Survival Tips for Superintendents: Begin with Integrity

Begin with Integrity

There are three key questions that frame school board-superintendent relationships:

Do you care about me?
Can I trust you?
Do you really know what you're talking about?

Relationship building takes time and a great deal of personal contact. Recognize that many board members are "high maintenance," and that's ok and to be expected. For the newly hired superintendent, schedule a board retreat as soon as possible after being hired. That's the time to be yourself, define the focus for the first year. For tenured superintendents, regular board retreats can serve the purpose of keeping the board focused on the mission of the district, of reaffirming their roles, and to set the focus for the coming year. Secondary to the key questions are these:

Do we think alike?
Can I trust that I'm getting your full opinion and a true representation of your full opinion and feelings.?

In our district, in a year when the majority of our board members were in their first term, we recognized that they didn't know the answers to the key questions and we asked them, "How do we help you get there? How do we build your trust?" The answer came back loud and clear, and was very simple, "Let us get to know you, get to know us, on a more personal level. We don't want to be best friends, but we do want to know each other at a level that goes beyond what we see at the board table. As one member said to me, 'when I disagree with someone I know on a personal level I do it in a much more tactful manner, and I still like them even if they are dead wrong and can't see that I am 100% right!'"

Survival Tips for Superintendents