If you've ever watched the Summer Olympics or followed elite college sports, you might be familiar with competitive rowing. In team competition, crews of two, four, or eight rowers work together to race their boats down a 2,000-meter course. Rowing isn't just physically demanding; it also requires complete team alignment. Each rower's oars must enter the water at the exact same time, at the exact same angle, and with the exact same amount of force. Even a minuscule difference in any of these factors will send the boat off course and maybe even cost the team the race.
In some ways, your district is like a rowing team. You're all working together to move toward a destination —the mission and vision you've set for your schools. But in order to reach your goals, you have to be rowing in perfect sync. Of course, getting (and staying) in total alignment is easier said than done. But there's one crucial factor that makes it possible: strong internal communication.
Internal communication is one of the hardest things for any organization to master, but it's necessary. According to a 2023 analysis by Forbes Advisor, more than 40% of workers said poor communication negatively impacted their job satisfaction, their productivity, and their trust in their organization's leadership. At a time when recruitment and retention are more top-of-mind than ever, you can't afford to get this critical component of your organizational culture wrong.
But even more importantly, strong internal communication will build buy-in for key initiatives —whether it's a district rebrand or a new strategic plan. It will help cascade your mission and vision down to individual schools through your building-level leaders. It will help you develop a culture of collaborative communication and build your personal brand as a leader. We're covering all that and more in this edition of SchoolCEO.
This issue is packed with expert perspectives—from Dr. Carol Kilver, who uses Cognitive Coaching to collaborate with staff more effectively, to Dr. Matt Hillmann, who cites communication as one of the major factors in his strong relationship with his district's teachers union.
We're also releasing our new, in-depth research on how superintendents and principals can collaborate to build cohesive marketing and communication strategies.
Keeping your team in sync is a monumental challenge, no doubt. But the more lines of internal communication you keep open, the better your schools can row forward—together.
If you've ever watched the Summer Olympics or followed elite college sports, you might be familiar with competitive rowing. In team competition, crews of two, four, or eight rowers work together to race their boats down a 2,000-meter course. Rowing isn't just physically demanding; it also requires complete team alignment. Each rower's oars must enter the water at the exact same time, at the exact same angle, and with the exact same amount of force. Even a minuscule difference in any of these factors will send the boat off course and maybe even cost the team the race.
In some ways, your district is like a rowing team. You're all working together to move toward a destination —the mission and vision you've set for your schools. But in order to reach your goals, you have to be rowing in perfect sync. Of course, getting (and staying) in total alignment is easier said than done. But there's one crucial factor that makes it possible: strong internal communication.
Internal communication is one of the hardest things for any organization to master, but it's necessary. According to a 2023 analysis by Forbes Advisor, more than 40% of workers said poor communication negatively impacted their job satisfaction, their productivity, and their trust in their organization's leadership. At a time when recruitment and retention are more top-of-mind than ever, you can't afford to get this critical component of your organizational culture wrong.
But even more importantly, strong internal communication will build buy-in for key initiatives —whether it's a district rebrand or a new strategic plan. It will help cascade your mission and vision down to individual schools through your building-level leaders. It will help you develop a culture of collaborative communication and build your personal brand as a leader. We're covering all that and more in this edition of SchoolCEO.
This issue is packed with expert perspectives—from Dr. Carol Kilver, who uses Cognitive Coaching to collaborate with staff more effectively, to Dr. Matt Hillmann, who cites communication as one of the major factors in his strong relationship with his district's teachers union.
We're also releasing our new, in-depth research on how superintendents and principals can collaborate to build cohesive marketing and communication strategies.
Keeping your team in sync is a monumental challenge, no doubt. But the more lines of internal communication you keep open, the better your schools can row forward—together.