The Importance of Having a Current Mission Statement

With many of our public school clients the concern of having a current mission statement comes up. Here are 5 good reasons to have a current and relevant one.

• Helps strategic planning and capacity building
• Helps your organization develop stronger brand messages
• Keeps everyone working toward the same objectives
• Affects how you approach and treat people
• Permeates all your messages and media

The key to having a good mission statement is to have your key people get together and take the time to identify your values. Once that is done you have taken a major first step in creating a solid guiding philosophy.

For more information on how to do this, please feel free to contact us at: 734-404-5909 or email us at tomborg@tomborgconsulting.com


Source: Guerrilla Marketing for Nonprofits-Levinson, Adkins and Forbes

Four Things People Look for in a Leader

Today, the world is looking for leadership. It is desperately needed in government , businesses, schools and our communities. According to James Kouzes, leadership speaker and consultant, there are four qualities people look for in a leader. They are:
• Honest
• Forward Looking
• Inspiring
• Competent

Honesty
At the top of the list is honesty. It is difficult, if not impossible, to have and keep the confidence of the people in your organization if you don’t have this one. Honesty means you tell the truth and you don’t conveniently look the other way when things are not right in your organization. I remember early in my career where the owner of the company where I worked lacked this particular virtue. It didn’t take long for the staff to lose faith in his leadership skills and over time the company disintegrated.

Forward Looking
The next quality, of being forward looking, is critical if a company or organization is to have a future. It can’t be successful over the long haul if the leader drives the company through a “rear view mirror.” In other words, relying only on doing things that worked in the past, and not making accommodations for how things have changed, can lead to failure. The old saying “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” is part of that faulty paradigm.


Inspiring
The quality of being inspirational cannot be overlooked. People want to believe in a vision and an inspirational leader uses emotional power to illuminate the vision of where the company is going. He or she is able to inspire people to stretch their potential and reach for goals that might initially seem unrealistic, but with the right leader in place, are attainable.

Competency
The last quality of a leader, Kouzes has identified, is competency. If the president or owner does not have the skills and knowledge necessary to run the organization, then like a runaway bus, it will eventually run off the road or crash into another vehicle. This person must keep him or herself on a continual learning curve to effectively lead their organization.

In the years to come, the individuals who possess these qualities, and step forward, will be able to successfully lead our government, businesses, public schools and communities.
For more information on leadership programs for public schools administrators please visit our website: www.TomBorgConsulting.com

How to Thrive on Change in the 21st Century

As the famous folk/rock singer Bob Dylan once said, “the times they are a changin’.” And changing they are!

In the last 25 years we have witnessed many historic and life altering changes that have taken place. The crumbling of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, the quantum leaps of the internet, a stock market crash, tremendous downsizing by the big three US automakers, huge layoffs, the iPhone, the country of China emerging as a huge economic leader, the BP oil disaster and the list could go on and on.

People love change and they hate change. They want to see the models of the new automobiles for the next year, but they hate the fact that they have to change their area code on their telephone number (and everything else that has their telephone number on it). They love the fact that their new cellular telephone has the latest upgrades on it, but they dislike the chore of having to sort through their trash and put recyclables in a separate container. They like the idea of ATM machines but fear the loss of their job due to a downsizing of their company.

The right amount of change in a person’s life is similar to the sun rising on a new day. It’s full of possibilities and opportunities. It is that special something that adds to the magic of life. Like a fresh diaper, some changes are needed and wanted. If not, it’s the same old stuff.

It would be boring (for most of us) to see the same old reruns of the Monk TV show week after week. We want the all new comedy program. Many of us would not want the same redundant meal, night after night; we need and want a variety of delectable and healthy foods. Change is predominantly good and of course, change will always be with us.

So how do we deal with the issue of change? Are there some guidelines that will help us through the maze of confusion? The answer is a resounding and emphatic YES!

A famous success philosopher, Kop Kopmeyer, once suggested a system for dealing with adversity that has served me well. He called it “The Four A’s for Dealing with the Challenges of Life”. Let me share with you my interpretation of them and how they can help you deal with the challenge of change.

