Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/what-you-were-not-taught-about-presiding-over-a-board!/5018316/
“And the next board president is . . . ”Hearing my named announced, I paradoxically reacted with delight and fear. I will preside as the board president. My immediate reaction wobbled between, “What did I get myself into?” and the essence of a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
It is normal for us to wonder whether or not we are prepared, especially when we assume a leadership position. It is also common to question our skills, readiness, and knowledge. I most definitely questioned, “Am I prepared?” “What do I know?” “What did I learn?” and, more emphatically, “What I did not learn about presiding over a board?” Formal education does not necessarily improve preparedness because, until recently, training programs had not included
early childhood leadership content.
Regardless of your professional preparation for a leadership role, you actually operationalized the process when you set your career in motion. By becoming an effective professional, you cultivated capabilities such as negotiation and communication skills. You improved your ability to facilitate programs by successfully organizing services for children and their families. You influenced important programmatic and curriculum decisions everyday. And you recognized that professionally you are influencing decision ...