Leadership and Loyalty

Too many bosses seem to believe that their job is to instill fear in their workforce, writes Mike Myatt. That may work when it comes to achieving short-term goals, but it'll make your workers hate you -- and the moment they sense weakness, they'll abandon you in droves. "If you believe that instilling fear in your employees is a good thing, you may be a tyrannical bully, but you are certainly not an effective leader," Myatt writes.

This from N2Growth:

...How do you tell if your employees respect you or fear you? Review the 5 items below:

A Team of Yes-men: Feared leaders either surround themselves with like-minded people, or train people to share their views in a vacuum. Either way they lose…Great leaders value the opinions of their team whether or not said views happen to be in concurrence with their own beliefs.

Lack of Interaction: If top management, and staff don’t proactively seek your advice and input then you have a respect problem. They either don’t value your contributions, or they know from experience that you’ll treat their inquiry in a belittling fashion. Over time, many fear-based leaders unknowingly train their team to think: “Why even try if there is no upside? The boss will never go for that.”

Lack of Feedback: If as a leader you don’t subject yourself to a 360 review process, then you are not earnestly looking for personal growth and development opportunities. Here’s an ego check – if you do utilize a 360 review, and all the responses are positive, evaluate whether this has occurred because you are feared and are thus the recipient of insincere flattery, or because you have the loyalty and respect of those you lead.

Revolving Door: If you either can’t attract or retain tier-one talent, you are not an effective leader who has earned the respect and loyalty of your team…In fact, upon closer examination you’ll find that you probably don’t have a team. Sad but true…real talent won’t be attracted to, or remain engaged with leaders who operate on fear-based tactics.

Poor Performance: Leaders who have the respect of their team will outperform those that don’t. Leaders who attempt to use command and control tactics without the necessary underpinnings of real leadership principles will simply not do well. If your organization is not thriving and growing, then the first thing that should occur is a long look in the mirror…Begin your triage by first evaluating your leadership qualities or the lack thereof.

CANCELLATIONS TOUGH TO CALL EVEN FOR BEST SCHOOLS CHIEF - SILBERMAN RETAINS CREDIBILITY BY NOT TRYING TO SNOW ANYONE

Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
February 9, 2007
Author: Richard Day

The best school superintendents spend their waking hours communicating and driving district personnel to increase student achievement. They want high attendance, not low attendance. They want more school days, not fewer. They want to have school.

The hardest decisions a school superintendent has to make are those that go beyond his control, such as deciding whether to call off school when bad weather threatens. Sometimes conditions are bad enough that school cancellations can be announced the night before. Other times, it's a close call made at 5 a.m. Then there is a four-hour window of time after the decision to have class is made and until the last child arrives at school.In that time, the winds can change and turn a seemingly solid decision into mush. That's when school officials hold their collective breath.

Such was the case with Fayette County Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman recently when he admitted to a blown call to have school on a snowy Groundhog's Day.Silberman was reportedly bombarded with complaints from pretty much everywhere, and he reassessed the situation. Then he did something refreshing. He apologized.

A student at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School started a group on Facebook called "Stu wouldn't know a snow day if it hit him in the face." It featured a South Park-style rendering of Silberman in front of a school bus being hit with snow balls.The group's creator wrote, "Don't get me wrong guys, I love Stu. I just get the feeling that he has a bad system for calling snow days."

More than 440 high school students joined the group to vent frustrations and blame and to defend Silberman. They posted reports of Henry Clay students spamming the superintendent's e-mail and a mini-boycott where some Tates Creek seniors "just sat in their cars during first block."One student did blame Silberman for his car being rear-ended, but there were only a couple of snide bicycle references. What I found interesting was the general tone taken by most of the district's high school students. It was pretty mild.

Apologizing would seem to be the most reasonable and honorable thing for any superintendent to do. But it requires courage to expose oneself to blame instead of seeking scapegoats, and some have found that difficult.Former Superintendent Robin Fankhauser refused to accept responsibility when the district failed to update a required facilities plan that stood to cost the district $8 million in sorely needed facilities-construction money.Instead of accepting responsibility, she complained that she had been defamed by the public comments of some board members who demanded accountability. She was forced into retirement, and it apparently took some legislative arm twisting by state Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr to get the funds restored.

