As superintendents we are starting to receive questions about next school year. When will it start? How will it look for students and staff? What if a student comes to school with the virus? How will distancing look on school buses? We know there are no clear answers to these questions so we do the best we can seeking ongoing guidance from local, state and national health experts.
In addition, we know we must determine how to communicate these issues with students, families, staff members and the community. Not necessarily the forms of communication, but rather the tenor of the message. It is important to think this through because the WHAT we communicate is only 50% of the equation, the HOW is equally important and likely to have a greater emotional impact.
It seems that a major focus regarding the HOW is to strike a balance between realism and optimism. The virus is scary, and it is easy to get mired down in its potential impact once school resumes. As superintendents it is our job to think through the possibilities, but at times we can get lost under the weight of our concerns and this mindset gets passed on to others.
As leaders we must be gatekeepers of the organization’s emotional balance. It is true the virus will likely be one of the biggest challenges we face in our careers, but when communicating with stakeholders we must also remember to strike an optimistic tone. We can be optimistic that we can now handle remote learning if called upon to do so again. Our ability to distribute food to students is also well honed. Further, our teachers have developed enhanced levels of parent communication through this crisis and that is likely to continue.
Leaders who choose to communicate about next year from only the realism end of the continuum are likely to instill fear and negative anticipation. Alternatively, leaders who communicate from only the optimistic end of the continuum risk not being believed or set up expectations which cannot be met.
So, as leaders, we must strike a balance. We must be both realistic, but also optimistic in the conversations we have and messages we send. As gatekeepers of the organization’s emotions others look to us to see how we are talking about and communicating regarding the virus. Striking a balance shows our stakeholders that we are honest about the situation before us, but also see a future for our students and the organization. Hope leads to resilience and resilience will be needed in great measure as we work our way through this challenging time.
In the comment section below please provide a note regarding how you, or your team, have been working to provide optimism and hope to your stakeholders. Sharing with and learning from each other makes all of us wiser!
Howard – I’m a huge fan of your blog! Sharing a note re: your current post: https://www.nssd112.org/cms/lib/IL02217852/Centricity/Domain/30/NSSD112%20Community%20Update%20May%2016%20Main%20Link.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3i2TKZxrGnOuoc7WEXdsNZrqjOpa69ui9qzLJb0x3YOSSWmqE_jz4eU3E
Thanks commenting and providing your well crafted letter. I greatly appreciate you sharing and I know that others will too. By the way, I am a huge fan of the work you are doing and Nick too!
I always appreciate the information you send. Thanks.
B. Rocco
Thanks, Bob! I think we all gain when we share and gain wisdom together.
Thank you for your reflections Howard! It’s that perennial tension between hope and fear that you outlined well in your blog – certainly a new test for leaders.. I agree it’s the leaders job to instill a sense of hope while carefully understanding the anxiety fear brings.
Yes, the tension between hope and fear is always a challenge. Likely one of the biggest issues is that it is always function of context and therefore different every time… Thanks for commenting!
Howard, thank you for this timely work… We are initiating a Return to School Advisory Committee first in order to gather the thoughts on a wide variety of issues with a wide group of people in order to best get all ideas and perspectives.
Excellent idea! Clearly when we consider others thoughts and perspectives prior to taking action we get to the best decisions. Two heads are truly better than one!
Thank you, Howard, for another timely post. I love your references to include a balance between realism and optimism. We are convening a small committee to look at how academics might look and another one to look at all the logistics that may be needed to accompany whatever the small committee comes up with.
Wow! I like the idea that it starts with the academic challenge and then considers the logistics component. Clearly we can’t effectively deliver academically if we don’t think through the challenges we will face in implementing the plan. Thanks for sharing!
Howard, I always gain thoughtful insights from your articles. Thank you. One simple thing I’ve been doing is writing a weekly letter to all parents, citing the current state of planning efforts, anticipated changes and outcomes for Fall as we’re building them, and sharing issues we’re still working to address. It seems to communicate as much clarity as is possible, and reassures folks that this is the focal point of our priorities. Furthermore, I think it helps to build trust, and to create hope.
Absolutely! Frequent, ongoing communication provides emotional stability and trust in the message. I know that many will appreciate (and replicate) what you are doing. Thanks for sharing!
First, I appreciate you calling attention to the many successes educators have had this year (distance learning, food delivery, and parent/teacher communication) forged from immediate and unexpected shifts in our trusty and dependable education methods. Zoom meetings with first graders were not on our radar. Handing food to hungry kids on a bus route is different. “Developing meaningful relationships of support and encouragement with parents,” will be an added bullet on my resume.
Today, our leadership team spent hours planning in an attempt to make sense of this challenge, yet while in resistance to catastrophizing. A brilliant colleague offered something to this effect: “Can we make one of the possible scenarios one in which we return to normal? In the greatest hopes that amazing things will happen in the next several months?” God bless her. May we as leaders never forget to first, and firmly, hold out hope.
Wonderful statement! “May we as leaders never forget to first, and firmly, hold out hope”. As you state there is so much which has changed in the last three months (i.e. teaching first graders using Zoom) and yet our staff members and administrators have stepped to the plate and have done a wonderful job. Hope is the key to seeing a positive future and we are the gatekeepers of that hope.
Howard, thanks for the thought provoking post. I appreciate your insights, and agree that balance is our aim when we communicate. I’ve made it my priority to send a letter to our community, families, teachers, staff, and students at least twice monthly since the end of February. Our executive team has also opened up two-way dialogue with these same stakeholders via ‘virtual office hours’ every Monday morning in May. The goal is to provide opportunities for folks to ask questions, share ideas, and provide insight as we plan for a variety of possible scenarios. Realism and optimism prevail in all we work to communicate.
Great! Sending out a letter to all twice a month is an excellent way to both inform and build trust. It is wonderful to hear that not only are you communicating, but so is your team. I am sure your stakeholders must feel truly cared for during this tough time and that the district is listening.
Thanks for sharing these helpful methods, which enable a district to communicate optimism and build trust!