From the MASA Executive Director Inspiring the District: The ‘Other Duties as Assigned’ Element of Leaders www.gomasa.org 7 Inspire verb/ in-spire Definition: to make someone want to do something: to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create. The 2015-16 theme for the MASA Leader and conferences has been Inspire, Connect, and Equip. These are three extremely important areas that district leaders must keep in front of them daily. I have written about Connecting and Equipping in previous editions of this magazine, and as we close out yet another school year, my column will focus on the leadership trait of Inspire. Inspiring is one of those “other duties as assigned” areas in our job description. It just seems to come with the territory, and all effective leaders with whom I have worked over the years do this quite naturally. In our positions, we are charged with inspiring many different categories of people including (but not limited to): Children: There are many different ways to inspire the children who attend our school districts, whether it is unexpectedly visiting a classroom, attending a concert, play, or athletic event, interacting with them over social media, giving remarks at a pep rally or an all-school assembly, or by simply giving a child some one-on-one attention as we walk through the halls. Children look up to us, and we are in the perfect position to inspire those who are the future of tomorrow. What an honor! Staff: Modeling quality instructional leadership, making difficult and courageous decisions, being visible at events where staff is present, providing quality supervision to administrators in order to help them grow, and always representing those who work for the district in a positive light in the community are all ways to inspire our staff who are watching us to see how we lead on a daily basis. Board of Education: Inspiring this important group is so critical and can be accomplished by providing continuous informational updates so that there are no surprises, handling ourselves with grace and courage while under fire by the public at a board meeting, helping bring a board to consensus over a difficult issue, always representing the district in a professional manner, working hard (and smart), and doing our best to lead a balanced personal and professional life. Inspiring others is contagious, and astute board members will notice when this is being accomplished. Community and District Partners: Being appropriately accessible, working in a genuinely collaborative manner, being that go-to leader when there are questions about the school district, being communicative about what is going on in the district (including positives and areas for improvement), taking a leadership role in the community, and actively listening to input from these individuals and groups—can all lead towards us being seen as a leader who inspires with this important audience. Being able to inspire is not necessarily a learned trait, but a result of all that we do on a constant basis. Let us continue to lead to inspire others, even though it might not officially be on top of our everyday to do list! By Chris Wigent, MASA Executive Director
MASA Leader - Sprin 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above