Silberman's bad snow-day call doesn't rise to the level of an $8 million mistake, but only because there were no tragic accidents as a result.

When things go wrong, as they will, and the superintendent wants us to believe his explanation of events, it helps if he has already established a pattern of behavior that allows him the benefit of the doubt. Silberman followed up his apology by getting it right on the next snowy day, and dismissing school early yet another day.

Then, on Wednesday, he got a curve ball. This time the northeast section of Fayette County got snow and the rest of the county did not. Once again Silberman fielded angry calls; this time for not having school. But angry calls aside, he made the right choice.When deciding whether road conditions will permit school, the only appropriate basis for consideration is the whole county; anything less devalues someone and endangers someone.

Silberma worked hard and made friends before he needed them. From his first day on the job, he redirected district leadership, opened the planning process to the public and committed himself for the long haul.The school board probably could not hold him to his commitment to serve 10 years, but when his name was being bandied about as a candidate to replace departed Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit, Silberman didn't miss a beat before taking his name out of the conversation.

Silberman has earned the confidence people place in him.


Caption:(1) by CHARLES BERTRAM , STAFF - Fayette County schools were in session Feb. 2 despite the weather, and the superintendent was bombarded with complaints.
(2) - Richard Day of Lexington is a former principal of Cassidy Elementary School.
Edition: FinalSection: CommentaryPage: A13
Copyright (c) 2007 Lexington Herald-Leader
Record Number: 0702090166

KEEP EYE ON NORTHERN, ACADEMY

Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
September 12, 2005
Author: Richard Day

The school year has started in Fayette County with an innovation: the new Booker T. Washington Academy. This is a laudable and ambitious collaborative effort involving the merger of two low-scoring, high-poverty schools -- the Academy at Lexington and Booker T. Washington Elementary -- with help from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the University of Kentucky.

Will Fayette County schools Superintendent Stu Silberman achieve his goal to make the academy one of the highest-achieving schools in the state without changing its demographics?

In January, Silberman told parents that much of their children's low-test-score problem could be attributed to the principals and their ability to motivate their staffs. He said principals -- one at a high-scoring school and one at a low-scoring school -- could be switched, and that the scores would flip-flop in two years. He subsequently selected Principal Peggy Petrilli to lead the new academy.

Petrilli had received acclaim in recent years as principal of Northern Elementary. She showed a flair for innovation, emphasized the arts and found more instructional time by starting Saturday programs. She created a more inviting atmosphere in the school, and her students made significant progress in academics.Since 2000, test scores rose 20 points on the state assessment, into the low 70s, while the number of "novices," the lowest performers, was cut in half. Much of the school's success has been credited to Petrilli's leadership.But what happens to Northern Elementary now?

Northern has lost its leadership and seven key faculty members who transferred to the academy with Petrilli. As Northern children returned to school this year, they were greeted by 15 faculty members who were new to Northern (almost half the total), including first-year principal Jennifer Flinn.

There is a need for sustainable student achievement growth in every Fayette County public school. The question is how the district gets there.Silberman told the Herald-Leader last November, "We don't want to come in and change everything and make that the cause of the increase in student achievement. We want to take the current population and faculty and staffs that we have in place and provide them with supports and resources to show what can happen."

The goals for the academy could not be higher. The task of moving low-scoring students into the upper echelons will create a high-pressure environment for the adults involved, and some teachers expressed the desire to transfer out of the spotlight.Silberman extended the time frame allowing teachers to do so. In the end, 14 teachers left the former Booker T. Washington and nine teachers left the former Academy at Lexington. Despite the superintendent's desire to minimize the amount of change, Petrilli got an opportunity to hire a lot of new teachers.

A typical elementary principal might expect to hire a handful of new teachers in his first year; perhaps another handful in the second. Principals consider some amount of turnover to be a positive thing as the principal slowly begins to build a faculty that reflects his philosophy.Most principals prefer to hire teachers with successful track records. But Petrilli seems to choose promising rookies; the academy started the year with 20 first-year teachers out of a total faculty of 40. Well-motivated young teachers can become proficient and loyal. They are also easier to fire if their performance comes up short.

Taking a school from 40 to 70 on the state accountability system is a great thing. Going from 70 to 100 is even better. The state goal is to get every school to 100 by 2014. Getting there may require other schools to engage in the kind of effort that can now be seen only at the academy.Citizens should continue to monitor the progress of these and all public schools. We should support their efforts and provide adequate resources. They are vitally important to our community's continued prosperity.

Caption:- Richard Day of Lexington is a retired elementary school principal.
Edition: FinalSection: CommentaryPage: A13
Copyright (c) 2005 Lexington Herald-Leader
Record Number: 0509130105

FAYETTE SCHOOLS NEED EFFECTIVE, INSPIRING LEADER

Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
May 10, 2004
Author: Richard Day

Among the Fayette County public schools' success stories is Northern Elementary. Long thought of as a school to be avoided, a renaissance has taken place -- and it occurred because the faculty and staff have strong, steady leadership and a clear focus, and they work hard to make it happen. It's not the program; it's the people who make the difference.Northern is a high-poverty school that has narrowed the achievement gap while reducing suspensions, but, the district says Northern must change.

Northern's faculty and staff have crafted a safe and fair environment where every child can learn, but the district says Northern must change.The Northern approach serves as a model for others and an inspiration for high-performing schools. The data clearly show that things are moving in the right direction. But Northern must change -- whether the principal, who seems to know what she's doing, thinks it's in the best interest of the children or not.

Why? Because Northern needs resources if it is to continue its progress. It needs the smaller class size Title II grant that is being held hostage by central office. The message is clear. Northern must surrender its best judgment for that of the district, or the district withholds the funds Northern needs to continue its success.This is all about control, not about what's best for children. Northern has been doing just fine in that department.

The same is true for all Fayette County elementary schools that want to make improvements in student achievement through smaller class sizes. Conform or be denied. I'm fairly certain this is not what One Community, One Voice had in mind.Immediate past Superintendent Ken James says that "the district has a responsibility to... direct money into programs it thinks will help students." The district also says it understands the critical role principals play in the success or failure of a school, and that all schools are different.But that doesn't stop the district from disregarding the data and the principal to coerce a one-size-fits-all program. The district says a lot of things. Much of it conflicts.

One thing is clear: Any system that does not tolerate strong leadership at the school level won't have it for long. I'm fairly certain this is not what the school board had in mind.

There is a leadership crisis in our school district that needs to be fixed quickly. As the school board considers superintendent candidates, it is appropriate to discuss whether the next superintendent should be from inside the district or outside, and what qualities are crucial.Given recent history, I can think of nothing more important than finding a qualified person who knows the district, shares the board's vision and has a demonstrated commitment to Fayette County and its children. We need a steady hand on the wheel.

For all of his gifts, James was ultimately a disappointment. Now he is gone and Northern must change. Tough luck for Northern. If measured by the results, this eight-month administration shouldn't leave much of a legacy.I just hope James' move to balance our budget on the backs of disabled students doesn't come back to haunt us. The worst-case scenario would be a legacy that returns us to civil rights complaints and Department of Education corrective action plans.

In the end, authority is not a fitting substitute for leadership. Effective leadership is about inspiring and directing the activities of people around a common mission -- not the creation of programs, promises and excuses. We had better find a superintendent for whom the success of each and every child in Fayette County is a personal priority. There is no substitute for that.

Caption: System's one-size-fits-all mentality will destroy Northern Elementary School's spirit and progress.
Richard Day will retire this year as principal of Cassidy Elementary School in Lexington.
Edition: FinalSection:
CommentaryPage: A11
Copyright (c) 2004 Lexington Herald-Leader
Record Number: 0405110029