Episode Details

Dr. James Briscoe, new superintendent of Canyons School District in Utah, explains how to build trust as a new leader: be visible in every corner of the district, listen before you decide, and give it time. He also gives an unexpected answer to how he will measure his success.

Briscoe came to Utah from DeKalb, Illinois. He says he will define success when it is impossible to buy a home in Canyons, because property values there run about 20 percent above surrounding districts. He is clear that raising property values is not his job. It is the outcome of doing the job right.

What you'll learn

• Read a district's stakeholder survey before your first interview and ask whether you are a good match.
• Get out to every corner of your district, through town halls and teacher meetings, before you make a major decision.
• Learn what teachers, principals, parents and students value and worry about, so you do not decide arbitrarily.
• Stay consistent in your philosophy and how you treat people, and accept that trust takes time.
• Judge your work by its outcome, such as how your community values its schools, which reflects scores, culture and readiness together.

Chapters

• 0:00 From Illinois teacher to high school principal
• 3:07 Superintendent years in Chicago and DeKalb
• 6:10 Pension politics and choosing the right match
• 9:34 Why visibility in every corner matters
• 11:42 Building trust takes time
• 13:16 Creating a culture of trust and collaboration
• 14:50 Property values as the measure of success

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Questions this episode answers

How does a new school leader build trust?
Briscoe says it takes time, and saying you are trustworthy means nothing. He says that if you stay consistent in your philosophy, your beliefs and the way you treat people, most of the people you work with a year later will feel the same way.

How should a superintendent measure success?
Briscoe says success is when it is impossible to buy a home in his district, because property values there run about 20 percent above surrounding districts. He says families choose a home by the schools, so high scores, good culture and college and career readiness all show up in property value.

How can a new leader handle a district with a history of bad press?
Briscoe says he will not address what happened in the past because he does not know the details. He says the culture he wants to create is trusting, collaborative and consensus building, and he credits the district's earlier leaders for what they built.

About Dr. James Briscoe

Dr. James Briscoe is superintendent of Canyons School District in Utah and a former superintendent in DeKalb, Illinois.

Links and resources

• Sponsor offer link
• Sponsor Sanebox
• Transformative Principal website
• Podcast on Stitcher
• Refer a principal form
• Best Tools for Busy Administrators survey

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