Choices
There’s a great scene in the movie Dave that talks to the ideas of leadership and choices. In case you don’t remember the movie, Kevin Kline plays Dave Kovic, a look-a-like for the President who takes over when the current President has a stroke during an extramarital affair. As the “new” President, Dave’s common sense approach does not fit in with the Washington establishment. There is more to the plot than that but this isn’t a movie review site so you can see a full plot summary here.
Anyway, sitting in a budget meeting as President, Dave attempts to save a project that the first lady supports (and his Chief of Staff is willing to sacrifice) but meets some resistance from the cabinet. When Dave tries to save the project, the cabinet members reply to his questions with the same old responses that they have used for years. But this time Dave pushes back and you quickly see how hollow the prevailing logic is when challenged. You can see part of the exchange here.
The point of the story is that sometimes you need someone from the outside to come in and bring a new perspective if things are going to change. It’s not that the people that have been there aren’t effective or don’t care anymore. It’s just that after a while you get into a routine and you instinctively return back to the same old things that you have done in the past. The problem is that when the environment around you changes, what worked in the past may not always work again.
I used to work in Pasadena and I had over an hour drive each way to get to the office. Over time I found a route that proved to be effective in getting me there on time and it got to the point that I could make that drive in my sleep.
Once in a while, there was construction or traffic and my established route was not effective anymore. I was faced with a choice, take the same route (and be late for work) or find a new route that bypassed the problem and got me there on time. I was forced to try something new and you know what, sometimes the new route was better than the old one.
The current budget crisis presents the district with a unique challenge. There are different opinions on what caused the problem and the best way to address it. One thing is certain, we can continue to do things the way they have been done in the past or we can set out on a new course and try something different. Change isn’t easy or comfortable but sometimes it is necessary. We need to be open to new ideas. Even though we will have a new Governor in a few months, the problem is not going to go away any time soon.
I don’t have experience working as a member of a school board or as an educator but I have over 20 years experience working for a very large company in wide variety of roles. Like Dave, I’ll probably ask a bunch of questions that seem pretty basic and I may ruffle a few feathers along the way. But at the end of the day, I’ll bring a fresh perspective to the board, and I think that is something that is needed. Change has to start somewhere and I think it’s time to start by adding some a new voice to the board.
I hope you will continue to visit the website and learn more about my experience and vision for the future of the district. I also hope you will use one of your three votes to elect me to a position on the board this November.
More to come…..
