The summer series focus this year explores the challenge of navigating the superintendent/school board relationship. Over the course of the next few blog posts we will dive into this topic and look at tools and techniques to manage this vital and ever evolving dynamic. It is the superintendent/school board relationship which makes or breaks us in our role. It changes with each tough decision we make in which the board must support us, and also every time a new board member is elected. To get started, let’s begin by discussing the “leading” v. “doing” dilemma.
Observing school boards operate over the years has been instructive for me. I have worked with boards made up of MBAs and private sector leaders in addition to those who have never before held a formal leadership position. One characteristic I have seen in common is that all struggle with the line between setting policy (leading) and addressing operational issues (doing).
Frankly, I think it is tough – both for school boards and superintendents. Where exactly is the line? Should we allow the HR professional on the board, who has specific expertise regarding how to develop the flex time policy play more of a “doing” role, or hold the line on the fact that board “leadership” strictly means input should be limited as to not devolve into micromanagement? My guess is that all seasoned superintendents have struggled with this dilemma and unfortunately there are no easy answers. Is it easier to get the board member involved up front, or have them pick apart the flex time policy in a committee gathering or at a board meeting? I believe the answer is situational. In other words, it will be a function of the dynamic of your board, individual board member personalities, the history of the superintendent/board relationship, and so on.
So, what can we do about this dilemma? One option (I have spoken to others the Accelerated Wisdom book) is to establish, during a board retreat, guidelines and a protocol which specifically address the question of “where’s the line” for the board v. the superintendent. We likely all have board policies which speak to the leading v. doing dilemma, but rarely are they specific enough to provide clarity.
The retreat conversation starts with a guideline, such as the Nebraska School Boards’ Association document which I have attached, that helps identify the areas where clarity must be sought. In addition, a specific board operating protocol (see attached sample) must be developed that captures issues which are generic to all school boards, but also considers your specific school district context. For instance, maybe previous boards (or the existing group) have had problems with “pop in” visits to schools. If this is the case this should be addressed in the protocol. Both the guideline and the protocol are great documents which can be used help clarify the leading v. doing dilemma, but the real power is in the dialogue between the board and superintendent during this process. It will create greater understanding on both sides and set the stage for a healthy superintendent/school board relationship.
The toughest part of the conversation, once the guidelines and protocol are developed, is to talk about a method to reaffirm the document yearly and also to outline what might happen if a board member does not follow what has been agreed to in the documents. It is this latter issue which is toughest to discuss, but if superintendents can get the board to agree to a progressive accountability system for themselves, I believe it can legitimize the value of the guidelines and protocol.
Again, the leading v. doing dilemma is a challenge in every district, but plays out differently in each context. We likely can’t make the line crystal clear, but through the use of tools like the guideline and protocol it can be managed much more effectively.
Please be sure to see the attached resources located below and as always, I would be interested to hear how you handle the leading v. doing dilemma. Sharing methods we use and the wisdom of our experience is beneficial for us all.