The first A stands for Admit. We must first, admit to ourselves, that change is inevitable. It is going to happen. It has been, will be, and is part of every facet of our lives. So, when faced with a change at hand, the first step is to simply admit that this change, whatever it might be, is or has happened. To admit or acknowledge that this change is real is the vital first step.

The second A stands for Accept. It is important to accept the shift that is taking place. Not lip service, but a true acceptance of this modification of our present existence is needed. It means recognizing things will never be the same again. We don’t have to like the change, but we do need to embrace the reality that has occurred. The job is gone; the child is now an adult, or the strength and quickness we knew as a youth has been diminished.

Since the door to the situation as we knew it, has been closed, we must seek entry through a new door, down the hall that is now open. In order to be able to pass through that door we must first accept the change that has taken place.

The third A stands for Adapt. What are we going to do about it? What kind of a plan can we create to help us make a successful transition into this new reality? What type of help or professional assistance will we need to seek out? What kind of knowledge or skills must we acquire to help us turn this potential loss into a win?

After we have deployed the creative resources to come up with a plan to adapt, we must take the next step which is to take Action. As the saying goes, “you can’t get to second base if you leave one foot on first”.

All the planning in the world is useless, unless we take action. What happens to some people is that they go through the first three steps of this formula, but hesitate to take action. A good example of this is when Chrysler, Ford and General Motors created an electric car but failed to totally commit to marketing and selling it. In the meantime, automakers like Toyota and Honda did, and gained a huge head start on the big three. The key here is take action.

Another example, on an individual level, is when a person loses his or her job. The first move might be just a telephone call or simply doing some research on the internet about the change he or she is contemplating. It may mean securing the services of a career planning specialist, doing some informational interviews, or enrolling in a training program to begin the process of upgrading ones’ skills. The important thing is to get moving; like the saying goes “the universe rewards action.” It is vital to move in the direction of our goal. Once we get moving, adjustments and corrections can be made.

In summary, the four steps to successfully deal with change are:
Admit – admit that the change has happened or is about to happen.
Accept – accept the change, and welcome it with open arms.
Adapt – come up with a plan to help you adapt and make the best of the situation.
Action – take the necessary action and follow through to insure your get the desired results.

By implementing the above formula for dealing with change in our lives, we can grow and benefit from the myriad of challenges and transformations that are sure to come our way in the months and years ahead. Not only will the times be a changin ‘, but so will we.

To learn how to help your public school district succeed in 2012 and the years to come contact our office and request your free e-copy of our white paper report entitled: “How Public Schools Can Thrive in Today's Economy.”

Managing Your Public School Distict with a Positive Attitude

Zig Ziglar said it best when he explained that if you want to become successful in life you’ve got to avoid “stinkin’ thinkin’.” It is so easy to fall into the trap of looking for the worst in life. Someone once asked the late Paul Harvey, the famous radio personality, why the news media was so negative. He responded in an almost apologetic way by saying: “It seem that people get a feeling of importance to hear of others’ misfortune.”

It is unfortunate, but true. They compare their own boring and tedious lives to those who have experienced tragedy and are relieved it didn’t happen to them. By expecting the worst to happen, negative thinking people ensure they will never be disappointed. They never let their hopes get too high. They conveniently set their own lives up for mediocrity. If they are careful, nothing too good nor to too bad will ever happen to them.

We must prevent that kind of thinking from poisoning our attitude toward our organization. We need to run the type of public school district where parents are glad to have their children enrolled. Remember, the superintendent and the rest of his or her administrative team set the pace. It has been said that if the leader walks in with a frown on his or her face, it’s bound to affect the attitudes of everyone who works there, not to mention your other set of clients - the students and parents.

What do you do to keep your attitude positive? Better yet, what do you avoid doing that keeps you from developing a negative outlook on your public school district, your employees and your life?

Remember, by keeping yourself positive, you will create a more successful organization and personal life.

