ONE CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE An interview with Samantha (Evans) Maxey, Executive Director of Communications Fulton County School System
What was your objective? I wanted to bring in an outside person to be able to facilitate a process where my team was engaged and where we could be refocused on our work; see our deficiencies, strengths and building blocks to move forward and create our plan for the next year. Usually, we would do it on our own. This time I thought it might be helpful to have that outside perspective.
In addition, I was new in my role. I was there a little under a year. So there were also some internal dynamics at play as there will be with new leaders, new plans, new ways of doing things, etc. I was also very interested in getting help to gel better with my team.
Describe the experience. Were there any memorable moments? The experience started before the actual event with the entire team. This was incredibly valuable to me. Reggie and I met a couple times and had in depth conversations about my needs, hopes and goals. He was very candid from the start, which I appreciated. He told me, “We need to deal with you first, see what’s going on with you, before we focus on the team.” He helped me pull out my own deficiencies as a leader. He challenged me to be comfortable with those types of conversations. He then started drafting some things based on what he heard. He shared those plans with me and his creativity was amazing. He presented a menu of options for the different ways to engage, price point, etc. Having those choices allowed me to pick and choose the right solution for our needs. Then, we got to the part of engaging with the team. He came to the office, met the team, introduced himself and prepped them for what they were going to experience. It definitely got them curious, which was good. Then, the actual day was amazing. It was refreshing to be in this contemporary space, to think, reflect and breathe. Breakfast was set up. His attention to the little things made all the difference. It was important for the whole experience. He knew that. We had breakfast, mingled and just enjoyed each other, which was nice. The structure, organization and very deliberate way he went from one item to the next was perfect. He wasn’t afraid to push where he needed to push. Again, he wasn’t afraid to allow us to be uncomfortable.
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Reggie knew more about communications and public education than I knew. I was really surprised. He did his homework. He knew our challenges. There was no, let’s get him up to speed. He was 100 percent present. And that was important. He knew our stakeholders, roles, environment, etc. I was impressed. There was one memorable moment when he pointed out a stakeholder group we hadn’t made a real focus. He was surprised. After the light bulb moment, we were too. We still talk about it to this day. Reggie took the time to do the work to make sure he would truly be a good guide and expert on what we deal with, and what we were trying to accomplish. The icing on the cake was that he went out and found some communications professionals to come in and have a two-way conversation with us to discuss best practices, things we were doing, opportunities for growth, current trends, etc. That was the best part for us. Reggie was smart enough to not bring in other educators, but corporations like Coke and AT&T to provide fresh perspective and new thinking. The entire team said that we need to do that regularly because it was just so valuable. What has changed for you since working with Your Crescendo? For me personally, I am now forced to regularly step back and take a breath. I find myself thinking more about my team, my expectations, how I’m communicating with them, how communication is being received, the impact that it is having. I’m also more cognizant about being more caring, listening, paying attention to the unspoken things, body language, etc. I am holding myself more accountable. Then there are the tactical things: how we work more collaboratively on plans, working more as unit, how we lead staff meetings. As far as my team, what was tremendous was that we walked away feeling more like a team. I had this one colleague who rejected this word “team”; didn’t understand how that reflected our department, work. And now that person is more comfortable with using the word; and sees that we are all concerned about each other and working together to accomplish our shared goals. Why Your Crescendo? As professionals and leaders, we are too close to our own work and our perspective on a daily basis to be objective enough to see opportunities for growth; opportunities period. It is refreshing to get an outside perspective to measure your success, your progress, your worth. You cannot do it yourself. I think it’s critical to have that outside view. And then there’s Reggie who comes to the table with tons of resources, who is so creative and all inclusive of the possibilities of how you can strengthen yourself, your organization and what you what to accomplish. Every consultant cannot do that. But he has very natural knack for it. I enjoyed the entire experience. Really, the actual day was just a piece of it for him. He was thoughtful, organized and had a big-picture view of how to help me and my team. While working with him, you wouldn’t think he had other clients. You would have thought he worked in public schools with the knowledge, skill and expertise he brought.
I would recommend him any day. He is the real deal.
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A CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE
Evaluations after a virtual retreat experience for Atlanta Public Schools Strategy, Culture and Engagement experience through Finding Your Forte.
Please share the impact this experience had on you personally and what you will most take away from it. This session exceeded my expectations. I've enjoyed how you packed so much of your content into only two hours. And I was extremely impressed with your willingness to push us prior to the session. It made the session that much more impactful. As I am currently transitioning into a new work role, this has helped me focus :-) It's been great. I appreciate the guidance and structure to explore myself in this way. Personally, I am in a space of uncertainty at work, life, etc. This session gave me some "push" to keep moving. The experience has forced me to be serious/focused/intentional about identifying my passions and being committed to doing things that more closely align with them. I believe this experience will help improve the quality of my life and the way I embrace those moments for the season that I'm in. I am really looking forward in my career and assessing what I want to do next. This will help me create my personal statement and give me clear direction about what should be included along my path in life. This experience was amazing. I was able to deeply reflect on who I really am, while also making connections between my strengths, passions, and motivations. My take away is to make my intentions intentional. I feel I live my passion daily so I try to embody this wherever I go.
FINDING YOUR FORTE STRATEGIC ARTICULATION
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A CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE
Evaluations after a virtual retreat experience for Atlanta Public Schools Strategy, Culture and Engagement experience through Finding Your Forte.
Please share the impact this experience had on you personally and what you will most take away from it. The impact of the training was phenomenal. I have never had a forte statement and this training helped me to do so as I continue to evolve my branding. My AHA moment this morning came, when I discovered my passions and how I am fortunate to work in them while at work daily. Discovering that I am able to find creative ways to use and work my passions within our district and how I can leverage them within my personal life space. Today's session was so timely with all of the transition that is happening in our division in APS. I am moving to a different role, but not closing the door to other possible options. The good news is that I am working in my passion and have managed to stay motivated for 31 years in urban education because I continue to do what I have been called to do. I am so motivated and excited to continue to live, breathe and move in my purpose! I truly feel that my forte statement is me! Personally, this experience has exposed things within me that I didn't realize mattered as much. I have identified things that has been dormant to now wanting to fuel and can hold myself accountable to those things. What resonated with me. . " At this present place in mind, are you genuinely and truthfully walking in your promise and/or passion or are you just co-existing". The motivation language was mot impactful - I walked away with a sense of owning what drives me and not being apologetic. What feedback do you have for Your Crescendo as an organization?
Love it. Your work is necessary and amazing! Thank you. Thank you. You are the best!
The presentation slides could have been a bit bigger for those of us that wear glasses :-) Thank you great job on facilitating an impactful session in such a short amount of time. Continue to do the awesome professional learning that you did today!!! Everyone in our organization need to take this session.
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