Episode Details

Welcome back to Monday Matters! Recently, Will attended his nephew’s naval flight school graduation. While at the graduation, an Admiral gave a speech to the graduates that centered around these three main points: Know your mission, be decisive, and invest in your people. This week, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to reflect on those three points and talk about how they apply to the role of a principal. Listen in to hear the full conversation! Below is an article written by Will to accompany this week’s episode.

Lessons from a Naval Flight School Graduation

William D. Parker

Last week, my wife and I met family members in Pensacola, Florida, to celebrate the graduation of my nephew, Stephen, who received his wings as a flight officer. The ceremony was held at the National Naval Aviation Museum, and officers from several command groups were being honored. Among the hanging planes, flying colors, and many command officers on stage, an Admiral visiting from his post in Washington, D.C., addressed everyone with three reminders for the soon-to-be flight officers to keep in mind:

• Know your mission.
• Be decisive.
• Invest in your people.

Of course, he applied each of these principles to the leadership required for officers in difficult situations that require clarity, firm responses, and a deep understanding of both practice and combat situations.

As I listened, I immediately began thinking about the conversations I have with school leaders. Each day, you have a similar pathway in front of you.

People want to know that what they are doing has a purpose and goal in mind beyond the day-to-day operations of “doing school.” I like to call this the “walk to the front door speech.” Each day, when you arrive at school, you have a question to answer: Why are you here?

You can either tell yourself the story that your purpose is to put out fires, keep school from descending into chaos, or wish everyone would just get along. Or you can remind yourself that ultimately you want to provide solutions to challenges, help resolve conflicts and restore relationships, and build a community where students and teachers can flourish. One of those statements is rooted in mission, while the other is rooted in fear. Choose the mission.

Second, you must be a decisive leader. This does not mean a rash or impulsive leader. Decisiveness means you learn how to analyze the variables in front of you, consider the options available, and then make a choice. Once you make that choice, you move ahead with confidence.

I remember one day when we had an alert of a potential threat on campus. I was with one of our security personnel at the time, but the call was mine to make on next steps. Without going into details that would divulge confidentiality, we decided to watch video surveillance to see if the report was reliable, and when it appeared clear that it was, we took action to secure a location and bring a student in for questioning. When I looked back at the situation later, I realized several steps we could have taken instead of the ones we chose. However, in the moment, our de