The Giants, Jeans, and Organizational Culture

As I watched the end of Game 7 of the World Series, I got excited.  My beloved San Francisco Giants were going to win their third championship in the last 5 years.  It was amazing to witness the clutch hitting of Pedro Sandoval and Hunter Pence and the absolute dominance of 25-year-old pitching phenom, Madison Bumgarner.  

Having just moved to a new state, I didn't have that many people outside of my own family who were cheering along with me, so I decided to have a little fun.

After the Giants racked up two outs on the Royals in the bottom of the 9th inning, I composed an email to every one of my school employees promising two celebratory jeans days and a personal delivery of donuts to each campus in recognition of the Black and Orange taking home the championship.  

After sweating out the Royals' two-out triple, I hit "send" when Panda caught the foul ball to end the Series.  Within minutes, my inbox was full of happy replies filled with the appropriate mix of congratulations and good-natured teasing.

Thursday and Friday were jeans days on all five of our campuses.  I walked around a bit, basking in the glow of victory and delivering donuts to staff lounges (loaded with orange sprinkles, of course).  And I realized something.

I love jeans days.  

Not because I'm used to Silicon Valley where CEO's of the world's most valuable companies deliver earnings news in denim, but because there's something different in the air on jeans days.

People seem more upbeat.

Happier.

More engaged and interactive.

Comfortable.

And just plain enthusiastic.

Now, I'm a big believer in professionalism, and I love setting high expectations for ourselves that are conveyed by our facilities, our words, and yes--even the way we dress.  

But I love the way our team feels on jeans days.

If being a leader is about building a successful organizational culture, then it would probably be a good idea for me to figure out how to bottle the energy and enthusiasm of jeans days and spread it out more and more within our schools.

Sometimes culture-building seems touchy feely, and it's more tempting to focus on data, strategy, and finances (you know, "business stuff").  But a strong team is hugely important for success . . . and its impact is palpable, even if it can't always be quantified or measured.

So I'm going to dedicate myself to having clarifying conversations about our identity and direction.  I'm going to look for opportunities to specifically and authentically praise people for what they are doing as champions of our school.  I'll tell the truth and be vulnerable.  And I'll make sure I spend time telling people what I love about this place--not just what needs to be fixed.

The Giants aren't going to win the World Series every year, and we aren't going to wear jeans every day.  

But that doesn't mean it can't feel like it.

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What "jeans day" experiences have built organizational health in your experience?  When do you relish being part of something special?  

True Power

I have an addiction.

I love attending conferences and other professional development events.  Always have.  Always will.  

For the past 3 days, I traveled with the administrative leadership team from Holland Christian to a symposium in Atlanta put on by CESA, the Council for Educational Standards and Accountability.  This group began with a collection of Christian schools seeking to raise the bar for what it means to be excellent in regard to academics, governance, and community.

One of the keynote speakers we heard was Andy Crouch, editor of Christianity Today, and author of the recent book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power.  During his talk, Crouch painted a fresh, beautiful picture of what true leadership can and should be.  

We all know the famous quote by Lord Acton, “Power tends to corrupt, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  That idea often colors our perceptions of people with power—be they politicians, CEO’s, or in my case school administrators.

But Crouch put forth a view of leadership from a totally different perspective.  He noted that in reality, more authority is actually a call to deeper sacrifice . . . and that true power is really about creating, not controlling.  It longs for abundance, not limitations.

True power wants teeming and flourishing.  And even when the results of this creative energy are unpredictable, they will be beautiful.  Crouch used the example of a murmuration of starlings to illustrate the kind of teeming and flourishing he was talking about.  Check out this video to see what he meant.

I think about how fulfilling it is as a leader to see the people you guide flourishing in their roles.  It strengthens organizational culture, boosts morale, and inspires excellence.  I want to do everything I can to have the halls of our campuses teeming with people—teachers and students—who can’t wait to fulfill their creative calling.

Each evening at the symposium, the principals and I stayed up late, talking through our ideas and sharing visions for the future.  That’s such an energizing time for the team and one of the best parts of being away together.  We have a great group of leaders at the helm of Holland Christian—from administration to our Board of Trustees—and I’m excited to step into the future with these people.

I love me some conferences.

But even more, I love coming back, rolling up our sleeves and getting to the work of greatness.  

Bring on tomorrow!