Over the last month I have come to understand that, in life, each of us is presented with personal and professional “mountains” that have to be moved in order for us and our organizations to be successful.  How we respond to these mountains will have a dramatic effect on our lives and how others view our personal and professional leadership. 

One of the first things individual leaders must assess from the outset of any mountain moving event is the size of the mountain.  Too many times the size of the mountain will be amplified by others in order to attempt to create a false sense of urgency for action to be initiated.  Leaders need to:

• Take the time to establish a clear picture of the matters at hand, and then begin the process of moving forward.
• Take the time to establish a solid plan to move the mountain.
• Surround themselves with a solid team to provide the resources and materials to get the plan right the first time.
• Execute the plan.
• Celebrate the outcome.

My current mountain, a diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), has forced me to take a step back and look at the world I am expected to lead.  I am striving to employ the steps listed above as I face the CML mountain.

Time and time again I have conveyed to my staff the importance of harmony in your life to ensure that you take care of you.  I used to speak of balance in our work and personal life; but, during a recent professional development experience at the ASBOI Eagle Institute we talked more about creating harmony.  During this event, we learned that harmony is defined as a solid focus on the issues at hand at the moment of interaction.  In short, do your job when you are at work and focus on your life and your family when you get home.  All of us struggle with being workaholics throughout the school year, and I have found myself in that pattern many times over the past 27 years of education.  But, as I sit here writing this article, I feel the pain of my chemo drugs fighting the battle in my body to overcome this disease.   The pain tells me the drugs are working and that I am going to move this mountain.  I have had to slow down and focus on me.  I’m finding, like many of you, that is the hardest leadership skill to learn.  Far too often it is overlooked, which results in facing bigger mountains that cannot be moved.   
 

I hope each of you will use my thoughts to understand that life is short and we need to make sure that life’s mountains don’t overwhelm us.  Stay true to your character values and your mountain moving events will produce positive results on all levels.

Have a wonderful Fall! Take the time to get out and go for a walk while holding the hand of a loved one. Be grateful for every day. Keep moving those mountains!

MoASBO Network is a series of one-hour webinars for support staff and administrators. Veteran and new business officials
will find benefit from these interactive forums on key school business topics.

Take advantage of these on-line courses and learn from experts in the field without having to leave your school district.  

Register for Fall Conferences MoASBO conferences provide relevant information you need for your job AND the opportunity to build relationships with your colleagues. Be sure to take advantage of these upcoming professional learning events:   Evaluating the Budget  MoASBO and MASA co-host this  finance workshop on Oct. 24 or Oct. 25. Administrative Leadership Summit    Registration for this new conference will begin Sept. 1. The conference is Nov. 11 -13 at Tan-Tar-A.   UPCOMING EVENTS     Sept. 19 SEASBO Meeting 10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Sept. 19 KCASBO Meeting 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Sept. 19 GOASBO Meeting 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Sept. 25 Mid MoASBO Meeting 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. View calendar

MoASBO President Message- Clint Johnston

Believe it or not, it's that time again. It is hard for me to believe I'm starting my 27th year in public education. How did that happen?!?!

As I think about where MoASBO is headed in the upcoming year, this phrase keeps coming to my mind: "Proud Past. Bright Future."

Our organization has a proud past of offering quality professional development at our annual spring conference. For 60 plus years, that was the primary focus of what we were about. But, times have changed. Members' needs have changed. Public education has changed.

Your MoASBO board recently met for our annual retreat. The first thing we did was review the strategic plan. This plan, which is our road map, is why I know we have a bright future ahead. Implementing strategies and tactics to help us achieve our goals will be the way we move forward and ensure improvement.

I get excited when I think about the future of MoASBO! We are in a great place! We have a board that is dedicated to governing in an effective manner, an outstanding staff that is committed to serving our members, and members who are devoted to making sure students and staff have the resources they need to be successful. With all of that in place, how can our future be anything but BRIGHT??

I hope you have a wonderful start to the new school year. I'm looking forward to working with all of you as we build on the past to move into our bright future.