This year’s
NFHS Winter Meeting, a professional conference for Executive Directors of State
Associations was held in San Francisco. Great
city. Great trip. Great conference. The only snag I hit was on the trip back to
Iowa when the first leg of my flight was delayed by two hours, making it
impossible to catch my connecting flight in Denver. Like any good administrator, I went into
problem-solving mode and was able to rebook a later connecting flight. So, at least the end of this story had a
happy ending.
Flight
delays happen for a variety of reasons – mechanical trouble, weather, planes
arriving late from previous destinations, etc.
The delay I experienced was caused by a lack of recovery time for the
crew that was assigned to my flight.
When I was notified of the delay, the cynic in me was tempted to think,
“Seriously? What’s the big deal? They couldn’t suck it up for two hours?” But we all know the FAA has rules in place
regarding required rest and recovery time.
Those rules are in place to protect those of us flying. I have a deep (but unspoken) appreciation for
a flight crew that is well rested, alert, and on their game. If you don’t share that same appreciation, I
suggest you see the movie, “Flight” starring Denzel Washington. Yes I was inconvenienced by the delay but
when it came out of concern for my safety, I can live with that.
This “rest
and recovery” concept got me thinking about the value of similar guidelines for
those of us in administrative/leadership positions. While there are no laws requiring a minimum
period of rest and recovery for superintendents, principals, assistant
principals, athletic directors, and other administrators prior to performing our
responsibilities, it stands to reason that we are all more likely to be at our
best for those we serve when we have taken care of ourselves. We are the “pilots” of our staff, our
schools, and our school communities. It
is our responsibility to be at our best to navigate whatever journey we are on
with them.
The importance
of our physical and mental health cannot be overstated. The unfortunate reality is that too many of
us pay much less attention to our health than we should. Too often we neglect ourselves in order to
make time for those we serve. In that
respect, I must raise my own hand and say, “Guilty.” Need to meet with me? “My schedule is tight, but I’ll squeeze it
in.” I didn’t get that report done so, “I’ll
take it home and work on it tonight.” Fatigue
is real. Exhaustion is real. Anxiety is real. And as much as we try to fight through and
“rise to the occasion,” at some point it catches up to us. We aren’t as “sharp.” We become impatient. We aren’t as supportive to those we
lead. We may even withdraw and do more
alone and less with others.
There is a
necessary energy that comes with being a leader. That energy comes from taking care of
ourselves. We can give nothing when
there’s nothing to give. Nutrition,
exercise, rest, and finding time to decompress are necessary components of creating
the kind of energy needed to do our challenging jobs. A good friend of mine, Wisconsin Interscholastic
Athletic Association Executive Director Stephanie Hauser reached out to those
of us in neighboring states this week and reminded all of us to take care of
ourselves, noting that we do so little for ourselves because we are so busy
doing for others. She suggested we all
make a commitment to take better care of ourselves and to encourage us quoted
Jon Gordon who wrote, “Remember…a promise to yourself is just as important as
important as a promise to others. If you
tell yourself you’re going to do something, don’t give up on it. Your promises matter.”
Of course,
the important question is how do we do it?
With no laws or regulations requiring us to “rest and recover,” how do
we ensure that we have the energy to serve our students, staff, and communities
at the level they deserve?
Commit to
a lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be an overhaul but make a
few changes that can make a difference.
One of my favorite books is Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge. He makes the point that small changes can
make all the difference. For example, a
person who doesn’t exercise doesn’t have to start by trying to exercise an hour
a day. By exercising (walking, jogging,
elliptical, calisthenics, etc), even 20 minutes a day, at the end of the week
that person will have exercised over two hours more than he/she did the week
before. I have a post-it on my bathroom
mirror with four dots on it. Each dot is
a reminder to do one thing that will help me live healthier – exercise at least
30 minutes, read at least 30 minutes, no alcohol, no soda. My goal is 15 dots or more per week. I keep track of the dots per day on my
calendar. I’m not proud to say there are
weeks when I fall below the goal. What
seems to help place those dots on the calendar is to think achieving something
for the people I lead rather than thinking of it as something for myself.
Set aside
“non-negotiable” personal (and in some cases professional) time.
We pay great attention to our calendars.
Some might say our calendars run us.
So, if we want time to ourselves (or time for uninterrupted work), we
must schedule it. Our Finance Director
Jess Morgan has a short saying on her desk that states, “Either you run the day,
or the day runs you.” There is no such
thing as time management. Time will pass
and we cannot slow it down, speed it up, or stop it. What we can manage is how we spend that time. We schedule important meetings, calls,
events, etc. In some respects, through
requests, it is others who take control of our calendar. We need to take that control back. Back to back to back meetings is a recipe for
exhaustion. We need time to reflect and
process. We also need to schedule time
for ourselves to do the things that contribute to our physical and mental
health. If that sounds selfish, remember
that in the end, a healthier, more energized leader has a positive impact on
everyone.
Delegate.
Too often we take on more than needed.
Sometimes we do that out of a sense of guilt – not wanting to “burden”
others with responsibilities we could do.
Sometimes we do that out of a lack of confidence in others – believing
no one could do it as well as we could.
Instead of thinking of delegating as putting a burden on someone, try
thinking about it as providing opportunity for others to develop. Instead of a lack of confidence, delegate in
a way that shows others you believe in them.
Offer to serve as a resource if they need you. Sometimes a situation makes delegating the
only option and it is during those times we learn that those on our teams are
more than capable of handling the responsibilities.
Put down
the phone. At the very least, limit the number of
notifications you get by adjusting settings.
That “ding,” as we know, can be difficult to resist. While I understand the thinking that staying
in the loop is important, I also understand how “sucked in” to our phones we
can get. Looking at one message or email
often leads to several minutes (if not more) tapping, scrolling and viewing.
Reflect.
End each day by asking, “What did I do today to be the best pilot I
could be for the people I lead?” If the
answer is nothing, it would seem we have failed those we lead. That will only be true, however, if we follow
up with another day of doing nothing.
As leaders,
we have a multitude of responsibilities, some more challenging than others, and
each of those responsibilities impacts others.
Flight crews have laws and guidelines that require them to at least get
the rest they need. In the absence of
laws and guidelines, it’s up to us to take care of ourselves to be at our best. Think of it in terms of Maslow's Pyramid. Unless those foundational level needs are met, there's no getting to top where we can make a difference.
We are the
pilots. Let’s make sure we’ve done
everything possible to be able to say, “all systems go” when we have been
cleared for takeoff. Our “passengers”
are depending on us.
