On Friday, October 2 I took a personal day off. My nephew and godson was being confirmed that evening. I spent the day with my family and had some time to myself. The time to myself was primarily doing chores. During my time in the yard, I listened to a great podcast on “Responsibility versus Authority”.
In every organization, people have authority. There is a formal organizational hierarchy with individuals possessing specific roles and responsibilities. They inherently have authority to act within these roles. In many ways, that does not make for a healthy organization. Instead, we should strive to create a culture where everyone is responsible for everything. Meaning, if we see something is wrong we should act even if it not our formal authority.
As a school organization, are we a culture where everyone’s voice is heard, valued, and considered? Are individuals encouraged to raise concerns or provide feedback that shifts practice? Are we promoting a culture that responsibility outweighs authority? How do we cultivate a sharing of responsibility versus people saying “that’s not my job” or “staying in their own lane”? We should encourage this concept to everyone that is connected with our schools – staff, students, parents, and community members. For our staff, we have five expectations for all employees. We should all be striving to meet these expectations. If we are not in whatever area that it may be, we should work to make it better whether that is a conversation or a direct action.
We have to recognize the power individuals have to make a difference in our schools. We have to reward and recognize those individuals that stand up to take responsibility even when it is not their “job”. Scaling a culture of responsibility is critical to a healthy system. I will be working to foster this attribute over the coming months and years.
- Adham Schirg, Fairbanks Local Schools, Superintendent
For Fairbanks 