School superintendent leadership styles can be categorized into three tiers, according to the head of the department of education that serves the third largest county in the nation.
James Colbert is superintendent of the Harris County Department of Education in Texas. During the most recent episode of the West40 Shift Everything podcast, Colbert explained his superintendent tier system.
"One of my jobs is to visit with our superintendents. I've also been involved in training with professional development with our superintendents. I've had the good fortune to assist a number of people to become superintendents. Some of them didn't last very long. Others are on their second or third job," Colbert said.
Colbert breaks down the different tiers of superintendents as follows:
Tier 1: A person who is very strategic and is not afraid to make a mistake and has a high tolerance for pain and discomfort. Knows how to recruit well. Often considered the by the school board as the best superintendent they've ever had. However, some could be destructive.
Tier 2: The most common type of superintendent. Good at sustaining, but not overly creative. Decent at problem-solving. Rely on support system around them. Sometimes grow into Tier 1 superintendents.
Tier 3: A person who may never have wanted to be a superintendent and was thrown into the position or someone who wanted to be a superintendent, but lacks a skill set. Typically leaves a district in worse shape than before they started.
Colbert and his organization's chief communications officer, Danielle Clark, presented "Secret Sauce for Success" to a standing room-only session in July at the National School Public Relations Associaton annual conference in Bellevue, Washington. The presentation outlined how communications professionals can successfully build a relationship with their superintendent and carry out the initiatives of their organizations.
During the Shift Everything podcast, Colbert also shared advice for leadership teams when interacting with superintendents.
"Don't just go to a superintendent with a problem," Colbert said. "Have some solutions in mind and ask the superintendent, would you like to hear what I think or would you like to hear some possible solutions? Every superintendent loves that."
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