How Public School Districts Can Thrive in Today's Economy - Part IV - Using the Action Group Process to Develop Two Way Communication

In this final section of this white paper we will discuss how you can use the action group process to develop two-way communication and support from the parents and community in which the school district resides.

Far too often the only people that attend school board meetings are the individuals who have complaints or criticisms. Concerns about current issues or millage proposals usually create far more negative publicity than all the good that is accomplished by the public school Educators, Administrators and Board of Education. One way to circumvent this type of negative public mindset is to create a two-way communication process that can leverage the power of the community in a proactive manner.

By providing this kind of a communication vehicle for parents, business owners, and community members at large that live or work within the school district boundaries, you can create a structure for communal support. Building backing for your school district in this manner not only creates corroboration but a positive marketing vehicle for promotion of your public school system.

When people become empowered to participate, they will support the solutions they helped create. As we mentioned earlier in this paper, “people don’t argue with their own data.” By getting and keeping these stakeholders involved, you have the advantage of tapping their problem solving resources and capabilities as well as their psychological and potential financial support.

It is recommended that when using a public action group, that you employ a neutral “outsider” to facilitate the meetings. By doing so you will create a more open and interactive discussion about how things can be improved. The facilitator should include in the ground rules, that the action group is to be used for proactive discussion that supports action to create solutions to the issues that have been identified. It is not to be used for undocumented complaints that are not accompanied by possible suggestions for improvement.

The ultimate outcome of the organized action group process is threefold:

First, it can be used to advise and make recommendations to the district’s Board of Education regarding future decisions the board makes.
Second, it can develop specific strategies that will enhance the curriculum delivery within the school district.
Third, the group can develop an action plan to work alongside other community entities to promote the school district efforts.

By employing a community-based Action Group, it is possible to identify the facts behind the issues and explore potential solutions to the obstacles of keeping the schools and the community progressive, vital and strong in an economically challenging time.

We have found that with our work with public school clients, employing a continuously supported Community Action Group approach always creates positive long term results. We’ve witnessed the kind of powerful results that can offset the “bad press” invariably created by the media, recalcitrant parents, and community members at large. Proactive involvement at all levels yields unprecedented support and successes.

In summary, the four concepts, processes, and strategies we have discussed in this part, as well as the first three of this white paper, just scratch the surface of the many ways administrators, teachers, transportation, food service personnel, school board members and community can bring about the necessary changes to help their school district survive and thrive in the 21st century. The key thought to remember is that a school district must create and implement a continual and flexible action plan that addresses the interests of all of the stakeholders in this process. For the program to succeed, it is crucial to develop an organized and traceable process designed to change with the times and address new issues as they arise. When you build your system with an approach that works the best for your district’s operations, success with positive change is inevitable!


Tom Borg Consulting, LLC., is a consulting group that specializes in outside the box strategic planning, marketing, leadership training, team building, and customer culture transformation, for public school systems in Michigan and the United States. For a free 30 minute consulting session or for more information please call 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.com

How Public School Districts Can Thrive in Today’s Economy Part III. Using an Action Group Process for the Creation and Growth of an Alumni Association

A Special White Paper by
Tom Borg, MS; Keith B. Elliott, RA, CSI; and Katherine Pinard ©2011

In the first two parts of this white paper we discussed how American public school districts continually endure funding cutbacks and their tendency to immediately identify programs and staffing to cut. Reducing overall expenditures is a logical first step with any budget control process, but when the budget cuts begin to carve so deeply that curriculum and quality will suffer, it may be time to for a different strategy aimed at developing supplemental funding opportunities to offset these reduction strategies.

We suggested that the first step in reinventing this pathway involves the administrators, teachers and school boards changing the way they think. Once that change has begun, it is possible to restructure the problem solving thought process, through creation of Action Groups composed of teachers, administrators, transportation and food service personnel and other pertinent groups that are part of the school district team. These groups may also include parents and students as appropriate to the topic.

