Improve leadership to improve your performance

The effectiveness ofyour school board and staff depends on many factors. Below are three of the most common ways you can make your leadership more effective:

• Clarify roles and responsibilities
  With new board members coming on every four years, their responsibilities need to be clearly defined. A board's job is to provide high-level perspective, but members may tend to micromanage if they don't understand their role. We recommend providing new board members with a welcome kit that includes a job description, what kind of information they should be looking for, how meetings are run, a list of outside data-gathering resources and contact information for key district staff.
  
  
• Provide financial training
  A common misperception is that finance is only the responsibility of the Finance Director and Superintendent. With decreasing state aid forcing schools to make serious budget considerations, finance is everyone's responsibility. We can provide a Finance 101 session for your entire leadership team to review your current situation, walk through a monthly statement and explain everyone's role in ensuring financial accountability.
  
  
• Address conflicts to maximize contributions
  Given the composition of governing bodies, it's not unusual to encounter conflicts. Leaders who may have been competing against each other in an election are now expected to work together, and likely have differing personal agendas. We can work with your leadership to analyze obstacles, resolve differences and move the team forwardl. If a conflict requires formal intervention, our Organization Development experts are Minnesota State Supreme Court Rule 114 Qualified Neutral for mediation services.

For a quick look at school revenue sources and expense categories, visit our School Finance Overview page.

To learn more about making your leadership more effective, contact one of our government experts.