Podcasts for Leaderful Schools, hosted by Dr. Robert Maxfield and Dr. Suzanne Klein, at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, invites noted guests to share their leadership roles as well as the lessons they’ve learned, and engage in deep thinking as they examine the existing challenges and new opportunities facing school leaders in the post pandemic educational reset.
Chris Wigent recently retired as Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, where he provided leadership and support to almost 600 school superintendents and central office administrators across the state of Michigan. To illustrate the leadership lessons that guided his career, Chris recalled memorable experiences from his most recent position as well as his prior roles: school administrator, superintendent in a rural Michigan district, Superintendent of an Intermediate School District, and Superintendent of Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency. Looking back on his career Chris reported he was the youngest assistant principal in the state, the youngest high school principal in the state and at one point was the youngest superintendent in the state, also the least experienced consequently he made some mistakes along the way without that experience.
His first leadership lesson was drawn from an experience early in his administrative career. As an assistant principal and athletic director, Chris emceed an award banquet focusing on himself a little bit too much. Afterward the superintendent called him in and advised, “You need to remember it’s not about you, it’s about the food.” He learned that whether it was students, or the superintendents, or whomever it might be, it was not about him. Chris lauded the leadership and courage of that superintendent, and attributed that conversation to creating a shift in his thinking and a shift in his career; hence he became a much more effective leader. Chris was adamant that leaders have that responsibility to hold frank discussions with everyone and understand it's not personal, it's professional.
A second lesson was the importance of active listening, which he deemed an essential skill for those in a leadership position. As Superintendent of Wayne RESA, active listening enabled him to broaden his skills by recognizing the knowledge, ability and diversity of the 34 county superintendents who met for monthly meetings. It was a focus on them, listening to their needs, and learning from their experiences that enhanced his leadership skills.
Chris concluded that reminding yourself that it’s not about you, actively listening to other people, and forging relationships both individually and collectively with groups, are valuable lessons for effective school leaders.
Emphasizing the importance of cultivating trusting relationships, Chris pointed to having worked with 35 school board members directly as a superintendent. Building a relationship of mutual respect with each board member was a point of pride. Even with disagreements and debates, the collective focus was on the good of the district and its students. Admittedly it took time and constant communication to build that trust, but once gained individually and then collectively when they got together, it became easier.
Chris recounted a critical role he played as Superintendent of Wayne RESA, when the state dissolved the Inkster Public School District. He held multiple meetings with the four superintendents representing surrounding districts as well as their Board presidents and School Boards to divide up the district and determine where the students would attend school next. Additionally Chris stood before the Inkster community to deliver the plan and credited building relationships, honesty, and keeping students at the center of the plan, for the community response to his presentation. He labelled the experience a leadership moment he would never forget.
Chris was adamant about embracing his full retirement. In hindsight, for the majority of his career his 90 hour work weeks were all consuming, negatively impacting his personal relationships therefore as a retiree he planned to focus on his life, his boys, and things he had not done in the last 41 years. He expressed a sense of pride as a former workaholic in establishing these new priorities.
As the conversation progressed, Chris reflected upon leading learning in his organizational roles. His commitment to lead learning for all was evident through a variety of initiatives at RESA, supporting school districts in Wayne County with diverse needs, resources and priorities. Moving from there to MASA, by supporting, assisting, and advising superintendents and school districts, his leadership impacted all the children in the state.
Chris pronounced the MASA work the most challenging of his career. There were 600 school superintendents; each with a different personality, leadership style, background, and Board of Education. To be an effective leader, Chris had to get to know them individually as well as their situation to ensure that the work done by MASA was relevant, both globally and on an individual level. In his capacity as Executive Director, immediate accessibility compelled him to provide support to superintendents experiencing a problem, regardless of the time of day. He assumed their problems as his own, checking in with them and seeking solutions whenever possible.
From his current vantage point, Chris indicated that districts have faced global challenges as well as individual challenges and are facing them now. He recommended that superintendents depend on each other, their state association, colleges and universities, for support rather than attempt to handle challenges individually. Leaders needed to be thinking about change and looking at what is going on not only to education, but also in the business world. As an example, Chris admitted that his thoughts about remote learning were changed with increased staff productivity, forcing him to think outside the box. He asserted that leaders are going to have to think out of the box, way out of the box, as they move forward.
In projecting ahead to the opportunities and challenges presented with a post pandemic educational reset, Chris emphasized that leaders need to realize that they weren’t trained for this type of situation, and while it was possible to lean on the past, it is imperative to be astute on a regional, statewide and national level to new research on best practices. Additionally, he cautioned leaders to continue demonstrating sensitivity to the diverse needs and positions taken by members within their community.
With a reset Chris foresees a different set of leaders emerging, who perhaps have challenged the status quo before the current pandemic constraints, and are energized and ready to step up and lead, and be able to try something that perhaps they wanted to try that the establishment just hasn't been set up for. Chris stressed that the characteristics that make a quality leader haven't changed and they won't change. He suggested what you do with that leadership and how you handle that leadership, that's where the shift takes place. He recognized a new level of energy in school leaders. “It’s an exciting time to be a leader and to move forward. We’re 90 mph on the entrance ramp and we've got to be ready to drive the Autobahn.”
Chris identifies several specific areas of teaching and learning that are post pandemic challenges, requiring shifts in thinking. First he recommends a shift in thinking about virtual learning. He sees a role for that, accompanied by best practices for virtual learning and teacher training. Second, the area of support for mental health for students needs attention. Current ratios of students to counselors and psychologists are terrible from his viewpoint and without attention to that, we’ll never get to the learning piece. The third shift Chris recommends is a review of student assessment to consider multiple types of assessments and options to ensure that assessment provides quality information about student learning.
In a mentoring role, if Chris had the opportunity to engage in conversation with a new or aspiring school leader, he would caution them not to move up too quickly, missing out on critical opportunities to lead change and learn from that experience. He would encourage them to talk extensively about the positives they were experiencing, and perhaps include a challenge they had, to help them work through that. He would remind them about the importance of finding a work life balance. Ultimately the conversation would entail asking a leading question that encouraged deeper self-reflection.
There exists a surprisingly small pool of candidates for superintendent vacancies and self-reflection may also benefit more experienced leaders considering this position. Chris noted there are leaders destined to become superintendents and those for whom a different administrative position was a better match. He advocated an honest conversation regarding that leadership skill set, as well as aspiring superintendent programs providing an opportunity to understand the complexity of the commitment. He indicated it is imperative to deepen the pool with a quantity of qualified candidates to become superintendents.
In closing Chris advised every school leader to “take a step back and remember it’s not about you, be an active listener, and develop those relationships because the sooner you learn that, the more effective leader you become.”
