaders can further increase organizational capacity by empowering various employees to identify mental and emotional issues with peers and students. Two trainings available to increase organizational capacity to address mental health are: • Mental Health First Aid — Offered by the National Council of Wellbeing, the certification program provides training that empowers any trained adult to assist youth and adults during a mental health crisis. • Deveraux Training Part 1 - Employee Effectiveness — This training certifies staff to prevent and defuse crisis situations. Over the years, we have found that paraprofessionals and office staff find this training beneficial because it empowers them to confidently manage events that occur in their everyday work experiences. To increase organizational capacity, we can also go beyond the walls of the district. Partner with community organizations, local agencies and consultants to provide support services to employees. Don’t forget to partner with your health insurance providers. In addition to EAP programs, inquire about additional services the insurance carrier provides for employee wellness. 28 |
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Memorialize Your Commitment to SEL When creating or augmenting an existing SEL wellness program for employees, it is important to memorialize the district`s commitment to employee mental well-being. This commitment should be incorporated in district-level and school-level goals. Not only should the commitment be shared with employees and the community, but other audiences as well through district recruitment marketing. Embed SEL Wellness into Your District Culture Employees should consistently feel supported and appreciated by the administration. When employees struggle in personal and professional SEL wellness, they need authentic, non-judgmental, confidential, specific support to enable them to be their best professional and personal best. Here are some strategies district leaders can incorporate in their SEL employee initiatives: • Provide referrals and/or direct programming for SEL issues. Employee Assistance Programs are great; however, the numbers of visits can be limited. Administrators can develop relationships with local mental health providers and refer employees for long-term counseling needs. For immediate SEL and mental health needs, districts should have an “on call” district clinician during the school day to assist employees with brief counseling to help employees to manage their day until they can meet with a partner mental health agency for support. • Create opportunities to promote and support mental and emotional wellness. When implementing your SEL wellness program, take advantage of your current communication mechanisms to share information about and provide SEL employee services. New employee onboarding is an opportune time to share the district philosophy and commitment to employee wellness. Provide professional learning opportunities for employees to increase their emotional intelligence
ARTICLE / A Leader’s Role in Mental Health
skills and their ability to manage challenges. Do not just visit employees to complete evaluations and walkthroughs, come in to just say “hello.” Provide opportunities for personal development through wellness programming. Offer monthly webinars to staff and the community on wellness topics such as mindfulness, yoga and self-care or stress-reduction strategies. • Understand that each employee has a preferred language of gratitude. Some employees prefer to be acknowledged through recognition, like in the district newsletter, plaques and in front of colleagues. Some liked to be recognized with more money. Although some collective bargaining agreements may prohibit individual monetary rewards, it is a good idea to survey staff and determine their language of gratitude, then implement practices to honor employees for their efforts.
allow employees to respond to difficult situations and care for their body and mind so that they can be present and ready to care for our districts’ children. As administrators, we must also commit to work/life balance to be the best for ourselves, our families, our employees and the students we service.
Bringing Mental Health to the Forefront One silver lining of the pandemic is the opportunity to look at the way we serve the people in our organizations and try to do things differently and better. As educational systems change, we need to look at ways to think differently — and supporting the mental health of staff members is a great place to start.
• Integrate a commitment to work/life balance. After education in Illinois was thrown into a work from home setting, for many it blurred the lines of work and home balance. This has historically been an issue for educators, but the pandemic only amplified the problem. Educational systems that want the best versions of employees showing up for their students every day should continue to promote, model and create conditions for work/life balance. This will
Strategies to Embed Wellness Into Your Culture
• Provide referrals and/or direct programming for SEL issues. • Create opportunities to promote and support healthy mental and emotional wellness. • Understand that each employee has a preferred language of gratitude. • Integrate a commitment to work/life balance. www.iasbo.org www.iasbo.org
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LEADING FORWARD in Uncertain Times Insights from a Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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By Todd Drafall
ASST. SUPT./BUSINESS DOWNERS GROVE SD 58
As school business officials, we are called to be both leaders and subject matter experts. To help us in the leadership aspect of our role, we can tap great leaders of the past for insights and inspiration. Dr. Henry Kissinger was a graduate and professor from Harvard who went on to be the National Security Advisor, Secretary of State and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He led the way during a pivotal time in history and became one of the most influential people in the world. What does this have to do with school management? We too are experts in our field, crisis managers, diplomats, negotiators and hopefully, key leaders within our organizations. Though on a smaller stage than Dr. Kissinger, all the attributes he talked about and exhibited are needed in our positions as well, especially in uncertain times like these.
Let’s explore together how some of Dr. Kissinger’s famous quotes apply to the critical role we play as leaders within our organizations.
