Leadership Matters August 2014

IASA Associate Director for Professional Development Dr. Richard Voltz addresses the New Superintendents’ Conference

talk to family and friends. The superintendent I mentioned in the preceding paragraph started a practice of putting his cell phone in his bedroom when he got home. He would only check it occasionally and this led to much better discussions with his wife and children. Another superintendent (who, by the way, is very tech savvy) told me how he handled this constant flow of communication via technology. When he arrived home he did not check email until he returned to work either the next day or after the weekend. He did keep his personal cell phone with him and his top staff knew this number and how to contact him in an emergency. You need to take care of self if you want to serve others. Start making plans to eat healthy, exercise at least 30 minutes five days per week, spend special uninterrupted time with family members on a daily basis, visit with friends on a regular basis and keep proper perspective of whatever faith you believe. The school district that you serve now will quickly forget the service you have provided them, but your health, family, friends and faith will be with you until the end.

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awhile to find solutions, but I would like to share with you some that have worked for me. I was lucky enough to be able to work in the same district that my children attended. While this can have some disadvantages it definitely offers the advantage of attending games and concerts as both a parent and as a school administrator. A practice my wife Linda and I started later in our marriage was the concept of a “date night.” The communities I worked in did not allow school activities on Wednesdays because of church and family activities. Thus, Linda and I would make Wednesdays our “date night.” This was time for us to spend quality time together. Recently I was mentoring a superintendent and offered this as a possible solution to his perceived lack of family time. He started this practice and found it extremely valuable family time. Technology has become so important in our roles as school administrators that we let it dominate our lives. How many times do you check your phone when you should be spending quality time with your family or friends? Put the phone down and listen and

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