Supt. Dr. Sal Menzo and Board Chair Roxane McKay of Wallingford, CT succeeded admirably in keeping up with the intense interest and questions during their excellent MASC conference panel presentation on Strategic Leadership. Some notes:
Analysis = using data and other indicators to make decisions.
Planning = clear, inclusive, living, informed, understood, supported
Progress = shared, on-going, celebration, community-based, communicated
What does Strategic Leadership require? A Supt. who's the instructional leader; a strategic mindset for all; and achieving, measuring, and celebrating success. (Read Carol Dweck's Mindset - Wallingford did it as a Community Read.)
Benefits include the "7 C's of Partnerships": context (purpose, relevance, and relationships); communication (diverse audiences, varied approaches, multiple formats, and consistent); collaboration (common understanding, appreciation/respect, trust); capacity (identify strengths, develop talents, share, recognize/celebrate); capital (human, political, financial, and emotional); consensus (knowledge, support, sustain); and celebrate (success, challenge in order to find opportunities for growth, plan to address challenges, and say thank you!).
Plan for strategic leadership by setting a strategic plan with measurable goals and objectives, partner/record and share progress, and express appreciation. Be transparent, share the vision, and consider how to recognize all who have supported the mission.
