I have only served on one nonprofit board — and that was for an organization that lasted a decade. It was successful in its primary goal, but its focus was fairly narrow and, after a time, we decided to shut it down. So I can’t pretend to be any sort of expert on organizational governance. I even struggle to govern my own life. I know the basic outline: eat well, sleep well, exercise, be kind, stay connected, read, and work as best you can. But, still, it’s easy to mess up.
When I talk with folks about leadership more generally, I have a bad habit of focusing mostly on people I hope not to emulate. I’ve learned a great deal from these folks — especially that a heavy dose of self-centered mercurialness isn’t helpful — but, I know, I know... it’s embarrassing to whinge on about irksome bosses.
The true mentors — the people I’ve tried to emulate in one way or another — mostly come from the collegial ranks, from people who clearly had more skills and knowledge but who saw me as a valued member of the team. Along with a few teachers and editors who fit the bill, one such mentor was the head of the grounds and maintenance department at a place where I worked a few summers in college. This was a man with a high school education and years in the armed services under his belt. At work, he had a habit of playing with his dentures while he thought — pushing them out and sucking them back in before he spoke. Kind of gross, yes. But he taught me valuable manual labor skills. More important, he went out of his way to support and engage every member of the staff. He made us feel as if we belonged. You wanted to cut the grass for this guy.
I suppose what I’m saying is that, for me, good leadership is essentially relational. It’s about human and professional attentiveness. So I was thrilled at the last NAIS annual conference to hear Marcus Buckingham, author of the New York Times best-seller First Break All the Rules and an independent school trustee, back me up. In addressing the question of workplace dynamics, he argued that, rather than focus on efficiency and competency, organizational leaders should identify and leverage individual strengths. This is “the gateway drug to organizational success,” he said. He had the data to back it up, too.
I know I’m skipping right over the bulk of the work of school leaders — for instance, that heads and trustees need to possess an actual knowledge base on which to make informed decisions, or that they need to stay current and connected in the field and have a firm grasp of financial matters. But the essential parallel skill seems to me to be a matter of knowing how to build relationships, ensuring that employees feel central to the team.
This issue of Independent School explores questions of governance in greater detail, of course. I just wanted to slip in a shout-out to all those leaders who, in addition to anything else they might know and do, take the relational aspects to heart. I’ll cut your grass any day.