John Denk
Education: Success Begins Here and Now!
"We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."— J. K. Rowling
​If we empower each individual, change will happen.
Leadership vs. Management
"You manage things; you lead people." —Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
"There is a significant difference between management and leadership. If you wish to make lasting, meaningful change, you have to work beside and with all staff members. All parties must be part of the journey."--John Denk
Equation to Strengthen Staff Climate
The Formula for Improvement
Balance and Budget
Building for the Future
Individuals drive change. If you have strong people in your programs, you have successful programs. Individuals who have purpose and feel empowered within a team facilitate success. who feel purpose-driven and appreciated continue to strengthen the school climate in which they work. It is always been my intention to help staff to find that element within themselves. If you wish to create progressive change in education, you have to empower the individuals within education.
First, I believe in meeting the needs of all students. As the former leader of two school districts who were a part of the Gemini Resdesign Project through the Kansas State Department of Education, I have journeyed through school change. Real change truly is a journey of learning, adaptation, implementation, data measurement, and staff support and training. As a former educational leader in this project and in all change, I lead my staff through their curriculum endeavors by being a resource person, coach, and role model. I expected my teachers to rise to the challenges of meeting the needs of our students. I also expected them to implement effective, innovative instruction methods within their classrooms. Ongoing technology and best practice instructional
methods must be part of ongoing teacher training. Furthermore, I lead in this area as well. I could not expect my staff to be enthusiastic experts if I, myself, was not the same.
One of the toughest challenges of an educational leader is dealing with the reality of a district budget. I have strengths and insights into this challenge as I have navigated these waters for the past four years. Through good times and tough times, it has been my job to fulfill the needs of my students and my teachers while keeping a curriculum vision firmly in place. I feel my greatest strength is my ability to logically meet the needs of these parties while keeping a keen eye to the future. I have developed long term purchasing plans to fulfill purchasing needs in transportation, building maintenance, and building improvement. I feel my strength lies in my ability to build multi-year plans that prioritize needs versus wants.
If I wish to lead in any area, I must do so by example. We all know that being an effective leader requires one to be a visible presence. I can only do this by being present and getting to know people. Furthermore, I must bring my communication skills to the table as well. I must be visionary and build not only future citizenship, but I must also see my school community as part of this futuristic vision. I believe that I am able to speak to people on all levels; furthermore, I believe I am able to include them in any aspect of change---training, skill development, regulation enforcement, or innovation. It's essential that all parties have open dialogue in any process.