My overall impression of the job of a superintendent from my interview is about the highly political nature of the job. Constant communication is imperative. From setting the vision, to talking about the immediate issues, to building relationships with community and board, the superintendent’s job is never finished.
Dr, Ryan’s response to the definition of leadership stressed that leadership is an art that must be practiced continuously. He defines leadership as “Getting people to do things without your constant influence.” In his estimation, people need to “feel” your leadership. They need to trust that you have the knowledge to do what needs to be done and the confidence in your decision making skills. A good superintendent is one who has a huge impact on instruction because of the constant emphasis of improvement with coherent systems in place to affect every child, every class, every day. The key to strong leadership is in hiring the right people. Even though a superintendent needs to know a little bit about a lot of things, having competent people in positions where there is a high trust factor and a confidence in their work is critical. Dr. Ryan is well known for reminding his administrators that “You can delegate authority but not responsibility” and his philosophy of having the right people in the right place supports this belief.
Another response that made an impression on me was the importance of developing the positive working relationship with the board and community. Much like any important relationship, a great deal of time and energy goes into this. Rarely a day goes by without a breakfast or a lunch with somebody who has influence in the community. By deliberately focusing on the silent leader as well as the more vocal leader, the superintendent can use these relationship building activities to build a foundation of trust and open communication. Dr. Ryan makes a point to share a meal with each individual board member every four to six weeks. He sends out a three to four page update each Friday. They have had four team building workshops in the ten months he has been here. By spending time on the front end developing these relationships, Dr. Ryan can help lead them to thinking about the topics he believes are critical to the 21st century learning topics that will help lead our students to success in their future.
The networking that goes on in the superintendent position is of tremendous value. In my conversation with Dr. Ryan, I felt as if he knew a person or could recommend a networking opportunity for almost every topic I presented. I believe that as the circle of influence increases, so does the networking opportunities. I look forward to getting involved with professional associations because I believe they will help me develop stronger relationships with my peers. I can also tell by my conversations with Dr. Ryan that I need to work on remembering names and roles.
Communication was also a common theme in many of the responses to these questions. As districts face more and more challenges that require change, communication with the public can be a tremendous influence on successfully implementing these changes. Since the biggest obstacle is under-communicating the need for change, it is important to utilize a wide variety of communication venues for optimum exposure. A good way to evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies is by using multiple venues, make sure you have a good product, and present that product in a way that people can understand it. Any time an organization is involved, communication is needed for the people to know what is going on. Just as in real estate, the difference is “location, location, location”, in running a large organization, the difference is “communication, communication, communication.” Then, you must deliver.
In closing, as I asked Dr. Ryan for suggestions he had for helping me develop an effective internship, he made some great suggestions. Since one of my areas of opportunity includes understanding the finance piece better, he recommended I consider attending a TASBO conference. He recommended that I take every opportunity to teach people what I can about school finance. In teaching and talking about it, the learning curve for me would be tremendous. He also recommended that I remember that the internship is all about growing in the areas where I need to grow. With that, he highly recommends that I seek opportunities where there are voids in my experiences. I see this as being very valuable in not only learning but also in developing those networks that are helpful for future endeavors.
