1. Superintendents Statewide Mentoring Meeting
Tuesday, September 19, 2017

2. Name & District

3. Outcomes: Cultivate a professional learning network;
Ensure familiarity with SAI’s Mentoring and Induction program resources and expectations;
Develop the mentoring relationship;
Identify resources/tools to improve leadership-life fit;
Gain insight to effective strategies for working effectively with the board;
Discuss pertinent legal issues;
Consult with colleagues regarding a leadership challenge; and
Deepen understanding of effective principal support and development.

4. Links
Resources: ym.com/page/sept17suptmentoring
Evaluation:
Mentoring Matters: iowa.org/mentoring-and-induction.cfm

5. What challenges and successes have you experienced in your first 100 days?

6. Mentor-Mentee Time Process each other’s questions
Set dates for monthly meetings and building visit/s
Explore Mentoring Matters Resources
Review the October calendar together

7. Leadership-life Fit: Stress and Peak Performance
Dana Schon, SAI

9. The Yerkes-Dodson Law How anxiety affects performance
Optimal arousal and optimal performance
Keep colleagues at this level!!
Strong
Energized
Impaired performance because of strong anxiety
Increasing attention and interest
Fatigued
Focused
Performance
performance increases with physiological or mental arousal (stress) but only up to a point. When the level of stress becomes too high, performance decreases.
“Whether self-generated or externally imposed, you need some stress (often in the form of positive incentives or consequences from inaction) to be productive.
Without it, not much happens – you stay in bed munching chocolates.
As you begin to experience pressure, your performance improves, at least at first. Eventually you reach a point (which varies from person to person) at which further demands, in the form of too many balls to juggle or too heavy an emotional load, start to undermine performance.
This dynamic creates more stress, further reducing your performance and creating a vicious cycle as you go over the top of your stress curve.
Rarely, outright exhaustion sets in and the new leader burns out. Much more common is chronic underperformance. You work harder and achieve less.”
Exhausted
Bored
Broken down & Burned out
Weak
Low
Arousal/Stress
High

10. Performance Arousal/Stress
Strong
Zone of optimal performance for easy task
Easy Task
Performance
Zone of optimal performance for hard task
Hard Task
More complex task, lower level arousal tolerated
Weak
Low
Arousal/Stress
High

12. Mentor
Mentee

13. Moving toward optimal stress
Where can you establish more control in your life?
What routines support you? What does your morning routine include (e.g. reading, writing, meditation, exercise, prayer)?
What habits or routines are not serving you well?
How are you managing your energy?
Cognitive demand of “little decisions” – routines or opportunities to eliminate some decision-making can open up cognitive space for the more important decisions

14. Setting the Stage: Legal Updates

15. Modified Discussion Panel--Working Effectively with Your Board

16. Welcome, Panelists!! John Speer, College Community
Kerri Nelson, Shennandoah
Mike Pardun, Denison & Schleswig

17. Working Effectively with Your Board
How do you keep you board focused on the “right” work (i.e. education and student achievement)?
How do you educate your board around key issues?
How do you ensure your board members are familiar with district policy?
Turn and Talk

18. Working Effectively with Your Board
What do you do when a board member/s crosses the line into micromanagement? What if a board members wants a principal (or staff member) fired, for example? How do you reinforce what role the board plays and your role?
What is the greatest challenge you face in navigating board relationships and how have you approached that?
Turn and Talk

19. Working Effectively with Your Board
How do you keep your goals and the board goals at the forefront?
How do you maintain the appropriate distance between your board and your staff?
Turn and Talk

20. Legal Reminders and Updates
Matt Carver, SAI

21. Learning Community: Leadership Dilemma Consultancy

22. Protocol- STEP 1
Leader who drives the oldest car will be the first presenter
Timekeeper/facilitator will be the person to the left of the presenter
Presenter shares an overview of the dilemma and poses his/her focus question.
3 MINUTES

23. Protocol- STEP 2 Consultancy Group asks questions
Help presenter clarify and expand his/her thinking about the dilemma presented to the group.
Help presenter analyze the dilemma.
2 MINUTES

24. Protocol- STEP 3
Consultancy Group talks with each other about the dilemma presented while the presenter listens and takes notes:
What did we hear?
What didn’t we hear that might be relevant?
What assumptions seem to be operating?
What questions does the dilemma raise for us?
What do we think about the dilemma?
What might we do or try if faced with a similar dilemma? What have we done in similar situations?
5 MINUTES

25. Protocol – STEP 4
Presenter reflects on what he/she heard and on what he/she is now thinking, sharing with the group anything that particularly resonated during the consultancy.
5 MINUTES
Rotate to next presenter.

26. Principal Growth, Development, and Evaluation
Chad Garber, Williamsburg

27. Final Thoughts & Evaluation
Upcoming learning opportunities: Evaluation: