In a former position(managing a dog training facility), I was required to lead a team of ten split between 3 small departments. Each department's role overlapped with the others. But I discovered that important information about our clients was not being disseminate and shared across the whole team. We took this as an opportunity to collaborate and lay out guidelines for team communication. We began to use TEAMS for messaging important and immediate updates so that we could adjust plans and ensure the health and safety of the animals in our care.
We wanted to expand programming in our dog training facility (to increase client retention) and had an idea of which new offerings we were going to provide.. We sent out a survey to our current clients and those who were on our mailing list - with options we felt were attractive to our clients based on current trends, our client demographic, etc.We had made an assumption that these courses would be of interest or high need to our clients. The feedback in the open ended portion of the survey told us a different story of need and interest. We then needed to spend more time gathering data, asking for clarity (elaborating on their suggestions) from our responders to address the root of the issue with retention ( financial, time, location, etc).
In my former role, I led our monthly staff meetings. It's important to set clear expectations and objectives for stakeholder meetings- including a reminder of decorum (not interrupting the speaker, respecting the speaker's perspective, actively listening, etc). In my experience, agendas ( with space allotted for Q&A)shared ahead of the meeting have helped to keep meetings flowing smoothly.
The administrator of my older children's middle/ high school stands out. The school is in an urban district, with a very diverse population including many new Americans. The school was expanding it's program to extend through high school and we needed to market our program to prospective families. Our 'tagline' for lack of a better word became ' join our family of learners.' And family is exactly what he made the school culture. He saw the power in parents and guardians to elevate the program, to bring us in on policy change and strategic planning. He empowered us to tell the story of this unique educational experience and entrusted us to connect to the greater community - to ensure we were always service and community minded. He listened, he celebrated each stakeholder's perspective, expertise and talent. He stood up for his teachers when the state was making it more difficult to provide quality, holistic education. And all of these supports, ensured that our children were successful.
Identifying and setting goals in my role is a start. But seeking continual growth opportunities- taking courses, continuing to examine the work of our partners, staying abreast of industry developments, initiatives and opportunities and communicating, collaborating with my colleagues to define and develop our best practices is the path for building my capacity as a leader.
