Cleared for Takeoff

 

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.