How does a school system leader tap into the latent talent that sits inside the district?
At a time when expectations are rising while funding is plummeting, doing more with less has become standard operating procedure. Administrators from all corners are feeling the burden — if not in navigating a complex funding formula, then addressing teacher quality or ensuring all students graduate college and career ready.
The natural responses from education leaders weighed down by enormous challenges and work demands include the following:
- We are already overworked.
- Our most effective staff are even more overworked.
- The only way we can make these changes is through the addition of more resources.
Instead of pinning one’s hopes on a cavalry of additional resources, a school or district leader might ask, “Are we getting the most out of our staff?” This is a very different question than “Can our staff work harder?” The former is the kind of question that confronts basic assumptions; it is a question of “multipliers,” leaders who use their own intelligence to grow others, literally making the people around them smarter and more capable.