[Ous-lp-rp13] EDAD 6010, Response to Answer for Question #3

[Nicholas Turon]

*Mary,I appreciate that you brought up delegation of tasks. Developing this
skill is was a major lifesaver when taking a band job. A mentor told me
once “only do, what only you can do.” Why am I taking 3 hours before a
concert to set up the gym by myself? Why do I need to copy all of the
marching band music?As it turned out, the busy-body tasks that I had been
spending my time can easily and eagerly be done by students! I don’t
incentivise. I don’t mandate. I simply ask if some would be willing to help
and thank them profusely when they come through. After that point, it was
only one more step to having students do the more difficult tasks like
writing the drill for marching band, leading rehearsals, and arranging
music. The stress relief and student growth from these measures has been
astounding. I completely understand not wanting to give up control. I too
had the mentality “if you want something done right, you have to do it
yourself.” However, that mentality ran me into the ground. Yes, the people
you lean on may fail. I have had it happen more than once. The trick has
been aligning on the vision early and setting clear expectations.Honestly
speaking, Mary, I would love to work in a building where you were
principal. There is an authenticity to not being afraid to do work that I
admire about you. I don’t think I, or anyone, would consider it a burden if
you asked for help in executing a vision you helped
develop.------------------------------Mary’s original answer:As an
administrator, I will experience many barriers as it pertains to tasks,
relations, and change. When addressing tasks, I fear my biggest barrier
with would be delegating. My typical reaction to a task is to face it head
on, and get it done. I realize more each day that in order to run a school
building effectively, one thing I must master is to delegate tasks, and
rely on the other professionals around me for help when I need it. It’s not
that I think that I am the only one that can get things done, it’s just the
fact that they may have tasks of their own to accomplish, and I don’t want
to inconvenience others. I will need to accept help when offered, as well
as ask for help when needed with tasks. Considering the fact that I am a
“pleaser” at heart, meaning I try to please others and many times put their
wants and needs above my own, I don’t foresee many barriers in the
relations department. That being said, I understand that it will take time
to build relations in my building, and I will not be able to be a
people-pleaser all the time. I am going to make people angry. There will
inevitably be disagreements. Staff will sometimes maybe not even like me.
This is where the barrier will come in to play for me as an administrator:
having to face the fact that not everyone will like me all the time—and
that is ok. Building trust amongst my staff, and reminding them of our
common bond: the students, will hopefully negate any of the naysayers and
keep us all on track together. I expect that the biggest barrier there is
for any administrator is implementing change. Changes are difficult for
some people, and it seems that many times teachers have the hardest time
with change. I, myself, have a very hard time with it, so I can appreciate
the level of discomfort this presents to some. I fully believe that in
order to promote a change, one must be fully cognizant of the vision,
goals, and direction to bring about the desired outcome. An organized,
clear, and concise plan must be presented to attain the support of the
followers. As an educator, there is nothing worse than hearing about a
change that needs to be made, but never hearing what the end game is or an
explanation for why the change must happen. Being fully educated,
transparent, and energized is necessary when it comes to change, and I hope
that I will exhibit those characteristics when it is a time for change. As
with so many of the topics we have discussed in class over the last three
weeks, these three leadership qualities intersect with Bowman & Deal’s Four
Perceptual Lenses of Leadership Orientation Styles in various ways. I can
connect task orientation with the structural lens, as well as transactional
leadership, in that tasks are specific in nature and have measurable
productivity. Relations orientation intersects with the Human Resource &
the Political lenses because of the emphasis on people and relationships,
and conflict/resolution. Finally, change intersects with the Structural &
Symbolic lenses because change involves being organized and getting things
done, as well as being a visionary who generates hope for the future of the
organization. Relations & Change are connected to Transformational
Leadership in that they are both people-centered & family oriented in
nature. In essence, if I can know my barriers, based on my personality
traits, I can be proactive and combat any potential barriers before they
even come to fruition. *


*Nicholas Turon*
Director of Bands
Paint Valley Local Schools
nicholas.turon at gmail.com
(740)-816-8266
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