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Jim Rickabaugh

Published by
The Association of Wisconsin School Administrators in cooperation with the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators

4797 Hayes Rd.
Suite 103
Madison, WI 53704
Phone: (608) 241-0300
Fax: (608) 249-4973
www.awsa.org

Regardless of where you find yourself in the process of deciding whether to apply for a superintendency, it is not too early to take stock of what you have accomplished and what you have to offer to a future school board. Certainly school boards hire for the future, but the decision will be largely based on what board members can learn from your past. Most school boards know that past performance is a good predictor of future success. Consequently, school boards want to know what experiences and accomplishments we can show to support our case as a leader worthy of consideration.

However, not all experiences are equal and not all accomplishments carry the same weight in hiring decisions. Let’s review some of the common experiences and outcomes you might present, how you can weigh them and how you might present your profile whether in an application, resume or interview.

In general, school boards will give more weight to experience and success in positions that have “line” responsibility than to “support” roles. Line positions are those where you had or have specific responsibility for staff performance and program or organizational outcomes. For example, principalships are considered line positions because they come with teacher supervision, hiring and school performance responsibilities. Program coordinator or staff development positions are more likely to be considered support positions because they usually do not include most of these responsibilities. Nevertheless, some positions with these titles can include elements of line positions and if you have held such a position you will want to be certain that these “line” elements are part of how the experience is presented. Line positions also are given more weight because they are assumed to carry more accountability than support positions, and success in the area of responsibility is assumed to be more directly attributed to the leader’s efforts and skills. When presenting your experiences and leadership profile, you will want to highlight more prominently your line experiences and associated accomplishments.

Also, accomplishments generally are given more weight than experiences. It is possible to have a wide variety of experiences without having accomplished much that makes a significant difference. Consequently, when evaluating and organizing what you will want to present to a school board, focus on what you have accomplished and support your accomplishments with experiences. Simply listing a variety of experiences without accompanying outcomes may lead to the conclusion that you have difficulty focusing or are unable to leverage experience to support high performance. However, experiences that are not accompanied by specific outcomes can still carry some significance when they have led to important lessons and learning. Even experiences that have not been successful in terms of tangible outcomes can have value as opportunities to learn important lessons or develop crucial skills.

Further, roles and outcomes in which your persistence, focus and commitment have paid off are important to your leadership profile. Insightful boards understand that success in complex, often diverse organizations takes time and a persistent focus. Schools often are accused of jumping from one fad to the next. Your

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ability to present a profile of thoughtful commitment and an ability to avoid unnecessary distractions can carry significant weight for your candidacy. Parenthetically, school boards also often see this element of a candidate’s profile as evidence that he or she will be more willing to stay if hired as long as the challenges remain and important work is yet to be accomplished.

Equally important, your ability to point to specific examples from your professional experience to support a point or respond to a question will usually carry more weight than a well-framed explanation of what you would do in the future. Examples from experience feel more tangible and allow better analysis than prospective speculation. Further, past experience allows more depth of analysis and opportunities to share any learning gained from the circumstance. This aspect of your communication also can convey important supportive messages related to your ability to reflect, learn and even admit mistakes without addressing these elements directly.

Additionally, providing examples of how you have used training and advanced learning to improve your leadership performance will carry more weight than presenting training experiences alone. School boards typically are interested in the continued learning and skill-building of superintendent candidates. Yet when training and learning experiences are accompanied by examples of how they have been applied and used to generate higher levels of individual and organizational performance, they carry significantly more weight and are much more compelling for school boards.

Also important, recent accomplishments typically will carry more weight than more distant accomplishments. Therefore, you will want to give more emphasis to what you have done recently. In written documents such as a resume or application, this observation means that you may want to list more recent positions and experiences first. However, you might also think about themes or threads of accomplishments and select a recent accomplishment or two to highlight a common strand of success in your career. Obviously, there are exceptions when a less-recent specific accomplishment stands out as a compelling example that is directly related to a challenge the prospective school board or district is facing. Bottom line: More recent is better unless something farther back is so important that it eclipses more recent outcomes.

