Mentoring Future Leaders

Developing administrators at all levels to advance knowledge, skills and abilities, creating a lasting legacy for the superintendent

The most important thing we do as superintendents is identify and mentor current and future leaders in our school districts. That includes those serving in operational support staff roles.

Management guru Peter Drucker once said that culture trumps strategy every time. I submit that preparing highly effective principle-centered leaders in our districts who set and maintain the conditions of high expectations for performance will powerfully impact both culture and strategy. It’s organizationally transformative.

Though you may be long forgotten after you leave your school district, your greatest legacy will be those who you mentored along the way and what your mentees subsequently do along their own leadership journeys.

As systems thinkers, one of our first steps should be to build a leader development system that strengthens every current leader’s knowledge, skills and abilities, or KSAs, then to identify potential future leaders (your bench) who can be prepared to step up at a moment’s notice. Personally, I employ an eclectic approach using a mix of Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, John Kotter and Robert Marzano. What are the KSAs that good leaders have and how do you build this leadership mindset?