12 minute read
Applying Leadership Wisdom to Our Daily Lives
from Spring 2022 UPDATE
FROM–THE–FIELD
Applying Leadership Wisdom to Our Daily Lives
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“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
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.
CONTRIBUTORS
Dr. Seth Chapman
Asst. Supt./Finance & Operations/CSBO Glenbard Twp. HSD 87
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.
seth_chapman@glenbard.org
Susan Harkin, Ed.D., CSBO, SFO
Superintendent Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 300
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 Site- Level Financial Reporting Committee. She is an Illinois ASBO Past President and an ASBO International Past Director.
Todd Drafall
Asst. Superintendent for Business Downers Grove SD 58
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.
Jeff Feyerer
Asst. Supt./Finance & Operations/CSBO Fairview South SD 72
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.
tdrafall@dg58.org
Karen Rice Harris
Special Education Administrator- Instructional Leadership Comm. Cons. Sch. Dist. 168
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).
jfeyerer@fairview72.com
Rebecca Jenkins
Deputy Superintendent Lake Forest School Districts 67 & 115
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).
Dr. Brian O’Keeffe
Asst. Supt./Business Operations Wheaton CUSD 200
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.
brian.okeeffe@cusd200.org
Dr. Victor Simon
Superintendent Gower SD 62
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.”
Dr. Dean Romano
Asst. Supt./Business & Operations Comm. Unit Sch. Dist. 95
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.
dean.romano@lz95.org
Steve Treacy
Principal Steve Treacy and Associates
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.
Values-Based LEADERSHIP
PRINCIPAL STEVE TREACY AND ASSOCIATES
openness truth telling empowerment generosity
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.
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.
Defining Leadership Values
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.
Generosity is more
than financial. It can mean giving your followers everything they need to be successful, including your time.
Empowerment
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?
My Story
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.
Leader: Richard One Ratings (Scale of 1-10)
Truth Telling: 2
Comments: • Held back info
I needed. • Would use humor to dodge real issues.
Generosity: 8
Comments: • Was generous with pay and benefits. • Not generous with his tone or information.
Openness: 2
Comments: • Held some information close to his chest. • Not willing to interact socially enough to understand him and his wants.
Empowerment: 8
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.
Leader: Richard Two Ratings (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:
Comments: ------------------------------
Leader Name Rating > Truth Telling:
Leader Name Rating > Openness:
Comments: ------------------------------
Leader Name Rating > Openness:
Leader Name Rating > Generosity:
Comments: ------------------------------
Leader Name Rating > Generosity:
Leader Name Rating > Empowerment:
Comments: ------------------------------
Leader Name Rating > Empowerment:
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:
Start doing (more of): How to improve:
Start doing (more of): How to improve:
Start doing (more of): How to improve:
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.
