Superintendent Interview

I interviewed Dr. Bob Nicks as I am not in a school district but working with Lamar University.  Dr. Nicks gave some very profound statements, which any of us can only hope to measure closely. 

The first statement that really hit home was his statement of making sure your approaches are positive and student centered.  His next statement about not being able to make everyone happy is one that is so very true.  What I have found is the more you try the less people you seem to make happy.  Just remember your focus and remain as ethical as possible and that is the best you can do. 

Dr. Nicks stated that he adhered to AASA (American Association of School Administrators) Professional Standards for Superintendency.  I looked these up and was delighted to see Dr. John Hoyle wrote it.  I had the privilege of meeting and visiting with while Dr. Rucker was attending Texas A & M.  You could see these qualities within him as you would speak and work with him. 

Dr. Nicks next stated that we must lead by example from everything of punctuality to work day to attending school functions.  If you want your faculty and staff to do something you best be willing to do it yourself.  From personal experience, even cleaning restrooms and helping clean up after an activity.  This makes a distinct impression upon individuals, that you are not above them but with them. 

One area that is vital to a leader is communication and it is one of the most volatile as Dr. Nix states.  Have a plan for dealing with internal and external communications.  Know who is responsible throughout the district.  Misspeaking whether in an email, memo, phone call, or newsletter is not something you or a district employee should do.  Make sure you are informed and everyone is on the same page.  Make sure the district’s goals are wrapped within the communication, which are outgoing into the community.  The last part of the information Dr. Nix stated is how do we measure whether communication is effective?  Very often this measure is completely overlooked. 

This reminds me of many times going to my superintendent and giving them firsthand knowledge of incidents so they would not be “blind sided”.   

The last thing Dr. Nix spoke about was how do you decide what is important to a superintendent and school board.  He said, look how many personnel are attached to a program or issue, how much time is given to this issue, and how much money or resources are devoted to the task.  The items that have a large amount of all three are at the forefront on the leaderships list.  I really had never thought about it from that perspective before but he is so right now that I think back at school districts and major focus of staff development over the school year cycle. 

I found this interview to be very productive; it not only gave me a new perspective of Dr. Nicks it also gave me a better perspective of our training to come here at Lamar and how applicable it will be.