“There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” Who has time on their calendar for a crisis? That bus accident cannot happen today; we cannot have a lockdown, or a pandemic for that matter; we have budget entry, audits, negotiations, bids opening and are working on our five-year projections. Crises are never convenient but nonetheless require our time and full attention.
“In crises the most daring course is often safest.” How often, when we look back at our action in a crisis, do we think we should have gone a little farther? Think back to March 2020 and think about the small steps you may have taken early on that you wish were leaps. This quote teaches us to go all in and take great strides. For our district, we made sure our bus drivers were working and paid something, which helped keep them employed and rewarded us with a larger number of returns when we reopened; so many schools who stopped paying were far less fortunate. We immediately focused on feeding anyone and everyone and used these employees to assist in that effort. Bus drivers, teaching assistants and anyone else at our disposal were utilized to help feed any child we could find. We announced a feeding cooperative with our neighboring school districts to show the community we were going to do whatever it takes. We bought more, faster only slightly ahead of others in terms of cleaning supplies, rewarding us with supplies when others were worried about having enough. Yes, it was a lot of work very early on, but we saw others scramble later when we were months ahead. We even took the bold step of moving up the teacher laptop replacement schedule the summer of 2020, concerned we would need updated equipment. We made that call early when everyone thought things would return to normal. No, we did not know what was coming, but we took a bolder step knowing that we could not risk crashing any virtual environment. It was the right move, it was not small and involved some risk, yet it was the safest decision at the time. www.iasbo.org
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“If it’s going to come out eventually, better have it come out immediately.” “Any fact that needs to be disclosed should be put out now or as quickly as possible, because otherwise the bleeding will not end.” This is the hardest lesson to learn and the hardest to follow. Google the phrase: School Board to release closed session minutes after complaint. See how many sites come up — or you can just reflect upon the leaders whose sin of cover up did far more damage than the original sin. Nixon, Clinton, Trump, Reagan and the list goes on… One great lesson from the business world comes from the merger of Bank One with JPM Morgan/Chase during the 2008 financial crisis. CEO Jamie Dimon posted the worst on the books and disclosed everything ugly, both in the transition and during the bank crisis. He got it out fast. It is likely that the board of directors who owned significant shares were not happy in the short term, nor were the executives who likely lost some significant bonus money and esteem in the industry. That said, today JPMorgan/Chase has a value of roughly 500 billion and is the largest non-nationally owned bank in the world. Few, if anyone, remembers the bad loans and assets from 2007 and 2008. Remember that nothing that you do not want to release now will look better with time. Such things do not age well. In the public environment where trust is everything, the best way to stop the bleeding is to get it all out at once and talk about how you will do better.
“Accept everything about yourself – I mean everything, You are you and that is the beginning and the end – no apologies. No regrets.” First and foremost, know who you are, including your strengths and weaknesses. Look for people who will support those weakness and recognize your strengths. You need to be honest with yourself and acknowledge where you are at. If you have a concern about sharing that with your boss because of how he/she/they operate (been there, done that), its likely not the place for you (been there too). Some of us are fortunate enough to have found that place where we have grown and been able to stay for a long time. I have not been that fortunate. However, along that journey, I have discovered a lot about myself including my limits of both what I can and cannot do. I learned that I cannot tolerate an environment that fails to reward what I bring to the table.
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” One of the earliest things I was told by a consultant (a retired village manager) when I took my first professional job, was to stop doing anything where the current staff started with the opening phrase: “We have always done it this way.” It is those types of things that kill organizations by not moving them forward. We are in education; the goal of our organization is to help our children grow, progress and move forward. How does an organization do that in the classroom and not in
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ARTICLE / Leading Forward in Uncertain Times
the central office? We need to work to move our people forward into new ideas and ways of thinking. Sometimes it is a slow process, and sometimes it is one at a time. There was a time when the idea of professional development for support professionals was not seen as important, after all why do they need to know anything more than we tell them? If you are reading this article, my guess is you know otherwise. Equipping staff with professional development, new challenges, support and sometimes even a little push is how leaders grow and improve their organizations — and that is our job.
