In leadership, change and transition are inevitable, so I try to learn as much as I can during the sometimes short time I have with the mentors and leaders with whom I work. Last month, our current superintendent, Dr. Stefanie Phillips, announced that she would be leaving Santa Ana Unified. Dr. Phillips will forever be the superintendent that gave me a shot to work and serve on her cabinet – my first assistant superintendent role. To say the learning has been intense would be a gross understatement. During our time together, it has been my privilege to watch Dr. Phillips as she has navigated the rigor and challenge of the urban superintendency. While a blog post hardly does justice to the skillsets and mindsets necessary to lead a large school district, here are three leadership qualities that quickly come to mind when I think about Dr. Phillip’s tenure in SAUSD:
It Isn’t About You
Not long into the job, I came into my office and found a book on my desk, “The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book.” It’s a great leadership read, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that Dr. Phillips had dropped it off for me. One of the four agreements was something that I had heard mentioned by Dr. Phillips before in our cabinet meetings. “Don’t take anything personally.” The idea was that it can be easy to confuse our professional role and title with our identity. We get seduced by the idea that it really is all about us. It isn’t. It is about moving the work forward. You have to take both the attacks and the compliments with a grain of salt. Rather than getting caught up in rumors or personal politics, Dr. Phillips kept conversations about the sustainability and success of the district.
Dr. Phillips has been one of the most steady and centered leaders I have had the opportunity to work with. No matter the external context, she always maintained her composure and her focus on what was necessary to move forward. Even in the face of criticism or conflict – situations that all superintendents must face at times – Dr. Phillips remained steadfast and focused. It was never about her ego, and I genuinely never felt threatened that I might run afoul of her sense of position or power. When I made a mistake in that regard, she was firm and direct, but also forgiving. Of course I’m certain that internally there were times when she was flooded with feelings of frustration or overcome with grief in the face of tragedy or disappointment. Even so, she kept her head up and her vision forward focused. She was always the adult in the room.
Financial Stewardship
With a background as a Chief Business Officer in multiple high-profile positions, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that Dr. Phillips brought a steady financial hand and vision to her role as the superintendent. During her years with Santa Ana, the district has not only remained financially stable, but has steadily seen its credit rating improved with lenders – something that also saves money as we go to the bond market to finance facility improvements and modernizations. She has helped her entire leadership team develop an awareness and expertise with the financial systems that turn our plans and vision into operational reality.
I remember that as a graduate student in school leadership, I took a course on financial management of non-profit organizations. The professor would often say that while the financial foundation of the organization might not be the most exciting aspect of the work, if we got it wrong, it would be the most consequential. If we didn’t pay close attention to the financial forecast, we would end up in the newspaper for all of the wrong reasons.
Good financial management embraces a “do no harm” approach to leading a complex institution. The idea of leaving the organization on better financial footing is applicable here – and Dr. Phillips certainly has navigated what could have been more troubling financial waters were it not for her insistence that we all operate as strong financial managers. At its best, good financial management moves into the strategic realm where limited resources are strategically applied to move the work forward and strengthen the organization’s sense of purpose and vision. Dr. Phillips helped us all develop our ability to prioritize, monitor, evaluate, & repurpose our limited resources in an ongoing effort to be as effective and strategic as possible on behalf of our students.
Preparation
Dr. Phillips is always, and was always, remarkably prepared. She did not leave the details to chance. During our board prep sessions, it was always apparent that she had reviewed all of the items and already had feedback ready for her cabinet members. That is saying a lot when your board packets regularly run into the hundreds of pages. Sometimes the feedback was more technical in nature – as when she had suggestions to adjust a title or ensure that supporting materials and overviews matched in scope and language. At other times, that feedback was more adaptive & strategic – as when she helped us forecast questions we might anticipate from board members in reaction to specific items on the agenda.
In any case, Dr. Phillips had an expectation that you meet your deadlines and come prepared. Board submissions, cabinet meetings, program plans, and follow-ups all came with clear timelines and expectations. This approach to management in a large urban district is essential – the volume and pace of work is indeed intense. I came to take pride in our ability to move work quickly and efficiently. I developed a clear process and discipline for bringing forward written plans and recommendations to cabinet along with supporting materials. When I first joined cabinet, I found myself making time commitments more out of a sense of what I thought Dr. Phillips and others wanted to hear. My time with Dr. Phillips taught me to forecast the real situation in my planning timelines, including the ability to advocate for the time and resources necessary to do the work and provide a realistic overview of what was possible and when. While I brought a strong work ethic and discipline to the work before I joined her cabinet, Dr. Phillips was instrumental in elevating my capacity to manage and move the work.