By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… Some may wonder about a Secretary of Defense with the nickname of “Mad Dog”. I find it refreshing. We have too many American generals who look like book keepers. Generals like Dwight David Eisenhower are necessary.
However, I want my generals to look more like “Chesty” Puller than Bob Crachit. General James Mattis is a combination of the two. He is highly popular among both Democrats and Republicans. By the time this column is published both Houses of Congress will have voted to waive the “seven year” rule that would prohibit him from filling a cabinet post. His confirmation will follow shortly thereafter.
A quick look at Gen. Mattis’ career reveals a leader who is a mix of combat veteran and an intellectual. He began his 44 year Marine Corps career as a 19 year old. His college major was History. He rose to the rank of a four star General.
This is a general who told his Marines in Iraq, “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” He directed his Marines to demonstrate to the world there is “No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy than a U.S. Marine.”
General Mattis demonstrated a twofold requirement for his Marines in his statement that “An untrained or uneducated Marine…deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment…than the enemy”.
When asked about how a leader can successful fulfill his mission, Mattis quickly begin to talk about mutual respect and affection between the leader and the troops.
He makes a major distinction between popularity and affection. Popularity is superficial, affection is a deep held conviction that one cares for the other. When things get tough and unpleasant, the popular leader fails. The leader who has the affection of his troops will find them willing to suffer all hardships to succeed.
General Mattis understands a lesson learned by all good Marines, the job gets done at the lowest levels. No officer or Non-Commissioned Officer can accomplish anything without the effective efforts of his men. While overall goals and planning can be done at a high level, the day to day operations depends on the loyalty and ability of the troops. This fact is best stated in the Marine Corps motto of, “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome”. That is the key to being successful in every situation and can only be done on the field. This terrifies the bureaucrat because it means there is no pat interchangeable solution that can be applied from a policy manual.
No one asked but… Not all Marines are in uniform. Katie Decker is the Principal of three schools in CCSD, but she is really a Marine in disguise.
For 16 years she has been the principal of Walter Bracken STEAM academy, a Title 1 school that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. Bracken has been recognized nationally as one of only 54 Title I Distinguished Schools.
The first reaction may be this is a specialty school for special students. Let’s look at the students of Walter Bracken. The very fact that it is a Title I school would indicate that the student body is made up of students living in poverty. Thirty-three percent of Bracken’s 550 students are English Language Learners, sixty-five percent qualify for free and reduced lunches. More than 300 speak Spanish and more than 20 languages are spoken in the school.
This is a recipe for failure in most CCSD schools. Decker works with the same budget as the rest of the schools in CCSD. While most schools have followed the dictates of the district to cut fine arts programs, Principal Decker has refused to do so.
Recognizing her success, the district has now added two more schools to her administration. Both are under-performing poverty schools.
Decker understands that success for a school does not hinge on having perfect students but on having teachers who will do whatever it takes to educate their students. She and her staff understand that no edict from a central office administrator will ever educated a student. She understands, as every good Marine officer understands, that best laid plans never go as expected and victory lays in the hands of the Marine (teacher) who is facing the enemy (student).
Warfare is a messy business, so is teaching. You cannot put students in boxes, they don’t fit. The teacher must be able to “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome.”
If the students are not the difference to her success, what is the difference? Leadership philosophy is the difference.
Adopting this philosophy district wide would not cost an additional dime. It would merely take a leader who understand the basics of leadership.
The Clark County School District view of leadership is “Father Knows Best” even if father is an absentee parent. The principal gets his marching orders from the district administrators and is expected to communicate them to the teachers and ensure they do not deviate from them. The strict set of district guidelines are to be followed no matter what issues arise and what the needs of the individual student is. This leaves a situation where principal and staff are only accountable for how well they follow the orders received, not on the outcome of those orders.
The fact that Nevada, i.e the Clark County School District, is the worst in the United States cannot be dropped on a staff that is rigidly following the mandates of a central administration. That would be like blaming the Marines for charging the wrong hill under orders of their General.
Principal Decker has been given the latitude to make on-the-field decisions that directly affect the students in her charge. She has given the authority to her teachers to find what works for their students.
Her philosophy is “if it works and gets results, do it” (Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome). The teacher must find where the student is and bring that student to where the district wants them to be.
It is time for the district to recognize the leaders among them that personify the principles of Principal Decker and cultivate this atmosphere throughout the district. This type of leadership has been stifled in the past. It is time to turn it loose. If the district were to do so, there would be no need for litigation to shut down the reorganization; it would die a natural death.
Thought of the week…. A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.
– Max Lucado