“A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.” If you are a CSBO/CFO/assistant superintendent and in charge of public resources that support the future of a community’s children, you need to learn to live with this. In my first job in schools, I worked for Susan Bertram, the CFO of West Aurora School District. She told me this early on and I have used this with my staff ever since: “I am the treasurer; if you think I did anything illegal or unethical, it is your responsibly to the community to take it to the superintendent. If you do not think you can do that, you are obligated to take it to the board president, auditor or school attorney.” I never had to do that, but I do believe in that sentiment and feel it is my obligation to questions things from time to time and propose other avenues of thought. I would add that our superintendent had a large cabinet that required people to bring their ideas and invited a healthy, respectful dialogue where there was an expectation of discourse and occasional disagreement. Sometimes one person stood alone in a large room of people questioning their recommendation. The final product was far better when we were finished. Sometimes I am the only one. If you are true to your position and you want to consider yourself a leader, that sometimes what you must do: respectfully, diplomatically and with humility. As a leader and as a professional, you are that is obligated to question current thinking from time to time. Not everyone I have worked for or with has appreciated this view, and unfortunately, not everyone you will work for or with will understand this obligation. If that is the case for you, it may be time to find, as my great aunt would say, “a new tree to nest in.”
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By Dr. Seth Chapman
ASST. SUPT./FINANCE & OPERATIONS/CSBO GLENBARD TWP. HSD 87
Dr. Brian O’Keeffe
ASST. SUPT./BUSINESS OPERATIONS WHEATON CUSD 200
Dr. Dean Romano
ASST. SUPT./BUSINESS SERVICES COMM. UNIT SCH. DIST. 95
leadship lioff! establishing yourself in a new position Starting in a new CSBO role is an exciting and challenging time for both you and your new team. It is an opportunity to start anew and establish your leadership identity. Remember, your new colleagues have no history (in most cases) with how you support, direct and invest in others. This provides you with a year of establishing who you are for and with them. This transition needs to be intentional on your part. It is strongly recommended that you set aside time to define how you want to lead and support others while also committing to how you want to manage yourself. Keep in mind that in the first year everyone is watching. Whether it is understanding how you work, how you lead, if you can be trusted, how you support others, your vision for your work or if you care about people on your team, people want to know who you are. The team will naturally work to find its rhythm now that you are contributing to the work of the group. This is true within your department as well as within your building teams.
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dean ’s story: focusing on relationships & personal integrity I was selected to join the Lake Zurich CUSD 95 team in February with the standard start date of July 1. The opportunity was created by a forwardthinking superintendent and supportive board who saw the value of a full year of transition between Vicky Cullinan and a new CSBO while the district was managing a significant level of construction and high expectations for successfully executing the initiatives set forth in the strategic plan. This unique transition model required limited early transition work and allowed me to remain fully focused on my prior district to ensure as much closure on outstanding projects and as smooth a transition as possible.
Working alongside Vicky has been and continues to be a rewarding experience. Luckily, she has been a colleague that I have looked up to for her high level of knowledge and commitment to the profession. We have intentionally worked together so that we are not duplicating efforts and have split up the responsibilities of the role so that we are able to simply accomplish more as a team. However, sharing a role does complicate things. There are times where team members are not certain who to turn to for an answer to a specific question or one of us is hesitant to respond to a request sent to both of us as not to step on the other person’s toes.
define yourself as a leader before you arrive and continue to be that person to the best of your ability. In preparing to join the team in Lake Zurich, I determined that my number one priority for year one was to build strong relationships. I believe in Theodore Roosevelt’s adage that “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” As such, I set a goal to be in a building every day to connect with staff. As of the time of this writing, I have only missed one day of honoring that personal commitment. This time with staff has already helped me to know and support teammates across the district at a high level in less than half a year. It has been incredibly rewarding to see these relationships grow so quickly.
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Every professional transition is unique. It is my strong belief that identifying the type of leader you want to be to support others and accomplish at the highest level will set you up for the greatest likelihood of success. Will you be an early in or a late start teammate? Will you commit to an early out weekly family or date night? How will you invest in your colleagues? How will you intentionally learn how it has been done in the past? Will you be sure to update your cell phone so that your calls to reach you will absolutely go through when the middle school is on fire in the middle of the night? (Seriously, set up your phone.) Define yourself as a leader before you arrive and continue to be that person to the best of your ability.
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seth’s story: facing the difference between vision & reality Being hired at Glenbard 87 in February and not starting until July left ample time to plan and daydream about what the new job would be. However, those of us that have been down this road before realize that there is what you envision and then, there is reality. Often times there is a chasm between the two. This was especially the case for me. Having served 15 years as a CSBO in three other districts, this opportunity was yet again different from the last as I was transitioning from a K-12 (unit district) into a large high school district at Glenbard 87 (four high schools). Glenbard 87 has a seasoned leadership team with a strong reputation for success both academically and financially. The outgoing CSBO, Chris McClain, had served at the district for 13 years and was held in exceptionally high regard. Chris was a colleague I knew well and our friendship had grown through many rounds of golf over the years. He was a man of integrity and held high standards which I respected and hoped to emulate. We spent time together in the spring transitioning and reviewing the major items, many of those outlined in the Illinois ASBO Career Center’s transition guide (available at www.iasbo.org/transitions). We talked about reconnecting in the fall when we presumed, we would have more time to do so. Tragically, that opportunity never came. As many of you know, Chris unexpectedly passed just weeks into his retirement. His death shook our district, our community and me to the core. I could never have anticipated receiving such a devastating call on that warm Friday morning in July. It has tested me personally and professionally in ways I have never experienced before. That was the day that my plans ceased to matter anymore. There was an office building full of people that needed me to be there for them…. to be on their agenda and to focus on mourning, healing and rebuilding. The environment that you enter will always dictate your timing. Some situations call for you to step up immediately and others call for you to be patient. If you are taking over in the middle of negotiations you will not have the luxury to take your time in forging relationships before getting into specific business matters. For me, I realized that my
routines of departmental meetings and weekly “huddles” would have to wait. Did I mention that this still was during a pandemic, and I was charged with getting our SHIELD COVID testing up and running across the district? As a leader in K-12 education, it is important to know that many have come before and many will follow. While I have my own unique leadership style, there are people within our districts that have worked for decades building it to be a place that they appreciate and have called home. Our teams that we inherit have a sound understanding of the values of not only the school district but also the communities in which we serve. We need to listen and appreciate those stories before inserting our philosophy.
the environment that you enter will always dictate your timing. some situations call for you to step up immediately and others call for you to be patient. The job starts on July 1, as we all know. The first week or two is often filled with meeting people and attempting to understand the budget that we will soon adopt. I did not anticipate any surprises, but the first came within just five days on the job. Questions were being communicated to our superintendent about how we could provide school fee relief to our families like some of our area districts had the prior year. With the help of my team we developed a response and worked through a process to expand fee waiver eligibility to double the federal poverty level (260%). I estimated a loss of around $200,000 in district revenue but felt we could absorb it in the budget. The change was well received by the community and the board as it helped families that were hit the hardest during the pandemic. This may not be much, but I am proud of our team’s decision to do this, and it is one that has helped me to build momentum and gain trust as my leadership journey continues. We build upon the phenomenal path that Chris McClain has laid. I am grateful for the privilege to serve Glenbard 87 and continue his legacy.
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brian ’s story: following in the footsteps of a legend I was hired by CUSD 200 in January 2021 with a start date of July 1, 2021. Knowing that you are transitioning from one district to another many months before your start date allows you plenty of time to plan for your move. On the other hand, this length of time could cause some strife in your current job. Think of it from a political perspective. Knowing that six months from January you will no longer be serving your district, does your voice carry the same weight it did in the past? Do your internal customers start working around you because they know you are leaving? Do folks start to question your decisions? Do you become more isolated and even a lame duck? Thankfully, I did not have that experience and received an enormous amount of support from my previous superintendent, Dr. Andrea Sala. When you transition from one district to another, there are always high levels of excitement and angst. I was moving from a smaller elementary district to a unit district, which was one of the appealing parts of the position. Bigger budget, no problem. Many more schools and facilities, no problem. A much larger team and number of staff to manage, no problem. The challenge was that I was replacing a local legend, Mr. Bill Farley. Mr. Farley is a resident of Wheaton, raised his children in the community and worked for the district for more than two decades. The amount of institutional knowledge that Bill had accumulated during his time in CUSD 200 was incredible. Not only did he understand every aspect of the district from a position perspective, but he was and is a pillar member of the community and has developed lifelong friendships throughout the area. How do you replace someone when
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on June 30, all that institutional and local knowledge walks right out the front door? The simple answer is you cannot. But, through good preparation and support from BIll, I believe that we did a really good job of preparing for the transition. Soon after I was officially hired, Bill and I put together a calendar and made time commitments to each other. We met in person about every three weeks from the end of January through June. I took care of my new hire paperwork with HR. IT provided me with my new email. I started to receive invitations to meetings from Bill and others. Bill began including me on emails that he thought would be beneficial. I sat in on conversations that involved future financial and facility decisions. All in all, I felt well prepared for the new job and walked in the door on July 1 feeling like I was already a member of CUSD 200. The next step was actually sitting in the chair. It is very much a weird feeling when you walk into a new job on day one. You are literally sitting in the chair that your predecessor was in the day before. What do you wear? Who do you say hi to first? What are the customs that you must follow? Should you bring in treats? What type of work must get done and in what time period? The list of questions could be endless.
be yourself, be proud and be the best servant leader you can be. What I had planned for and hoped that I was somewhat successful at was being myself. Under no circumstances could I be Bill Farley. The bar that Bill set was extremely high, and my goal was to bond with my new team so that
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we could reach expectations together. Bill and I are different people, but we share the same passion for servant leadership. I focused on consistently meeting with each of my groups collectively and individually. I looked for ways that I could be of assistance to everyone, while allowing our seasoned professionals to do what they do best daily. I understood that my responsibilities overall were the same as in my previous district, but I found myself spending a majority of my time in meetings, discussing and developing processes and working on program enhancements that would benefit our communities. What this meant was CUSD 200 did not need to change because it had a new leader in business operations, I was the one that had to adapt to my new environment. At the time of this writing, we have just passed the five-month mark of my tenure. I am just as excited about my new role and our district today as I was when I accepted the position. While we have experienced a few road bumps along the way, our path at CUSD 200 continues to shine brightly, notably because Mr. Farley set us all up for success and the true dedication of the teams within business operations and throughout the district. It is a wonderful experience to be a part of an organization that is focused on making the lives of our students, staff and community more complete. Our job in this role is to find a way for that to happen. Be yourself, be proud and be the best servant leader you can be.
keys to a successful launch As you have heard, transitions come in all shapes and sizes. Districts and the people within them are all unique and have different needs and abilities. Within this article we have shared our experiences thus far, what we would do differently and what we hope to accomplish moving forward. We would like to leave you with these final thoughts about preparing for a transition. Perhaps you may be in the midst of one right now. When taking on a leadership role in a school district, the following principles are what we believe to be the most important: 1. Be gracious to those that came before you. 2. Be curious about the culture and tradition. 3. Be willing to get out of your office — be visible within schools and at community events. 4. Be flexible and be prepared to wait. 5. Be supportive to your boss and to the needs of the board. 6. Never make it about you. We are here to serve our kids, staff, families and the community.
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Pandemic Aftershock:
Looking Back & Moving Forward The Onset of Crisis
After a slow head shake and an audible and sustained exhale, I will tell you, like most school districts, we did our best to manage at the onset of the crisis. We worked harder than could have been previously imagined holding it all together and we continue to do so. And we tried — and still try — to remain calm, deliberate and rational every step of the way throughout this impossible challenge. As the sense of crisis may be waning, the pandemic continues to have a significant impact on schools, and we can expect the aftereffects to reverberate for some time. In many ways, the 2021-22 school year is actually proving to be more difficult than the last as increased political tension and the polarization of school-related issues may just be one crisis replacing another. But keep in mind, “crisis doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” This is true for individuals as well as organizations. Reflecting on our district’s experience, there is no doubt that our forward-leaning, future-ready and solutionsoriented organizational culture at Gower SD 62 is what allowed us to thrive and be recognized as a model of success. A high level of relational trust, effective communication, evidence-based decision making, a willingness to take corrective action from stakeholder feedback and sustaining a high level of community engagement were all attributes of our organization before the crisis — an important reflection point for any school leader.
A Shock to the System
In March 2020, when the state shifted to remote learning, it was a shock to the entire system. The status quo ended and what we knew as “normal” would be redefined. Gower maintained continuity of learning by immediately transitioning to our eLearning Plan.1 Approved in 2019, our school community had the opportunity to experience eLearning before we came to depend on it. We have been a leader in the eLearning space since its inception, and today, we are one of a small number of districts with a formally approved Remote Education Program2 used for those who request such a setting and qualify. Both decisions were forward-leaning and serve our community well. As we shift to a post-crisis era, maximizing options, choice and flexibility will be expected, if not required, and school districts will need to determine if such programs can benefit their community. Remember, fortune favors the prepared and the ability to peek around corners and take steps toward the future has always been a function of effective leadership. Having the option and not needing it is very different than needing it and not having it.
How We Responded
Throughout the summer of 2020, we did not wait for or depend on others to provide an answer for how to open our schools safely. Instead, we focused on what we could do locally, and we moved forward with a collective decision to keep the doors open for full-day, in-person learning for anyone who wanted it.
The opportunity to transform the regular order of business is right now and letting it slip away would be a choice. 40 40 ||
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By Dr. Victor Simon SUPERINTENDENT GOWER SD 62
We aimed to protect the technical core of our work — teaching and learning — and we did just that. Offering a simultaneous model of remote and in-person instruction for all our learners from day one and throughout the 2020-21 school year was not easy, but it is exactly what we did. While the chorus of complaints, criticism and second guessing drowned out opportunities for collaboration and joint action across school districts, we aggressively pursued and built an independent, on-site, COVID-19 testing model from scratch and early on. Fast-forward 18 months, thousands of tests (now including rapid flu and strep tests) and a new partnership with nearby Butler School District 53 later, it was clear that exercising our autonomy and local control made all the difference. Making our work public through a series of webinars, podcasts and presentations at the county, regional, state and national level on “how to get it done” was an extra step we took that ended up having a positive impact far beyond the boundaries of our school district. Some of the earliest ISBE guidance3 reminded school leaders that, “The COVID-19 crisis shook our structures of teaching and learning to the core, but we have an opportunity to emerge stronger and to make lasting changes in the ways we support, teach, connect with and value each of the two million students in our care.
