PNAIS Board Chairs Workshop

Building and Maintaining Effective Relationships in the

School ContextJean Orvis

May 22, 2010

Themes Leadership in Our Times Nature of School Dynamics: Implications

for Relationships 2 Important Concepts: Alignment and

Same-Paged-ness Head/Board Chair Relationship 2 Helpful Tools: Decision Quality and

Party Lines

Leadership In Our Times

Exponential Change Uncertainty Anxiety Adversarial relationships in the

name of accountability Opportunity

Our Changing World

“We are entering an era of permanent white water, a river of endless rapids with no patches of lake-like calm. What is new is the speed and extent of change and the vulnerability of organizations to decline rapidly.”

Rob Evans, The Human Side of School Change, 1996.

The Board Chair’s Metaphorical White Water Angry Parent (s) Rogue Board Member Difficult personnel issue Rumor mill run amok Financial issues Unplanned leadership

change Faculty “revolt” Tragedy or other crisis

Leadership and Teamwork

i

Leadership and Teamwork in the 21st C.

Nature of School Communities: Dynamic Tensions

Alignment

“The inability of boards and non-profit executives to keep their organizations focused on a clearly articulated mission is a significant and overlooked governance problem.”

Mission-Driven Governance, Fisman, Khurana, and Martenson

Misalignment Pain (Insecurity) Irritation (Crankiness) Inflammation

(Factions) Imbalance (Confusion

and mistrust) Deterioration (Loss of

identity and/or market appeal)

Same-Paged-ness

Same-Paged-ness

“Teams on the way up unify behind a decision once made and work to make the decision succeed, even if they vigorously disagreed with the decision.”

Jim Collins, How the Mighty Fall

Risks To Alignment and Same-Paged-Ness

Leadership Change (Head) Major New Initiative (New building or campaign) New Strategic Plan (Big, audacious goals) Financial Stresses (Enrollment or fundraising

downturn, unexpected capital expense) Institutional Change (merger, new division) Crisis (tragedy, scandal) Flawed Decision-making

The Board Chair’s Role

Focus on the big issues and help set a course for the future

Work with the Board and Head to assure alignment and same-paged-ness with the broad school community

Make effectiveness and performance top priorities

Your Changing Role: Managing The Hats

Building Relationships

Establishing Trust

Integrity Respect for Boundaries Availability Communication Channels Candor Confidentiality

The Key Relationship: Head and Board Chair Life as Head of School Role of the Board Chair in the

Relationship Mixing and Matching Leadership and

Managerial Styles The Revolving Door Nature of the Board

Chair Position: Impact on the Head and the School.

Nature of the School Head’s Job

Time intensive (average 75-80 hrs/week)

Emotionally intense Tightly scheduled Fragmented Highly visible “Lonely”

Role of The Board Chair in Relationship

BFF! Partner and Teammate Boss Mutual respect, trust, support Reciprocal Communication Shared Purpose (alignment and

same-paged-ness)

Mixing and Matching Leadership Styles

1. Micromanage?2. Coach?3. Engage in

Socratic Inquiry? (i.e., ask the

generative questions)4. Abdicate?

(delegate and

disappear)

The best style is situational and depends on the developmental level (confidence and competence) of your teammate(s).

Some Tips for Working Together Know each other’s schedules. Exchange preferred times for phone

conversations. Be on each other’s speed dial. Request a “heads up” on all issues

with wildfire potential, even if those issues are outside the Board’s purview.

Laugh a lot!

Two Great Tools:

Decision QualityGovernance is group decision making. How a

decision is made can have profound impact on what decision is made, and whether or not the decision stays made.

Communication Clarity“The single biggest problem in communication is

the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw

Decision Quality

Communication Clarity

Achievement of teamwork, alignment, and same-paged-ness in complex organizations during challenging times requires clear and direct communication. Consider developing “Party Lines.”

“Party Lines”--Alignment

Who we are and who we are not. Why we are who we are. What we believe. What we do. How we do it. Why we do it. How we know we are successful.

“Party Lines”—Same-Paged-Ness

What we intend to do. Why we intend to do it. How we will achieve this goal. What will change. What will not change. When we will do it. How we will assess progress and

achievement.

Questions, Comments and Discussion…