Prior to getting into today’s blog, I would like to ask for your help. I want to do a summer series of posts addressing issues of interest to you.
If you send me an idea at hcarlsonthesupt@gmail.com, I will enter you into a contest to win a FREE copy of my latest book, “Accelerated WIsdom: 50 Practical Ideas for Today’s Superintendent.” The FREE books will go to the 5th and 50th person to send me an email with a blog post idea. If you have an idea please send it by May 10.
Ok, now let’s take a look at today’s topic. The Superintendent/Cabinet Team: Our Greatest Failure.
In this final installment regarding how your superintendent/cabinet team can maintain focus we look the importance of communication. I believe lack of communication is often one of our greatest failures.
Teams struggle with this issue because they don’t have an intentional system in place to inform the organization of their activities and actions. In fact, some teams don’t feel the need to communicate, but doing so can greatly enhance how “those at the top” are perceived by the organization.
One effective method is to place at the end of the agenda four questions for the team to consider. Not dissimilar from how the team contemplates which actions it must take, these four questions focus the group on communication process and method.
-What must we communicate from this meeting?
-To whom must it be communicated?
-What methods will be used to communicate?
-Who will be responsible for the communication?
Teams that are proficient in communicating important information create district cultures which are more trusting and connected. So, to alleviate our greatest superintendent/cabinet team failure, put in place a communication system which asks these four questions and watch organizational trust and connectedness increase!
Please share methods your superintendent/cabinet team uses to communicate information to your district. Remember, we all benefit when we learn from each other!
Love these questions! Adding them to our Executive Leadership Team meeting agenda for tomorrow.
Thanks, Debbi. I hope the questions help your team enhance their communication with the district and build trust among all stakeholders.