The Value of Time: Leading Through Connection and Presence

Most of us understand that time is a precious commodity. There is no going back when a moment, a week, or a year has passed. So how we spend our time ought to be a key consideration. What is more, the demands of life and career are such that it can often feel as if there is not enough time to do the things we want or need to do. Time pressure is real, and I am certainly not immune.

I have many moments in my professional life where I feel like I could easily spend all day in the office, occupying myself with busy work. That said, I believe good leadership is visible and present, so I prioritize visiting sites and schools and interacting with people across the school district. This allows me to hear from people doing important work and also allows me a chance to learn some things, provide thoughts and/or feedback, and, wherever possible, bring clarity. It also affords me the opportunity to build authentic connections.

So far this year, I have formally scheduled visits to nine schools and met with leaders from all our departments (finance, facilities, etc.). Granted, this is time I could choose to spend on other things, but for me, connecting with schools and departments informs and inspires my leadership.

As your superintendent, I am committed to learning from our staff and students. I want our students to feel connected and engaged at school. Imagine how reassuring it feels to visit a school when it happens to be club day. I saw more than fifty clubs being sponsored, celebrated, and promoted for students. I visited another school and spoke with staff and students who were together finding ways to reflect and celebrate different cultural traditions. At yet another school we spoke about how we can connect more with families and parents and leverage AI tools to help us. A visit to our Careers Department confirmed we are constantly looking for ways to make meaningful post-secondary options available to students, everything from aviation to cyber-security and yes, horticulture.

Every one of these visits leads to rich conversations. For me, it is an opportunity to help move our system forward. It is a chance to identify and amplify our successes and areas for growth in real time while developing and maintaining a human connection.

I look forward to sharing more of the good things I see in future posts. In the meantime, I better get back to my inbox, at least for now.