Finally, find a balance between “we” and “I.” On one hand, we might be tempted to present our accomplishments as the combined efforts of those with whom we work. On the other hand, our candidacy ultimately comes down to what we can accomplish as an individual. If we give undue credit to others for our accomplishments, boards can and sometimes do conclude that our success was the result of who happened to be around us and we may not be capable on our own. Conversely, if we take individual credit for all accomplishments, boards can and often do conclude that we ignore or fail to appreciate the contributions of others. Determining the exact balance probably is not possible. The best advice: Be honest about what you accomplished alone and what rightfully should be attributed to a team, but be aware of the need to balance and do not go too far in either direction.  e

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Regardless of the specific situation, your search can be more satisfying and successful if you are familiar with the role search consultants play and knowledgeable about how to work effectively within this arrangement. Let’s review a number of tips and secrets that can help your candidacy when a search consultant is involved and keep you from making faulty assumptions and unnecessary mistakes.

First, remember that the search consultant works for the school board. He or she does not make the selection decision. Efforts to impress the consultant may increase the likelihood that you will be considered for an interview, but will not guarantee that you will be selected for the position. In the end, the school board will make the final decision. Conversely, if you engage in serious conflict with the consultant, you may hurt your chances of ever meeting the school board. So, do your initial homework on the school district and other preparation before meeting the consultant, but do not assume that this is enough. 

Second, the search consultant usually possesses a wealth of information about the school district and board. The consultant probably will have spent time with the school board discussing the profile of the candidate the board is seeking. He or she also may have included interviews, focus groups and forums involving staff, community members and even students.  Consequently, your conversations and contacts with the search consultant can be a part of your preparations for an eventual interview. Whether your interactions with the consultant are part of a screening interview or a casual conversation over a cup of coffee, use the opportunity to learn all that you can about the position and profile of the person the board is seeking. 

Third, the consultant will often be the person who coordinates scheduling of initial and final interviews. So, also use meetings and conversations with the consultant to learn what you can about the sequence of

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Fourth, as you work your way through the interview process, the consultant can provide valuable information regarding your status in the process and may be able to give you valuable feedback to assist your candidacy. If the consultant indicates that he or she cannot answer a question you ask, don’t take it personally. It may be that the consultant does not have the information at the moment or may have an understanding with the board that this information will not be shared. Also, if you learn that you have been eliminated from consideration, don’t blame the consultant. This decision will have been made by the board for its reasons and the consultant may or may not know or be in a position the share the reasons.

Fifth, as the search nears its conclusion, the school board will typically begin to play a more direct role in communication with you as a candidate. This is a natural and healthy shift. After all, the successful candidate and school board ultimately need to develop a productive relationship. Nevertheless, the consultant can still be a helpful resource for advice and insights as you move closer to final selection. Feel free to stay in contact with the consultant, but do not forget that he or she ultimately works for the school board and must represent its interests first.

Sixth, if the process is over and you are not the selected candidate but would like feedback on your candidacy; consider contacting the consultant and inviting observations and advice. Sometimes, school boards will volunteer information to the consultant with an understanding that it will be passed along, especially for quality candidates who were not selected. Listen carefully, ask questions and then use what makes sense to you.

Seventh, if you formed a good relationship with the consultant, consider staying in touch beyond the search. Let the consultant know of any professional changes in your life, continued interest in positions and the type of organization in which you would like to work. This information can be helpful to the consultant in future searches, especially when the leadership profile appears to be a match for you.

Eighth, do not expect a search consultant to manage your career. You need to be responsible for your own career. Just because you receive a call from a consultant asking you to apply for a position does not mean you must apply. In fact, applying for a position in which you are not interested can hurt you later, especially if you decide to drop out. The consultant’s success is found in bringing good candidates to school boards, not in managing the careers of superintendents.  Assuming otherwise can lead to disappointment for you and long term injury to the career you want to build.  e

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Published by
The Association of Wisconsin School Administrators in cooperation with the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators

4797 Hayes Rd.
Suite 103
Madison, WI 53704
Phone: (608) 241-0300
Fax: (608) 249-4973
www.awsa.org