Several years ago, I was getting ready to leave our school campus to attend an in-person district meeting. On my way to the parking lot, I bumped into a student at recess who asked a series of questions that seemed innocuous in the moment.
He started with:
“Mr. Czyz, where are you going?”
When I informed him that I had to go to a meeting at another school, he followed up with:
“Who will run the school while you’re gone?”
It was the second question that got me thinking. I could have explained the technical answer that when an administrator is out of the building in our district, another building administrator is on call to “cover” the building.
Instead, I answered:
“Everyone. Everyone will run the building while I’m gone.”
I replied confidently and meant every word of it. I’ve tried to create a culture in our school that everyone is responsible for the well-being of everyone else at the school – students and staff alike.
The goal is that everyone will step up in the absence of an administrator or anyone else. We are a team, and teammates pick up for each other all the time.
That brief exchange has stuck with me all these years. It is a powerful reminder that the ultimate goal of leadership isn’t to be indispensable, but to build a team that is indispensable.
The real test of our success is not found in how well one person can run the school, but in the confident and collective answer.
Who will run the school?
Everyone.
Rich