In the second section of this paper we discussed how a school district must leverage the opportunities generated by the action group successes and apply this energy to marketing their evolving school district to the current client base of students and parents. As this develops as a process, it then rolls out to potential students and parents who are not yet enrolled in their school district.

Our third section of this paper will discuss the advantages of the creation and expansive development of an Alumni Association for any level of a public school.

Make no mistake about it, the ideal student in your school district should attend from pre-school and kindergarten levels, right through to high school graduation . Even if students attend for a portion of that 13-14 years, your school district needs to recognize and reinforce the opportunity to characterize each student as a lifetime alumni member. Although there are many public school districts that have created successful alumni programs, there are many more that have not. There are numerous benefits for developing a successful and active alumni association for your entire district. Let’s look at some of them.

First, an alumni association provides the opportunity for graduates to maintain a lifetime relationship with past home town classmates, counselors and teachers. It provides a vehicle to connect and communicate with these special people on a regular basis. Integrated social media and communication tools like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin help foster a “people connection” that stretches around the globe.

As a former alumni-admissions recruitment team coordinator for a university, I can say that many people enjoy a broad spectrum of benefits by being connected to their old alma mater. This connection seems to give them a feeling of security, knowing that the school they attended is still there and sponsoring an association to help bridge the gap between fond memories of their younger days and the new world of the present.

With the availability of software packages designed for creating and maintaining alumni databases, connectivity, websites, and events, any public school district can easily and inexpensively reach out, touch, recruit and manage this lifetime relationship with their graduates. Staying connected in many different ways leads to an emotional familiarity over any distance. Connection with the schools that cared about them and the educators that want to continually improve the curriculum, the student experience and therefore the reputation of the district is key. The nearly incalculable networking value of connection to local and larger business owners, employees, programs and philanthropic resources multiplies a funding potential that could save any jeopardized school programs.

It seems that a vast majority of alumni donations from people today get directed toward the college or university they attended. If instituted and nurtured creatively all the way from kindergarten, a public school alumni association could cause a portion of those funds to be redirected to the public school district they attended. Among other uses for this type of funding lies the obvious benefit of increased operating revenues for that school district.

Starting from scratch here? You are not alone. A quote by Aesop from the story of The Hare and the Tortoise” comes to mind: “Slow and steady wins the race” In order for a school district to successfully begin this lifelong relationship with its graduates, it must adopt the attitude of being in the “Friend Raising Business” before it succeeds in the “Fund Raising Business.” Changing the culture of an entire educational district to one of actually living customer service principles, seems a daunting task. It is, and it starts slowly with a few basic and supportable steps.

In the 1980’s, Jan Carlzon popularized the phrase, “moment of truth”, as related to those fleeting unplanned moments of customer contact which potentially generate lasting impressions of your company or organization. BusinessDictionary.com defines this as an “instance of contact or interaction between a customer and a firm (through a product, sales force, or visit) that gives the customer an opportunity to form (or change) an impression about the firm. Our team teaches that anywhere in the paragraph above, that you see words like “company”, “sales force”, or “firm”, that those words can be replaced by “SCHOOL DISTRICT”!

For the purpose of this discussion, a “moment of truth” or as it is commonly referred to today as “touch point,” is, any time a student or parent comes into contact with ANY aspect of your school district, and thereby has an opportunity to form an impression.


Some examples of touch points include:
• Your School District’s website.
• How timely and in what manner your telephone is answered, and calls are returned.
• Cleanliness and orderliness of classrooms, hallways, offices, gymnasiums, restrooms.
• Maintenance of school grounds, athletic fields, and parking lots
• The courtesy and empathy displayed by personnel in every function, like teachers, teaching assistants, food service, janitors, transportation (bus drivers), security, office assistants, administrators and school board members.

The number of these touch points it takes to reinforce this evolving opinion varies significantly by individual. After enough positive or negative impressions are repeated in the same way, the student and his or her parents will form an opinion about your schools and the attitudes that shape your district’s approach to education. Ultimately, the way students and parents feel about your school district becomes, to themselves and anyone they share it with, your “brand.” What they “think” about your school district becomes your reputation. The perception they walk away with becomes their reality. When a client service culture is embraced properly throughout your district, you will project the right kind of brand and the right kind of reputation that creates “life time clients” and financial supporters.

