AASA’s incoming president, David Law, told the 3rd General Session audience at AASA’s national conference Saturday that he thinks of them as “skippers” of ships navigating high seas.
“Whether you are leading a small crew or a massive fleet, we share the same mission — to navigate our schools toward success,” said Law, who assumes the AASA presidency in July. “Leadership is like serving as captain of a ship. We must stay the course, adjust the sails, as needed, and ensure the team works together.”
Law, who is the superintendent in Minnetonka, Minn., suggested every school and district has its own vision and mission, its own charted course, but those in charge can’t always anticipate the challenges that inevitably arise at sea, what he called “storms, rough waters, unexpected detours.”
He added: “Staying true to our purpose ensures we keep moving forward.”
To do so, school system leaders must be attentive to clarity, consistency and communication as they deal with everyone in the ranks of their ship.
Adjusting the sails in those moments of the unexpected is something a good captain must be attuned to. He listed uncontrollable factors in the K-12 schooling arena as state and federal legislation, societal changes, budget constraints and staffing shortages.
But other aspects of the navigation are within the captain’s control. He listed these as leaders’ public responses, strategies, capacity to innovate and attitudes.
“Good captains embrace flexibility, making real-time decisions while keeping their crews engaged and motivated,” Law said.
Of course, he reasoned, no captain succeeds alone. It is all about the crew, which entails school system leaders empowering others—teachers, staff, fellow administrators, students, families and the community—to help navigate the journey.
“A ship sails best when each crew member knows their role and feels valued,” he said.
In his call to action, AASA’s next president said it was helpful to embrace the challenges and joys of “captaining our own ships. Aim for fair winds and calm seas, but help the team to be capable and feel confident when that is not in the forecast.”
Law finished with this thought, carrying through on his maritime navigation theme: “As skippers, we are entrusted with the most important cargo—our students. Let’s stay the course, adjust our sails, as needed, and work together to ensure each student reaches their destination, empowered and capable to embrace the opportunities ahead of them.”
(Jay P. Goldman is editor-in-chief of Conference Daily Online and editor of AASA’s School Administrator magazine.)