This return to school is not ‘business as usual’ but rather the convergence of a new reality in educational excellence in Illinois.”
A Lasting Impact
We know that making lasting, transformational change is not easy work. Organizational change theorists will point out that it is typically the status quo, adherence to and preservation of the norm, that prevent any real, deep change from happening. But the status quo has been softened by this crisis. It has been thawed a bit. The equilibrium has been punctuated. As school leaders, we need to recognize that this moment will not last forever. The opportunity to transform the regular order of business is right now and letting it slip away would be a choice. This generation of students depends on us to make the right choices and to make the right decisions; even the toughest ones that will not escape criticism. We can leave the system better than we found it and we should. Afterall, it’s what we signed up to do. Peek around the corner. What do you see in your district? What steps have you taken toward redesigning or redefining systems and structures in place? What have you done to challenge the status quo? Will the opportunity to emerge stronger and make lasting change pass you by? Of course, it is difficult. That is because what we do matters. As I like to remind teachers, staff and school leaders — after thanking them for their ongoing and much needed service — “This ain’t no dress rehearsal...’”
Footnotes: 1. Public Act 101-0012. https://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/101/ PDF/101-0012.pdf. 2. 105 ILCS 5/10-29. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext. asp?DocName=010500050K10-29. 3. Starting the 2020-21 School Year: Part 3 – Transition Joint Guidance. June 23, 2020. https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ www.iasbo.org | 41 Part-3-Transition-Planning-Phase-4.pdf.
One of the most important things I have learned from people I look up to and research I have done on the topic of leadership, is that leadership development is a journey, not a destination. My own self-awareness tells me every day that I have a long way to go as a leader and to that end, I am constantly looking for ideas on how to improve. An arena (pun intended) I go to often for material are the words and writing of sports coaches. My own experience as a mediocre athlete, moderately successful coach, former sports media and marketing professional and die-hard fan probably drove me there more than my desire to draw on leadership topics, but over time, I’ve learned that although there is a vast divide between athletics and real-life, there is plenty there to draw on.
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Drawing Insights from Great Sports Leaders
There have been many great leaders in sports through the years. A handful of them have profited handsomely from outsiders’ desire to understand their leadership tactics. I say “profited” mostly tongue and cheek, but the next time you have a chance to venture into a bookstore, be careful not tripping over the piles of coaches’ books in the sports aisle. But a number of these leaders have tangible information and tips that cross over into every job and way of life. From Green Bay Packers legend Vince Lombardi to Chicago Bulls’ maestro Phil Jackson to the model for all coaching leaders, UCLA basketball head coach John Wooden, coaches have provided a number of examples on how to both lead groups of athletes to success, but also do it in very different ways. Lombardi was a transformative leader, taking over a losing Green Bay Packers franchise and turning them into a winner by changing the entire mentality of the team, eliminating bad habits, instilling discipline and altering their work ethic. Jackson succeeded by letting athletes be themselves, but also supporting personal connections and finding their motivations. He also had Michael Jordan, which helped. A coach like football’s Tony Dungy thrived on getting individuals to understand the goals of the team and the importance of working together as one. Wooden was successful because in essence, he was a combination of each of these styles. This is a topic I’ve been discussing since April 2020 with my outstanding colleagues Seth Chapman and Adam Parisi in preparation for the Illinois ASBO Leadership Conference. But something fascinating happened during that time that changed my entire perception of the topic and what a leader today should be. As we all were burdened with difficulties in our role of not just leading our staff, but also our communities through extraordinary times, while simultaneously dealing with personal challenges that may have arisen outside of our schools, a television show came onto the scene that flipped the script for leaders everywhere. It just so happens the sports leader we may all need to model right now in today’s environment is…fictional?
