What can school leaders learn from a young entreprenuer who recently sold his internet software company for $100M (million!) dollars?

We are trying something a little different this week! We have received so many questions from schools regarding how to set goals, and with the request for their board members to be a part of that dialogue, we wanted to offer a different way to engage in conversation around how to set goals for board members that provides meaning and growth.

"Habits of a Sustaining Board" is the theme of the School Growth Webinar Series for November and December. Seven habits will be featured based on our research and years of working with school boards. For those school boards that do not require general election, we have identified specific traits of boards that lead high performing schools and are able to sustain their legacy over multiple decades. A Great School (and school system) has a Great Board--one that has progressed through the Stages of Growth to develop the utmost in effective governance.

Fulfillment of the mission will come from the passion of the board's leadership. Passion should not be confused with charisma or personality. The passionate board member is noted for his/her depth of commitment and disciplined attention to detail, especially through times of difficulty. These leaders live what they believe, genuinely engage others in the mission, and are steadfast in their focus.

Neither the chief administrator nor the chair is responsible for motivating board members

Board culture is directly influenced by the intrinsic motivation and enthusiastic commitment of its members. Below are the key questions to consider when evaluating the passion of each trustee.

Is the energy level of the board enhanced through the participation of this trustee?

Board leadership is hard work and requires people who build energy rather than consume it. All things being equal, a trustee who demonstrates a positive, eager attitude in performing his/her role contributes at a distinctly higher level to a healthy board culture than one who is perceived as negative. We're looking for genuine enthusiasm for meetings, for fundraising, for learning, for community building, for problem solving, etc. In general the skills and habits that lead to an enthusiastic spirit are more likely to be recruited for your board rather than developed after the fact.

Body language communicates passion: i.e., facial expressions (love that smiling board member), posture, eye contact, and tone of voice. Once installed as a trustee, we're expecting prompt attendance for meetings and calls, being fully engaged in these events, willingly seeking tasks/projects, diligent respect for the boundaries of sustaining governance, and timely, mature responses to communications.

Does this person model enthusiastic commitment to the mission and vision?

We want Loyalty! Alignment with the mission of the school is part of the screening process for board leaders. Not just tolerance of the mission, but passionate commitment to it. This is illustrated by how the person identifies with the school's values, rules, and goals as manifested in the pride that is exhibited and defense of the organization as needed. Long-term investment is the expectation here with the school featured as a priority in generosity of time, money, and effort. Going the extra mile by engaging appropriately in the life of the school is also evidence of enthusiastic commitment.

Does he/she encourage other board members in their leadership and effectiveness?

Real and personal encouragement can transform a board's culture. Relationships grow, trust is built, and energy increases. "A person's anxiety will weigh him down, but an encouraging word makes him joyful." (Proverbs 12:25) School leadership is a tough job for the chief administrator and the board, facing the ups and downs that come from working with teachers, parents, students, etc. Often the smallest gesture of gratitude can make a huge difference to the others in the board room and classroom. Encouragement can be the game-changer, spurring the leadership on to reach big goals.

Do the priorities of this person align well with the priorities of the board and organization?

There's no "I" in Team--neither is there one in Board. The school board needs leaders who willingly align their personal priorities with those of the organization. Conflicts of interest are wisely and actively managed, with individual and collective focus on the best way to serve the whole target community rather than special sub-groups. Individual genius is what brought the board together, but the servant's heart that enables one voice is what enables the pursuit of organizational greatness.

Does he/she demonstrate a commitment to learning and growth?

Every school board must be a learning organization, with each board member actively pursuing a professional development plan that expands knowledge of effective governance, educational leadership and trends, and competitive opportunities and threats. Interest in, even curiosity about, education trends, best practices, and forecasts strengthens the trustee's value to the board. Genuine enthusiasm in such professional growth builds credibility with the administration and faculty because of the investment in understanding the world of school leadership.

The Global Teacher Status Index is a research project funded by the Varkey GEMS Foundation to compare the "status" of teachers across 21 nations. It attempts to measure how teachers are respected and esteemed based on compensation, student and parent perceptions, etc in the form of a teacher respect index. The following four specific indicators were identified as most useful for the goals of this study:

Schools are in the midst of a radical time of change. What are the influencing forces creating this long-overdue movement in education?

At the iNACOL Conference this week I had the opportunity to visit with several education technology vendors offering solutions for schools that provide virtual and/or blended instruction. This includes learning management systems, digital content/curriculum, student information systems, professional development, student assessments, and a myriad of other tools.

Effective communication is crucial at every level of the organization, especially within and from the school board.

The ability to communicate effectively isn't natural to many people, but it is a skill that can and should be improved by everyone. The way each board member communicates with peers, the chief administrator, the faculty and staff, parents and students, and the community sets the tone for the culture of the board and the entire organization.

This week the Associated Press (AP) fired a reporter for a mistake he made in an article. After twenty-eight years of service, Bob Lewis was terminated because he misinterpreted the involvement of Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee in the Virginia gubernatorial race, regarding his role in an issue that is under federal investigation. If Mr. McAuliffe wasn't the long-term ally of some powerful people, it's possible that Mr. Lewis would still have a job. But, alas, he picked the wrong guy about which to make a mistake.

Have you noticed that some professions and people have a higher "grace-rate" when it comes to making errors of judgment and sins? Granted by the press or the general public, the "freedom of foolishness" is limited to a select group.

Imagine what it would be like to have a job that has a high level of compensation but a low level of accountability for what you say or do? This question isn't as ridiculous as it might sound. Some people enjoy such freedom and get paid large sums of money in return. My suggestion to Mr. Lewis is to consider the following careers as options where he won't run into the same level of responsibility for his words.

Weather Forecaster

Even with all of the advanced super computers and data that is used by today's meteorologists, the weather report is still frequently incorrect. Just yesterday it was supposed to be cloudy all day with gusty winds, according to the Weather Channel gurus, yet by mid-day we enjoyed beautiful clear skies. This is the kind of job that requires the batting average of the 8th hitter in a major league lineup. Much less stressful than the strict accountabiiity for accuracy enforced by the school board onto the superintendent of the district.

Music Star

Music stars seem to get a big hall pass when it comes to accountability. They are generally granted the freedom to use rude vocabulary and make statements of misjudgment at a far higher degree than others. Extreme profanity can be used in lyrics, they can twerk like a wild one, and then a Twitter confession can resolve any issues with the conscience. It gets really confusing trying to explain these exceptions to a group of middle school students who are striving to emulate their idols. Holding them accountable for better behavior is part of the school administrator's job, and is an ongoing challenge.

Sports "Analyst"

The prognosticators of sports television have incredible leeway to express opinion as fact and make bold predictions that are frequently incorrect. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of the pre-game hoopla, but how many people do you need to make their best guesses about a sporting event? And where is the post-game show that measures the accuracy of the sportscasters' predictions? Are they ever fired for getting it wrong? Working beside Terry Bradshaw or Chris Berman is a job worthy of consideration, Mr. Lewis,

None of this addresses the overreaction by the powers that be at the AP regarding this firing. Zero-tolerance policies in schools often produce equally distasteful results. I wish you the best, Mr. Lewis, and pray that you find a way to use your unique genius to accomplish great things.

McKinsey & Company recently released a report entitled, “How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better.” It is a very compelling bit of research that every school leader will want to explore. Through their research the McKinsey team found schools/systems that were consistently improving, and crafted this report around the elements of school design that were enabling them to attain consistent growth. They identified these 8 key points: