“Sometimes you can make the greatest impact from somewhere other than first place. Ninety-nine percent of all leadership occurs from the middle of an organization” - The 360 Degree Leader
According to John C. Maxwell, the author of The 360 Degree Leader, leaders in the middle must perform multiple tasks and are often forced to deal with multiple shifting priorities, often with limited time and resources. This is a perfect description of a day in the life of a school business official. Yet, there are many people employed in school districts that feel that leadership or a vision for their school district must come from the top down. However, I disagree. I believe it’s critical that today’s school business officials not only possess financial and administrative skills, but that they must also possess the ability to lead.
A 2009 article published in School Business Affairs cited a recent survey conducted by ASBO International that determined that most school business officials view technical skills as more essential to their positions than leadership skills. Yet, the school business official, often recognized as the second most important position in a school district, typically participates in making strategic decisions that directly impact education. Analysis of the survey conducted by E. Glenn McClain, Jr., Ed.D, superintendent of the Platte Valley School District in Kersey, Colorado and Richard A. King, Ph.D, professor and associate dean at the University of South Florida Sarasota- Manatee concluded that, “along with fiscal and educational accountability, this elevated stature underscores the need for business officials to have leadership skills to complement their critical technical skills.”
If we believe Maxwell’s premise that 99 percent of all leadership occurs from the middle of an organization – then it’s imperative that we improve our leadership skills. The bottom line is that anyone can choose to become a leader whatever his or her role in a school district.
The board and the superintendent may be the primary inventors of a district’s vision, but as school business officials you may often need to be the interpreter for all those employees that look to you for leadership. Interpreting the vision includes providing clarity to those affected. People want to know where we’re headed this year; where we’re headed over the next 3 to 5 years; what’s going to change; will I still have a place in the organization; what should I learn to be more valuable in the future. You may not know all the answers, but continually communicating can help ease rumors and fear of the unknown.
Douglas Reeves, in The Learning Leader, says that by definition, vision contemplates the future, and the future inevitably involves uncertainty, change, and fear. Hence, visions need to be explained in clear language with distinct steps to success.
Never underestimate the importance of your role in the lives of your employees, supervisors and most of all students, regardless of the areas you work in within your school district. Like it or not, you are seen as a leader in your area. As leaders we must not only remain focused and informed regarding the direction of our districts, but we must continue to be informed on the ever changing issues we face in our state and country, as well as globally.
The ultimate result of our development as leaders is that we increase our value. We become the “go to” person, perhaps even outside our normal duties. This makes us harder to replace. Management excellence guru Tom Peters calls it, “Distinct vs. Extinct.”
Another way of looking at it is this: In the future, those who don’t add value won’t matter; and those who don’t matter won’t survive. My challenge to you is to lead your district and help prepare our students for the 21st Century.