By Jeff Feyerer
ASST. SUPT./FINANCE & OPERATIONS/CSBO FAIRVIEW SOUTH SD 72
A Pandemic Hit Turned Leadership Revelation
Unless you’ve been totally removed from society over the last 14 months (and trust me, sometimes that does not sound like a bad idea), you have heard of the Apple TV show, Ted Lasso. A concept that arose from a TV commercial for the English Premier League on American television in 2014 with former Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis, has become a surprise Emmy Award winning hit, and more importantly for context of this conversation, something that exudes positivity in a world where that can be sometimes hard to find nowadays. Ted Lasso, played by Sudeikis, is a relentlessly kind and positive American football coach brought to England to try his hand at soccer as part of a larger scheme (I’m going to try to avoid spoilers as best I can) who eventually wins over his team with a style very foreign to most involved. The show is a perfect feel-good comedy, but as I made my way through Season 1 last winter, there was so much from Lasso’s style and principles that resonated with me, and that all current leaders could learn from. Through two seasons and 22 episodes of the show, the amount of material is voluminous, but I am working on a word limit, so let me take this opportunity to introduce you to a few of the main leadership concepts explored. While not everyone may be a “Ted Head” like myself, with some hope, everyone can bring a little Lasso into their district and their lives.
To get his players to have a short memory and squash their negative thinking, Lasso urges them to “Be a goldfish.” Lasso claims goldfish are the happiest animal on earth because they have a short memory. While I have not double-checked the science on that, the message rings true. As the team suffers losses through the first season, this phrase comes into play frequently. In a time when things are changing left and right in our school settings (not all of it positive), we should all be goldfish. When negativity arises or mistakes are made, having a short memory and refocusing is vital.
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Something as simple as being kind feels like it does not need to be said, but let’s throw this reminder in there for everyone. Lasso greets everyone he meets with a smile. He remembers people’s names. He makes eye contact, is genuinely interested in what people have to say and is there to lend a helping hand whenever someone needs it. In his world, kindness is gold. It should be treated as such in ours as well. It takes nothing to be kind to someone. We very rarely know what people are going through or struggles they are having. We so often let our own personal issues affect how we treat others. Making kindness a habit and priority should be an aim for all of us.
Lasso admits at his opening press conference that he does not know all of the rules. He admits when he makes mistakes. He is not afraid to show emotion in front of his team. In an ultimate surge of vulnerability, he divulges some very personal information (a very large plot point in Season 2). Traditionally, leaders were told to be strong, with vulnerability being viewed as a weakness. But here is the thing. Leaders being able to show vulnerability is a strength. Vulnerability lets those you lead to see you are real, honest and courageous. Vulnerability breeds trust in your team and breaks down the barriers between a leader and those they lead.
The only moment in the show where one of the characters actually believes Ted is not being authentic is when they first meet him. And it is mainly disbelief that someone like Lasso exists. But throughout the show, there is not a moment he is pretending to be someone he is not. He remains his folksy, Midwestern self in London; he despises tea despite his coworkers affinity for it; and he isn’t afraid to make unpopular decisions. When benching a star player, there is very little hesitation in Lasso’s mind because despite what others may think, his decision is rooted in his own principles. Being your authentic self conveys honesty and integrity to those you work with. Not being afraid to make tough, unpopular decisions (even as simple as not liking tea) shows strength in your convictions. 44 |
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In a showdown with a rival late in Season 1, Lasso uses the opportunity to lecture his opponent (in the kindest way possible using a story of his upbringing and a Walt Whitman quote) on why he should not have made assumptions about Ted. (Watch the scene… it involves darts and BBQ sauce and is maybe the best scene in the show’s run thus far.) Rushing to judgment is easier. We have access to more information than ever before. We have the ability to hold conversations and make connections by a multitude of different means of communication, yet it is easier for all of us to assume we know people and to pass judgment. Asking questions, finding out motivations and learning about people should be paramount. Keep learning. Keep investing in connections with other people. Never stop being curious.
BELIEVE
One simple word. BELIEVE. The cornerstone of the show is the yellow sign Lasso hangs above his office in the locker room. It is one simple word written on it, yet it is a call to action for everyone that sees it. It is impossible for anyone that enters the room to ignore it. Lasso says, “I believe in hope. I believe in BELIEVE.” They are a struggling team mired in mediocrity, yet Lasso will not let them relinquish hope. There have been instances over the course of the last two years where some of our beliefs may have waned. It has been incredibly hard for all of us, not only because we are operating in crisis, but also because we are called on to lead others through these tumultuous times. In the face of these difficulties we face, belief that we will get through them can sometimes feel like the only thing we have. But belief is a powerful thing. We all need to continue to believe we are going to get the job done. We need to believe that we are doing what is best for the students and staff in our community. And we need to find a way to get the people we lead to believe the same.
