plex projects, our focus on communications,
consistency and stability took precedent. We
worked to expand media relations and com-
munication vehicles, from tried-and-true
face-to-face meetings with staff, families and
community organizations to social media,
newsletter, website and email tools.
Information about the projects, as well as
positive stories and photos from within our
schools, appeared in newspapers, online
and via email. Repeatedly, feedback from
our monthly Leadership Team meetings re-
vealed a subtle, ongoing change in the cli-
mate. Communication and engagement no-
ticeably increased. Administrators revealed
vulnerabilities. Laughter grew louder dur-
ing meetings. School climates take years to
change, but it was happening.
Finding clarity: The OVSD Edge
“Within the context of making an organiza-
tion healthy, alignment is about creating so much
clarity that there is as little room as possible for
confusion, disorder and infighting to set in.”
– Patrick Lencioni, “The Advantage”
The majority of school districts create
annual or long-term strategic plans. Ocean
View is no exception. “The OVSD Edge,
Encouraging a Deliberate and Global Edu-
cation,” is our five-year strategic plan. For-
tunately, many aspects of our strategic plan
and Local Control and Accountability Plan
(LCAP) were aligned around the state’s ex-
isting education priority areas. Ultimately,
we asked what this meant for our new team
and the students of Ocean View.
The intentional work of our first Leader-
ship Team centered on taking its own tem-
perature. What were our members’ priori-
ties? Were those priorities conflicting? How
would members resolve conflicts over priori-
ties? Which ones did we share? The process
of discovery and alignment was an incredibly
productive exercise, and the finished product
became our “Thematic Goal,” or “rallying
cry,” according to Lencioni.
It was not a rehashing of the Ocean View
mission statement. It was not even the goal
that most educators would select – student
achievement. For our team, at this moment,
the Thematic Goal that organically rose from
our leadership Petri dish involved “rebuild-
ing a credible and stable school district for
families, employees and the community.”
Without first focusing on this considerable
goal, it seemed nothing else could be fully
accomplished, not even a focus on student
achievement. Not yet.
With a clear goal for the 2015-16 school
year in place, it was time to establish objec-
tives, both broad “Defining Objectives” and
more specific “Standard Operating Objec-
tives.” Our team identified its first broad ob-
jective as a “renewed focus on student learn-
ing.” Second in line became the creation of
a communications plan that would focus
attention on the positive work taking place
daily in Ocean View, something that had
been overshadowed for too long by crisis and
a lack of control.
Lastly, our team agreed to redefine its inter-
divisional communication structures. Our goal
was to become organizationally effective. Years
of unhealthy living had left our structures
plugged up with bureaucratic cholesterol and
plaque. A wellness check was long overdue.
The final five Standard Operating Objec-
tives further defined our district’s work in the
coming year: revamped employee recruit-
ment and retention, updated communication
tools, boosted enrollment, revitalized Board
Policies, and maximized human and mate-
rial resources.
Engaging with all stakeholders
To create an overall climate shift, our
stakeholders had to feel a part of our shift, as
valued members of the organization. In the
beginning, our Executive Cabinet quickly
identified internal and external audiences.
Positive school news began immediately.
Broader communication from our district
office and an “over-communication” pro-
cess got under way during the fall. Again,
we used traditional and digital approaches,
face-to-face meetings and emailed letters,
but also social media and websites. We is-
sued the same messages across all mediums
to reinforce a new atmosphere of transpar-
ency, stability and consistency.
Face-to-face meetings were a high priority
and included families, parent organization
members, community leaders, service orga-
nizations and business groups. They brought
stakeholders into the internal decision-mak-
ing processes of Ocean View. It provides a
wonderful opportunity to truly engage, gather
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Leadership