John Percevault director of technology Lethbridge SD #51
I tried to get his seven things down while he was reviewing them, but I was not very successful with that.
So, here is what I have:
SEVEN THINGS (JUNE ’07 – JULY ’09)
· Equitable schools (win the trustee over by comparing the schools)
This was a huge accomplishment in this district. This speaks to that leadership skill of being a good communicator and visionary. He knew that the people he had to impress and win over were the trustees, and their job is to make sure all the schools have equal access to technology. This may not have been one of the things that made things move, but it was the main goal of the whole project.

· competitive wages for tech (having the right people)
He did not speak about this very long, but it is important that he had the right people there - that includes the technological staff and the superintendent who were able to and wanted to make these advancements.

· Systemic organization (middle control)
This was a huge factor. Again this was visionary - to know that the decentralization that had been occuring was the cause of the lack of equitable access (among other things!) To have the vision of the long-term plan and the organization skills to pull it together, made this work.

· Collaboration of key stakeholders and creation of a unified vision (collaborative vision)
Communication, communication, communication. This is another example of the important skill of communications and how it builds relationships. Also in this context, there is a case for inclusion of everyone so that their is a sense of having a voice in the process.

· Long term financial planning and sustainability of budgets to continue
This is essential. To plan the money, get your hands on the money (through grants, etc.) and then know what is needed immediately at the same time as planning for the future. This will make sure that the situation he came into does not return.

· Buy in from teachers through PD (Job embedded PD) around the three cornerstones of 21st Century classrooms, differentiated learning, and assessment for learning.
This was a genuis plan to help meet the requirements of grants and teacher buy-in. I am wondering, though, how the teachers recieved the idea of working longer hours with students in order to give up time to have these meetings. This was an addition to their job already and teachers are often pressed for time as it is.

· Clear mandate from the superintendent
Leadership from the top is essential. But the leader was not making unreasonable demands. Although John did make it seem that the principals and teachers were not willing to test the superintendent. What I mean is, maybe there was some buy-in due to fear of reprisal?

Overall, this was interesting to learn about from the IT side. Very interesting is that John is super-organized. He even has the agenda for the first two meetings for the upcoming year. IMPRESSIVE!

Reflection on today's guest speaker

Today in class our guest speaker was the superintendant of the Lethbridge school district. After reflecting on his strengths as a leader, I was reminded of Michael Fullan’s list of leadership styles from our readings. Barry provided evidence as to how he met criteria for three of those styles. These styles are ones that Fullan identifies as having “a significant positive impact on climate and performances.”

Barry reiterated the importance of building relationships in a leadership role. Good leaders use communication (Carey?) to build relationships. This is evident in many of our course readings. Trust is a key characteristic of effective leadership; trust is a cornerstone of relationships; relationships are built upon communication. Therefore communication is an important characteristic of leadership. Barry has been honest with those he works with (he called it being open and up front with people) and this has earned him their trust. Because they trust him, they are willing to take the risks of making changes. He uses an affiliative leadership style; he is a people person with strong soft skills.

Barry noted that the most important part of the administrator’s job is “to hire good people and get out of their way”; a great leader can recognize when others do not need to be led. Barry is cognizant of his strengths (being a visionary) and weaknesses (not being creative). This honesty with and about himself add to his appeal; it makes him a people person. This type of person makes a good leader because people are not only willing to follow him, they want to follow him. This is where he demonstrates authoritative leadership skills.

IDENTIFY THE NEED! This is the main goal for finding a central direction for his district. By meeting with administrators and holding town hall meetings, he has helped all stakeholders identify the most pressing needs in the district. (Note that there again communication is a vehicle to change.) In his district’s case it is to have dependable technology within each school in an equitable manner. If the input into goal setting for the district comes from the stakeholders (and a few members-at-large) and they see those goals as obtainable, then those goals are far more likely to be met. Through this process Barry uses a democratic leadership style.

If we want to be effective leaders, Barry advises us to:

• learn from others; watch what they do in their situations and implement and adapt what we have seen into solutions for our circumstances.
• be able to develop a vision and therefore a plan.
• build relationships by making connections with colleagues through communication.
  

As the course progresses, I am sure that we will meet other strong leaders that will help us develop our own effective leadership styles. I hope they are all as informative as Barry!