RESOURCES Open Your Mind to Become a Great Leader In this busy world we can get lost in our thoughts about the past and the future. We obsess about the things we have done wrong in the past and focus on what it will take for us to be successful in the future. The Mindful Leader by Michael Bunting gives you tools to learn how to stop focusing on your past or your future and become a mindful leader in the present. You may be asking, what is a mindful leader? According to Michael Bunting, mindfulness means to “maintain a non-judgmental awareness of our attitudes, thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and environment in the present moment.” The focus of mindful leadership is to create places of work that have more meaning, honesty, compassion and joy, not increased productivity and profits.
Research has proven that mindfulness can literally change your mind and body. Mindfulness can improve your cognitive skills, enhance your creativity, strengthen your relationships and have numerous health benefits. So how can you become a mindful leader? By practicing the seven disciplines of being a mindful leader which are presented in depth within the book and working through the exercises in the companion workbook. Through these exercises, you will begin to discover your core values, learn to be present in the present and understand how to create a team that will be happy, creative and successful. Michael Bunting asks you to open your mind, share accountability, know what you stand for, create a mindful vision, generate an environment of experimentation and discovery without fear of failure, inspire, recognize, encourage and appreciate your team. All these tools will help you to become a mindful leader. If you are ready to take a hard look at yourself and to be honest about your past practices while acquiring the skills you need to be a focused, creative and more grateful leader, this book is for you!
On Their List Book reviews from your peers on relevant career topics
Wendy Sedwick Coordinator of Business Services St. Charles CUSD 303 Wendy has been working in education for the past 33 years. As the Coordinator of Business Services at CUSD 303, she oversees the accounts payable department, monitors food service and coordinates the district’s investments. She has been a member of Illinois ASBO for 11 years and is currently serving on the Food Service PDC, Editorial Advisory Board, Virtual Learning Taskforce and Support Professionals Taskforce.
The focus of mindful learning is to create places of work that have more meaning, honesty, compassions and joy.
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THE FINAL WORD SPEAKING UP ABOUT SCHOOL LEADERSHIP STEFANIE CROIX
DIR./BUSINESS SERVICES LOCKPORT TWP. HSD 205
I am lucky to be just one part of a ten-person leadership team. Our team here at District 205 also includes the superintendent, assistant superintendents for curriculum, personnel and student services, principals and directors of technology, public relations and the LTHS Foundation. My role on the team changes from day to day. Some days I am the risk management consultant. Other days I am a financial consultant. All kidding aside, my role is to help the executive council make the best decisions for the students in our district.
The biggest leadership challenge facing school business officials right now…
is learning how to step out of their comfort zone to get involved in areas of leadership that have not traditionally included SBOs. This means getting involved in conversations about equity, grading, college and career readiness, social emotional supports, achievement and many other topics that, on the surface, do not seem applicable to business services. In recent years I have spent more time talking with department chairs, technology staff, principals, assistant principals and teachers about their programs and concerns. These conversations have helped me really understand the goals we set for our students and develop a budget that truly supports those goals.
Something I am trying to work on this year is focus.
School business officials are pulled in many different directions every day, which makes us feel like we must constantly be multitasking. I am trying to be present when I talk to people so I can truly listen to their ideas and concerns. I am bringing only a notepad and pen to meetings, leaving the laptop back at the office. I am scheduling times to check email instead of checking it every time a new message pops up. I am marking out times in my calendar for reflection and self-work. School district leaders, including SBOs, need the same social emotional support we are providing our students. We need to give ourselves permission to work on ourselves.
One way for SBOs to improve their leadership skills…
Register for one of the amazing leadership PD options through the Illinois ASBO Leadership Center! I have participated in the Leadership Conference the last few years and highly recommend it. It is offered annually in February and offers a choice of different leadership topics to explore on a deeper level. I am also a graduate of the Illinois ASBO Leadership Institute. The Leadership Institute has cohorts starting every year and is an investment in yourself that I believe every SBO should make. There are also a number of Administrator Academy courses on leadership topics offered each year. I truly believe that we should all be life-long learners and that we can always do better once we know better. In the words of my superintendent, "all leadership starts with self." 46 |
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Although many things remain uncertain, there most certainly will be new and continuing challenges for school and industry leaders as we continue forward. The Illinois ASBO Leadership Center is ready to help you reach new levels of communication, trust and emotional intelligence within your teams!
YOUR GUIDE TO RELEVANT CONTENT & TRAINING Leadership Institute Leadership Conference In-Tact Team Trainings Leadership Blogs from Your Peers
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Stronger Connections. Smarter Strategies!
Each Illinois ASBO member has with a unique perspective that can add value to the work you do every day. The amount of expertise that will be in the room at the 2022 Annual Conference, from school practitioners to industry providers, means that you will leave with new strategies to work smarter within your district or company!
Join us on May 4-6, 2022
School District & Service Associate registration are now open! Learn more at www.iasboconference.org. 48 |
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