LEAD Randolph: A Year of Insights, Leadership Development, and Impact
Earlier this year, Randolph launched a new faculty leadership program, LEAD Randolph. The program consists of small groups of faculty members who are interested in further developing leadership skills, learning, and growing with others, and engaging in challenging and thought-provoking opportunities. Each member is tasked with creating a project that examines leadership at Randolph and its impact on our school community.
Over the past month, the first cohort of LEAD Randolph participants have been completing their unique projects. From examining the role of report card comments to finding ways for faculty members to connect socially, participants had an interesting and exciting learning experience.
Jenna Pirani, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, shared, “From my interactions with the facilitators and colleagues in the cohort, I learned that leadership can take many forms. It was fascinating to see the variety of projects each member of the cohort tackled and how they approached issues and solutions from their unique perspectives and roles. Although I’ve been at Randolph for many years, through the LEAD program, I learned in much greater detail about each area in the school and how they all fit into the “big picture.” I came away with a greater appreciation of the contributions of all employees and how each person’s gifts and talents are needed to make Randolph successful.”
Ms. Pirani’s project consisted of finding new ways for faculty members to connect with one another, particularly with colleagues they don’t normally work with. She added special activities to faculty/staff meetings and organized a series of social events throughout the school year including a pickleball clinic and craft nights.
Middle School History Department Chair Whitney Andrews says the experience also enhanced her insight into the School’s operations. In her project, Andrews sought to benchmark the teacher comments process and product against best practices from other schools.
“LEAD Randolph provided time for me to reflect on my experience and goals as a leader,” described Andrews. “I feel much more confident to share and chase big-hairy-audacious ideas, and I really appreciate having the space to do that. Before LEAD, I realized that every decision our school makes has a massive layer of complexity and requires a lot of stakeholder input. I learned a lot through this process about the pace of decision-making, as well as all the voices and perspectives that need to be included in enacting change. I believe this experience helped me throttle some of my tendencies to dive into change; I believe much more in alignment to a vision to ensure everyone is on board. Change takes time and change-makers require a great deal of patience and perseverance.”
Randolph Athletics Program (RAP) Co-Director and Health and Physical Education Teacher Ellen Smalley says that her participation in the program affirmed many of her opinions and beliefs about what makes a good leader and gave her the confidence and the passion to want to pursue leadership opportunities.
“I am a very big believer in servant leadership, and I have tried to instill that in not only how I coach, but also as a leader,” explained Smalley. “I always try to make myself available to help the coaches who are part of the RAP program, whether that is answering questions, observing, and offering feedback, or covering a game or practice if an emergency comes up. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that it is critical to take care of those you are leading, as this can decrease staff turnover and help increase stability for our students.”
Smalley also learned many lessons while working on her capstone project, which was creating a PK-8 learning support resources page in MyRandolph that would support the students and teachers across three different divisions – Lower, Middle, and Greengate Schools.
“There were times when I was overwhelmed with trying to do what was best for everyone,” confessed Smalley. “I learned that feedback from all stakeholders is very important, but ultimately, I need to trust myself to try to make the best decisions. This was easier because I had the trust and support of everyone I was working with! I was grateful to be able to work with such knowledgeable division heads who encouraged me throughout the entire process.”