As we tell all of our clients, the time to begin their “friend raising” activity, is the first time the student and the parent visit the school district’s web site. Whether this first contact is to enroll a young five (a future alumni) or a high school student that just moved to town, every moment of truth, or touch point after that, either adds to, or detracts from, the school district’s brand, reputation, and approachability.

It is absolutely critical that all staff and school representatives be mindful 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, of the important role they play in creating a favorable and lasting brand and reputation. Whether they are on or off the job, they are being judged by the discerning eyes of the public and each other, as individual representatives of the schools.

The school teacher that makes a cynical remark about the quality of food in the school cafeteria to her next door neighbor is sending out a message whether or not she believes in the school district where she or he works. The school board member, who makes a flippant remark to a questioning parent at a school board meeting, is giving out an impression that can incense the parent to the point where he or she will pull their son or daughter out of the school district and send them elsewhere. Sensitivity to encountering a touch point, only to turn it into a “tripping point”, needs to take precedence over personal feelings and opinions in every case.

To create a positive brand and reputation on which to build a lifetime relationship with all students and their parents, takes a lot of careful forethought and planned work. If done properly, loyal and lifetime alumni can be created and nurtured.

If you are creating an alumni association for your school district for the first time or trying to improve and expand the one you presently have, you must do everything possible to create a cooperative and supportive relationship between your alumni board and your foundation board. These two entities must work together to achieve two goals. First, it must create the opportunities for your alumni to feel part of your school district. Second, it must create the right circumstances and environment for alumni to willingly contribute back to their former school district.

Despite the politics and competing priorities that are always present in these large organizations, the leaders of the community school district need to provide every resource possible to insure that both the alumni board and the school board communicate openly and continually in order to support each other on a regular basis. When this connectivity is successful, your school district will become enabled to maximize the opportunities that a solid and thriving alumni association can offer.


Tom Borg Consulting, LLC., is a consulting group that specializes in outside the box strategic planning, leadership training, team building, and customer culture transformation, for public school systems in Michigan and the United States. For a free E-copy of this complete white paper or for more information please call 734-404-5909 or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.com

How Public School Districts Can Thrive in Today’s Economy-Part II.

A Special White Paper by
Tom Borg, MS; Keith B. Elliott, RA, CSI; and Katherine Pinard ©2011

In Part II of this paper we continue to discuss how American public school districts continue to be hit hard by cutbacks from state and regional funding. Most districts immediately look for areas where funding and staffing may be cut to reduce overall expenditures. This is the first logical step with any budget, but when the proposed reductions get to the point of cutting so deeply that curriculum variety, quality and class sizes will suffer, it may be time to create a flexible and unique strategy for the development of new funding opportunities to help offset the future reduction strategies.

We recommended that the first step that administrators, teachers and school boards need to embrace is to change the way they think. Once that is accomplished all things are possible. The simplicity of that statement is intentional; the actual process takes time! We presented concepts and structured guidelines on how to create and use Action Groups, composed of representatives from teachers, administrators, transportation and food service personnel, as well as other pertinent groups that represent stake holders in any part of the school district team.

In this section of the white paper we would like to discuss how you can leverage the opportunities that exist when the action group process is applied to marketing your school district. This means marketing not only to the present client base of students, parents and community members, but also to potential students and parents who are not yet part of your school district.

Today, it is a necessity, that public schools develop an effective marketing plan that promotes their school district in a positive and proactive light. With one recent public school client we were able to assist them in creating and facilitating an ongoing Marketing Action Group that continues to produce impressive results. One key factor for this team’s success was the recruitment of representatives, from all pertinent sectors, who could amplify its success. A representative from the school board, administration, teachers, business community and other entities came together to form a powerful and action oriented group that gained impressive marketing results.

