It is unfortunate that there are so many sessions, round tables, and opportunities to learn while attending #NCE2022 simply because everything is so valuable and beneficial. Choosing one session is truly a challenge, but I was able to make the tough decision and attended a wonderful learning experience centered around staff recruitment and retention. The easiest and the main takeaway from the session is that more than ever, schools need to be approaching leadership through more of a private sector lens than ever before. Millennials in our profession need much more when looking for a job than most people would think. It's not about the salary and benefits for this generation of employees. Some simple information shared with us today:

• When asked, statistics show that money is a 50/50 factor when determining where to work.
• 72% of employees list school culture as a major factor in determining where to work.
• 64% of employees list school location as a major factor in determining where to work.
• Only 8% of school districts have a “Careers Page” on their website, providing detailed information about what being an employee in their school district looks and feels like.
• Recruiting and retaining high quality staff is mostly about closing the “authenticity gap.”

Given the current situation of workforce shortage, regardless of the profession, it is more important than ever that we can recruit and retain teachers to ensure our students will continue to be provided with the level of education that we all desire. The “authenticity gap” is simply the difference between our brand (what we say about ourselves) and our culture (what others say about us). Closing this gap will help all schools recruit teachers as it is through our own people that we have our greatest resource in recruiting. By utilizing the staff that we do have, incorporating more of the methods and practices of the private sector, and strengthening our internal brand; we will grow our profession and ensure that high-quality education is a lasting entity.

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” ~ Michelangelo