VIEW FROM THE FRONT OFFICE
We were fortunate enough to celebrate
Thanksgiving with all of our children. Our oldest, Brett, is in the Navy and
stationed in Norfolk, VA. He has since departed on more than a “3 hour tour”
(actually a 7 to 9 month cruise), so it was nice to spend some time with him
before this event. Since none of our kids have significant others, we also have
not had to share them with other families during the holidays. At some point in
time this too shall change, so we take advantage of spending the holidays
together as much as we can. As a matter
of fact, as you read this we should be basking in the Arizona sun (minus Brett
of course) as we spend Christmas with Karla’s family in the Phoenix metro area. However, as much as we love our children and
extended family, it is nice to see them on their way. As we have adjusted to the empty nest, a full
house tends to push us out of our normal routine.
Thinking back to twenty years ago, we
were all getting prepared (and worried) about the Y2K issue. For those who are scratching their heads and
wondering, Y2K was the problem that computers faced when the year changed from
1999 to 2000. Back then, when dealing
with a date, the year was usually in a 2 number format – so 1998 was just
98. There was a doom and gloom attitude
that the computers would not see the year as 2000 but as the year 1900 (because
of the 2 number year format.) It sent
many into a panic thinking the world was going to end, but I do believe we all
survived. Now we are quickly approaching
2020 and with that comes the setting of new goals.
Many of us will choose a word that
will help us focus on what we want to accomplish in this new year. In previous years, I have chosen simplify and
communicate, but this year I am taking a bit of a different spin – I am using
the year 2020 with an added symbol: 20/20. My goal for the year 2020 is make
sure my vision is 20/20. This doesn’t mean I am going to wear my glassed more
often (or at all for that matter), but rather make sure that my vision for the
future is clear – hence 20/20.
This 20/20 vision is not only for my
personal life but also my professional life as well. In my most recent evaluation, one of the
questions asked is if I have a clear vision for the district. As I reviewed the evaluation, it was evident
that I am not sharing or setting a clear vision. Thus, my main goal for 2020 is
to make sure that my vision for Exeter-Milligan Public Schools is 20/20. It is my responsibility, as the leader, to
set a course and direction. Everyone plays a part making sure that course is
followed, just like a crew on a ship, but I am ultimately the one responsible
for setting the course. If that course
or goal is not clear, then I must do what I can to make sure it is –
20/20. Each and every day I will need to
ask myself – what is it that I want to accomplish today? What can I do to make sure we are striving
for our goal? Will this help us reach
our destination? Is that destination
clear? Are we 20/20?
As we progress into and through 2020,
I ask all of you to hold me accountable. Make sure I stand true to this goal of
making that vision 20/20. If we don’t
know where we are going, how will we know when we get there? The easiest question to ask as we see each
other on the road is this, “What’s your 20?”
Though for the month:
“If
you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t
have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” Steve Jobs
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