“Write 3 Letters”

Well, you are that good, but let’s come back to that.  First a story:
A new superintendent was hired to replace an outgoing superintendent.  The outgoing superintendent met with the incoming superintendent for an exit interview.  During the discussion, the departing superintendent stated he had placed three very important letters in his drawer just as his predecessor had done for him.  He explained that the new superintendent would find opening the letters in order most useful when a serious event took place.  He also stated the letters left for him had helped him over his tenure.

Several months passed before a major event came up.  The new superintendent now remembered the letters and noticed they were numbered 1, 2, and 3. The former superintendent had instructed they be opened for maximal benefit.

The new superintendent opened letter #1 and the paper inside had the words “blame it on your predecessor.”  The new superintendent did as the letter stated and amazingly he was able to avert serious problems and keep his job.

Several months passed before the next serious event took place.  This one was growing in magnitude and things were starting to get ugly at the company.  There were even calls for the superintendent to step down.  In desperation, the superintendent opened the drawer and pulled out letter #2.  With great fear he, opened it carefully to read the word “reorganize.”  He followed the instructions and just as before he was saved. The whole company quieted down and went back to business as usual.

After about a year, a third serious event took place and it was much worse than the rest.  The superintendent knew how to get out of the mess because he had a third letter left to open.  With a smile, he reached for letter #3 and opened it to read “write 3 letters.”

As a superintendent in a school district, you know that sooner or later you will get tapped on the shoulder to leave.  It may be that you screwed up big time, but this is not always the case.  The school district may be transitioning from one stage of growth to another and the Board of Directors feels a different skill set would be better in the company.  The tenure of a replacement is usually three to five years.  Some stay much longer, some shorter, but no one stays forever.  It is hard to not take these events personally, but you can’t; it’s the profession.
A retired superintendent once told me a story of his retirement ceremony hosted by his friends.  At his retirement ceremony, he was given a letter describing how much he would be missed.  The letter described how much the community would miss him.   The whole thing can be summarized by the following:  “if you put your arm into a tub of water and pull it out the hole left in the water shows how much you will be missed.”  Essentially with any vacuum, the hole gets filled by the surroundings.

So what is the point of this story?  You are that good!  It is just that there is so much diversity of thought and talent; others may feel better by having someone else with a different skill set.  Sometimes it is not your call to leave, so do not take it personally.