In our roles as School Business Officials, we wear many hats in our day-to-day work lives. This is especially so in these times of economic uncertainties where we’re all trying to do more with less staffing, less money, and more demands on our time. Michigan’s economy continues to struggle and it doesn’t appear that things are going to improve anytime soon. Most days I find myself pulled in so many directions at the same time that I’m wearing multiple hats at once. I rely on finely tuned time management and organizational skills to keep them all going and not let them bog me down. I have to switch hats many times throughout the day.
Our hats come in many shapes, sizes, styles, and colors in our roles as CFO’s, accountants, tax advisers, facility directors, budget managers, energy managers, risk management specialists, counselors, procurement officers, food service directors, employee benefit specialists, construction administrators, integrated pest management officers, HIPAA compliance officers, personnel directors, AHERA compliance officers, Right to Know specialists, payroll specialists, grant coordinators, pupil accounting specialists, investment advisors, transportation directors, mediators, negotiators, teachers, and so many more. This doesn’t even take in to consideration the many hats we wear in our personal lives!
In our bustling work lives, we find ourselves wearing many hats at one time. It is vital to our success in this business. The heavy workloads we carry require us to balance many hats at one time, to keep it all going. The way I see things, we have a choice in how we wear our hats. We can opt to let them weigh us down, causing us constant irritation and strain. This results in getting nothing done. Or, we can figure out a way to balance them all and wear them with style. We can work to make sure our hats fit properly and that they keep us moving forward. I choose the latter.
The annual MSBO conference is an excellent place to dust off a few of the hats you wear and get them refitted, or even pick up a new one. The annual conference offers dozens of high quality sessions across all areas of school business to provide vital new information on old areas of interest and provide some new topics. The legislative panel discussion on Wednesday will provide an interactive environment with our legislators. State Superintendent Mike Flanagan’s remarks will provide insight into the ever changing school business climate. I am especially excited to hear the keynote speaker Dan Thurmon and his unique presentation on keeping a good balance in life.
I always come away from the conference with new information on old topics and fresh new ideas to take back to my district. The networking opportunities also provide excellent time to visit with colleagues across the state and share our stories. The few days away from the office attending the conference are always worthwhile and time well spent. The conference also provides great insight into the new hats we will wear in the coming months and years – sort of a preview of future hat styles!
I hope you’ll take advantage of the excellent and affordable learning opportunities that the annual conference holds. You owe it to yourself and your many hats.