Posts
This post is
for the Alpha Leader (and aspiring Alpha Leaders) of organizations. By “Alpha” I am not talking in terms of
personality, but in terms of hierarchy.
In school systems there are two Alpha Leaders: The Superintendent and
The Principal. Think Secretary of
the Navy (Superintendent) and the Ship Captains (Principals).
If the
organization is small enough, the leader can run the organization by
personality alone. At the district
level, the tipping point where personality isn’t enough is around 5 campuses. At the campus level, the tipping point
is around 650 students.
When the
organization is on the plus side of the first size break the Alpha leader has
to lead through a system. A system
that drives staff actions and a system that provides timely monitoring
information. A good alpha leader and good system can be effective up until the
next size break which is around 8 campuses at the district level and around 1,500
students at the campus level. At
that point the Alpha Leader needs an effective Beta Leader, the #2.
It has been
my observation that the most effective large school organizations have a #2
that rivals the competence and confidence of the #1. And it is this effective team that allows the organization
flourish. The #1 focuses on the
big picture and the organization’s interactions with the larger world. The #2
focuses on making sure the machine works, daily, towards achieving big picture
goals. When Mr./Ms. Outside is
teamed with the right Mr./Ms. Inside, great things, at scale, are achievable.
This is so
important that I counsel Principals that are considering new districts to look
at the #2 closely before making any decisions.
All of this
to make this point, if you are the Alpha Leader of a large entity, this one
hire will make or break you. In fact, I know one big district superintendent
who only hires superintendents as his deputy. Pick your #2 with care.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
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