NBOA President and CEO
From time to time, it’s my pleasure to share this space with respected thought leaders such as Dr. Spence Taintor, head of school at Brookfield Academy and author of “New Families, Experiential Values” in the May/June Net Assets. In this guest post, he frames the end of the school year as the beginning of new leadership at many schools — and a valuable opportunity for business officers to set a sturdy foundation for relationships that could last for many years.
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Article by Spence Taintor, Brookfield Academy
Spence Taintor, PhD
Academy Head of school
Summer is here! Time to recharge your batteries. Longer days to enjoy being outside, and the possibility of shorter days in the office. There’s just the matter of closing the books for the year, preparing for the audit, and any number of other important responsibilities, including on-boarding the new head of school … or a new division head, facilities director or other leadership positions.
Operational on-boarding usually falls squarely on the business office, a reality that can throw a wrench in summer planning. But even as you think through “to do” list, I encourage you to remember the first step in orienting new leaders to the school’s practices, policies and cultural norms: establishing trust. How do you do that? Quite literally, by stepping outside your normal environment and getting to know this new colleague beyond school boundaries.Brookfield Academy is the third school I have led, and when I started here two summers ago I spent many of my first days on campus trying to get to know faculty and staff. This is not unusual. At most schools, people are somewhat on guard around a new head, at least until they have a better sense of his or her leadership style. What was different at BA was the warmth that Kristi Thompson, the school’s business officer, extended to me and my family. We had just moved to Milwaukee from Washington, D.C., and being from Florida originally, we had no community in Wisconsin. Given that my first official day was July 1st, Kristi reached out and invited us to her family’s 4th of July celebrations, including a parade in her township.
Even as you think through your summer “to do” list, I encourage you to remember the first step in orienting new leaders to the school’s practices, policies and cultural norms: establishing trust.
That simple act meant a lot to us. We were alone as a family and had just arrived in our new home. Celebrating the holiday with Kristi and her family laid the groundwork for building trust between us. Operations, budget decisions, enrollment, reports: We knew that these practices would fall into place with time and exposure. Trust, however, is like climbing a mountain; you start at the bottom, and you’re likely to stumble along the way. The key is to create moments in which you can build that trust, not to wait passively for them to happen.
In The Speed of Trust, Steven Covey wrote, “Nothing is as relevant as the pervasive impact of trust.” As we enter the summer months, I am reminded of the need to rest and recharge, but also to search for opportunities to build trust with new and existing team members within our school communities. Kristi and I, in our relationship as officer and head of school, feel that our mutual trust and respect make us stronger financial and cultural stewards for BA. What opportunities can you find to build trust among your colleagues and team on your school’s campus?
