99 Ways to Lead and Succeed: Strategies and Stories for School Leaders

Citation

Evansky, E. (2010), "99 Ways to Lead and Succeed: Strategies and Stories for School Leaders", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 275-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231011027932

There's an old joke about a new United States President: on the first day in office he finds three envelopes tucked neatly in the desk drawer that read “Open Only in Case of Emergency.” During his first year, after a particularly brutal battle with Congress, the President opens the first letter, which states, “Blame the Former President.” Two years later, after a corruption scandal rocked his administration, the second letter directed the President to “Form a Committee.” This too works like a charm. In the fourth year, with poll numbers slipping, his own party rebelling, and crisis looming, the President reaches for the final envelope: “Write Three Letters.”

Most aspiring administrators probably wish they could step into a new position and find secrets to success stashed neatly in the top drawer. Graduate programs present theories and models, decipher rules and regulations, and provide ample opportunity for thought and reflection. Some of the most valuable experiences occur when students meet veteran leaders who speak honestly and frankly about the demands, challenges and rewards of Educational Leadership. The book 99 Ways to Lead and Succeed: Strategies and Stories for School Leaders by Howard J. Bultinck and Lynn H. Bush resembles a seminar filled with anecdotes, tales, and common sense (Bultinck and Bush, 2009). Readers may feel as if they have stepped into the authors' old office, opened the desk drawer, and found far more advice than the proverbial “Three Letters.”

Bultinck and Bush present readers with a compilation of vignettes and reflections gleaned from their careers as experienced district‐level administrators. The book is organized into five sections:

1. 1.

   On being a dynamic leader;

2. 2.

   On becoming a moral and ethical leader;

3. 3.

   On dealing with stress;

4. 4.

   On staying alive, and

5. 5.

   On honoring yourself.

Each section consists of a few dozen short essays, all just a few paragraphs long. The intent was to present aspiring school leaders with (p. xiii) “concrete and specific suggestions” that could be consumed either piecemeal or in sum. Strength and credibility derive from the authors' ability to frame academic concepts within the stages of schools, classrooms and communities in which young leaders reside.

Section One, On being a dynamic leader, the authors group 20 pieces on “professional vitality” (p. 3). With titles such as Befriend the best, Engage the broader school community, and Seize the lead in challenging times, the authors illustrate how dynamic leaders embody passion, vigor, facility and satisfaction. In Know everyone's name and then some, the author's states, (p. 17) “Knowing a person's name shows familiarity, friendship and attention to detail… What you are creating is a portrait of interest… and this picture has depth and texture”. Take a lickin' and keep on tickin' includes a list of ten pragmatic tips for how to carry oneself during crisis, and points out (p. 24) that “Dynamic leaders smile and take one step forward. They listen; they care; and then they respond. They don't aggravate the problem. And then they move on to the next problem at hand”. In Tune into politics, the authors note that dynamic leaders (p. 29) “understand the politics of their school and how to manage them. They … realize, conceptualize, compartmentalize, rationalize, and ultimately cope … And they do it with a smile”.

Section Two was perhaps the book's strongest section. On becoming a moral and ethical leader directs school leaders to ponder five questions when faced with moral dilemmas. For example, in Lead with your moral compass, the authors write (p. 45) “The core of an educational leader should have magnetic moral and ethical magna [sic] that allows the brain to immediately sense the moral and ethicalness of an issue and, thus, rapidly direct the brain to formulate the correct commentary”. Other noteworthy quotes were found in Create a climate of confidence, Have a steadfast system of beliefs, and Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. These first two parts of the book, plus certain passages noted below, hold the most potential for use in a graduate program.

Readers will get the sense that the authors, after long careers in Public Education, were faced with innumerable challenges and became better people for it. This just might be the kernel of truth that the authors have left behind in their three envelops. At the end of the day, the authors imply that leaders must strive to be honest, follow the rules, and care about the welfare of others. This is a simple but profound message. Bultinck and Bush do an excellent job at conveying this lesson through the short glimpses into the harried and hectic day of our schools.

But here the book loses momentum. Although Section Three, On Dealing with Stress, includes the sagacious advice (p. 80) “Your plate is always full and how you empty it depends on careful decision making”, the authors also invest two and a half pages to a passage entitled, Do crossword puzzles, sudoku, word jumbles and more. Section four, On staying alive, was more substantive, with exceptionally useful strategies in Become teflon, and deal with the data flood. The writing is strongest when the authors connect fond memories with direct wisdom. Both authors are masters of their field, and student‐leaders have much to gain from the “envelopes” Bultinck and Bush have left behind.

Yet, for each captivating segment there seemed to be a slightly mundane portion. For example, Leverage technology to your advantage recalls the author's 1985 introduction to spreadsheets and extols the advantages of laptops and cell phones. Spending time on this topic is like trying to convince a teenager to get a drivers license: it's a fait accompli. Aside from a few comments regarding (p. 145) “situational perspective” the final section, On honoring yourself, was somewhat devoid of noteworthy text. Although the authors undoubtedly intended to provide meaningful content in the final section at times it felt much the same as a situation in which your host/hostess brings out his/her photo album and begins to re‐enact the cross country family vacation from two decades past.

Nevertheless, excerpts from 99 Ways to Lead and Succeed should prove instructive. The writing style is relaxed, friendly, and conversational, the insight pragmatic, and some of the stories are charming, particularly the one about Buzzword Bingo, and the old joke about three letters left in a desk by the former superintendent. Still, the organization of the book seemed loose at times, almost random, and similar to the hectic pace of the school day. In turn, this approach could potentially lend the prose a sense of discontinuity which some readers may find choppy. However, the content is solid and should be quite beneficial to school and district level leadership personnel.