The reason for this success stems from a team process, where participants are empowered to contribute their own broad range of ideas to a consolidated, stake holder based marketing approach that is sponsored by the Action Group, and then rolled out to the rest of the district. Remember from Part 1 of this paper, “People don’t argue with their own data.” When they can contribute their own ideas, they usually support them.

Direct advertising by school districts continues to rise in the formats of direct mail, newspaper ads, radio and cable television spots, and more recently, lawn signs. Individual schools, as well as entire districts, commit to promoting themselves as the school of choice over their nearby competitors. The unfortunate mistake being made is these school districts advertise to the universe and other school districts and not to their established base of students and parents. We all need to be aware that current market research suggests that it costs six times more to attract new clients than to satisfy and keep present client base (students and parents). It makes sense to invest the majority of the dollars spent on advertising, on services that exceed the expectations of the present student and parent base.
If a school district effectively services the currently enrolled client base of students and parents in a caring and professionally flexible culture, most parents would not consider moving their children to another school district, private school or homeschooling environment.
Barring the inevitable moves away from the area due to the parent’s employment challenges, the school district needs to commit to retaining current students and parents support for the entire thirteen years of schooling.

In the past, many school districts actually have engaged in some form of marketing, however subtle. Unfortunately, these commonly disjointed efforts have lacked an organized or centrally coordinated plan. The soccer team solicits for donations for its athletes, the high school band promotes its’ spring concert to a certain audience, and the following week, the drama department promotes its’ spring play to a whole different group of people. The high school football team boosters will involve themselves with some form of fundraising just before a different group of students moves in to raise money for their class trip. Then the administrators and school board go to the voters with the hope of passing a millage to support the new school facilities.

These types of marketing efforts never seem well coordinated (if coordinated at all) with the myriad of student activity clubs, sports team fundraising, and millage efforts. This is a good example of where all the entities within a school district must work together, if it wants to survive, let alone thrive, in the years to come. A coordinated presence, a uniform presentation, and the well-timed “Ask” or request for funds from prominent individuals or corporations, will become a key survival tool.

We have found the most critical element that must be analyzed, enhanced and maintained is ongoing internal and external communication. The administration, teachers, assistant teachers, coaches, food services, transportation, and all other parts of the school district (internal clients), must have clear and concise ongoing communication between all departments. Observing what happens when staff members learn to actually talk to each other in terms of what they need for improvement, can be an amazing revelation.

Simple, ongoing communication is commonly hampered by internal politics, union concerns, and lack of communication structures that are designed to encourage “open and often” communication.

Once a solid communication stream is either re-found, or created anew and continuously supported from the top-down, the school district and all departments aforementioned must use it to communicate clearly and concisely with the students and parents (external clients) on a regular basis. It never ceases to amaze us, how easy it is, for all departmental staff, students and parents to NOT effectively communicate with each other. Talk, communication, a two-way flow of information; how simple yet so effective!

By implementing solid communication processes between all departments and stakeholders, a marketing plan can be established and a specialized Action Group, representing both your internal and external clients, can be implemented. You will find that there are multiple ways you can market your school district for little or no money.

We recommend that your Action Group use a 12 month look-ahead calendar to schedule the marketing activities. By plotting out the entire school year, it is easier to strategize and coordinate the different marketing approaches you will employ. You will also find that your marketing efforts generate the highest return on your investment in both materials and staff hours.

As a general summary statement: “It is all connected!” Not one part of this puzzle stands alone. When your school district teams create and maintain ongoing internal and external communication, coupled with a solid and continuously updated 12 month marketing plan, you will be able to leverage your marketing Action Group’s creativity and develop an effective marketing structure to promote your school district in a uniformly positive and proactive light.

In Part III, we will highlight the opportunities that arise when the Action Group process is applied to a school district’s creation and growth of an alumni association.

Tom Borg Consulting, LLC., is a consulting group that specializes in outside the box strategic planning, leadership training, team building, and customer culture transformation, for public school systems in Michigan and the United States. For a free 30 minute consulting session or for more information please call 734-812-0526 or visit our website at www.TomBorgConsulting.com