THE THREE TEMPTATIONS OF A SUPERINTENDENT

 

[This is a revised version of a letter I sent in 2016 to my local metro newspaper. I deliberately chose not identify the school in this piece. These temptations are not exclusively possessed by school superintendents but also pastors, CEOs of corporations and nonprofits, and any other organizational leader.]

 

Our school district is once again in a finalist stage of a new superintendent search. Two candidates with strong backgrounds and credentials will visit the school district on Thursday. Despite the high hopes among district stakeholders and the promises made by the candidates the one chosen to lead the district will inevitability in time become another former superintendent within three years if the one chosen submits to the various temptations which will entice the new leader.  I will list three.

The first temptation is to see the district as a professional stepping stone to yet another golden opportunity. The new superintendent must be willing to invest a minimum of 7-10 years in in the district. During this time the leader will articulate his vision, build alliances, be victorious in numerous small challenges to gain credibility, and tackle several BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals) that will have long-term lasting impact for student success. To do otherwise is to create illusions of progress, deny the systematic change needed, and once again offer up feelings of leadership betrayal.

Believing in the magic of one “silver bullet” to solve all or most of the district’s woes is the second temptation that could very well seduce the new superintendent. To offer a military analogy the silver bullet is the “air war” rather than the “ground war.” An air war is relatively neat, tidy, and clean. And it is fairly easy; all the new superintendent will need to do is to fill in the blank- “Our problem is primarily _________________ and I will fix it.” Then he can send his subordinates on their way with his mandate of reform. Nonsense. No one can “fix” the problems in the district with an air war. Rather, the new leader will need the dirty, messy, and often frustrating ground war to gain clarity of purpose and find realistic solutions to a multitude of interrelated challenges.

The third temptation is quite popular among many new district leaders and is often a silver bullet- blame the teachers. The new superintendent will correctly place the focus of his actions on the classrooms and since the district is underperforming academically, the superintendent will incorrectly place the burden of blame and shame on the classroom teachers. It makes sincere sense, but it is sincerely wrong. Like the often professions, teaching draws a number of people who need to leave, and there are ways to do that. But to feel the majority of teachers need massive retraining and be subject to yet again a new and improved evaluation system is to violate the wisdom of Edwards Deming who maintained that the vast majority of problems with a system occur because of the way the system is designed and not because of the persons within that system. So, the new superintendent who desires to be truly effective needs to focus on reforming the district’s culture and its systems and operations in order to deliver maximum impact to the students and their families.

As a retired principal in in the district I wish the new superintendent my best. Yet I will be closely watching if he begins to fall under the seductive spell of the three temptations. I pray that he will not.