Leadership Philosophy

I entered education as a helper to create change through meaningful relationships. It is possibly the most rewarding profession a person could have. From my first contract, I have been a union-involved teacher. I began this work because there was a room of people somewhere making decisions that would affect me and my classroom, and I wanted to be a part of the discussion. Later on, my priorities shifted to where it was important to be in the room so that I could advocate for the teachers who weren’t there.

As the work progressed, my perspective shifted again. Everyone only has so much capacity: when teachers are worried about their sick days, family medical leave, retirement, drug plan, new curriculum, new legislation, or other attacks on public education or educators, then that can affect their ability to be fully present in front of their students. As a servant leader, undertaking union work became important to me so that others could focus on their jobs knowing that the issues are being taken care of: that helpers are working in the background. I was doing the work so that the teachers I represented could be better teachers–more present and more engaged.

Now, as a local president, I am able to bring to members education on union issues and a relationship with the union: informing them as to how MTS and the local are helping them, and also working to provide a safe, comfortable space where they can bring their concerns.

My journey has progressed from learning for me, to learning for us, to advocating for others, to serving others, to bringing others along with me through service. I am ready for the next step – to work on behalf of MTS members across the province as president.

As a life-long learner, here are some beliefs I have developed about leadership:

It’s important to have a vision:

  • Knowing how the organization functions, including the bylaws, policies, and practices is an important starting point.
  • Recognizing the areas within the written structure that are hindering progress is important for proactive change.
  • Identifying areas where the organization is poised for growth and change, with a plan to foster and support the key relationships that can help facilitate the work.

Clear is kind:

  • When answering questions, and in discussions, it’s important to be honest and open.
  • Conflict is never easy, but conversations are essential. Approach people in a manner that is comfortable for them with regards to time and space.

Transparency is key:

  • Provide decision-makers with all the information possible to allow them to make an informed decision, with as much time as is practical.
  • Accountability as to why and how decisions are made is as important as the decision itself.

Listening is essential:

  • Everyone’s voice is important. Giving people time and space for them to use their voice is necessary.
  • Creating ways and spaces where marginalized and under-represented voices can be heard is vital.
  • People’s concerns and feelings are important to them, and they need safe spaces for when they are ready to share them.

Accountability systems are required:

  • Leadership must be accountable to those they serve. It is important to establish checkpoints along the way to ensure that decisions are collaborative.
  • Meeting agendas, post-meeting action implementation, and values statements should represent more than one person’s voice.

Give weight to under-represented voices:

  • I have lots of privilege by way of my race/skin colour, gender, and marital status.
  • When making decisions, factors of equity and equality need to be appropriately considered. Which voices are present, which are absent, and what can be done to amplify voices that are under-heard?

There are many ways to reach a decision:

  • Making wise decisions is usually more important than making quick – or popular – decisions.
  • When decisions must be made in a timely manner, there are times to be bold and times to be cautious. Knowing the difference, trusting the room, and owning the decision are all valuable leadership traits.

Building capacity is a part of leadership:

  • Creating opportunities for executive members to learn and talk about shared leadership is important. Building a shared understanding of why we are doing what we are doing, and how we should do it collaboratively improves the decision-making process.
  • It is important for leaders to plan for the future. The decisions made today will often have long-term impacts that outlast the decision-makers. It is important that leadership skills are developed in others to allow for seamless succession planning.

Below are some of the ways in which I’ve actualized my beliefs during my time with GVTA. It is not my goal, nor is it possible, to bring these ideas forward from my Local to The Society. These stories are here to give you an idea of the ways in which I have served through leadership.

  • Once I have a draft agenda for our monthly Executive meetings, I meet with the vice-president and past-president (when we have one) to go over the agenda; they are my accountability group. We allocate time to each item of business to ensure that the meeting will make the best use of our time. We plan for a variety of discussion formats: what should be turn-and-talk, small group, or whole group discussions – some of which are “committee of the whole” style, and others which follow the rules of order.
  • When aware of the need for policy or bylaw changes, we discuss as an executive which items the executive wants to discuss together, which should be referred to an existing committee or an ad hoc committee, and which ones the president will bring back revised wording on.
  • As president, I serve as ex officio on all committees. As such, I attend as many committee meetings as possible. This allows for mentorship opportunities, but also supports my work in being accountable for all of the Local’s operations.
    • Our bylaws have changed to include the president on both of our divisional Workplace Safety and Health committees. By attending MTS WSH Seminars as President and then being on the divisional committees (including inspection teams), I can make the most use of the MTS and MTS-MSBA training and represent members in those spaces. Members also see me during inspections, which increases exposure and familiarity. I can also mentor our WSH Liaison. As president, it obligates me to know WSH legislation and regulations that help protect our members and colleagues.
    • Our association and division have a GVTA-GVSD Joint Professional Development Committee, which I attend as a non-voting member. Our PD Committee has the largest budget of all our committees. As the president, I am ultimately the person accountable for these funds. So while I don’t carry a vote at the PD Committee meetings, I attend so that I can support our chairs and answer to members, to the division which provides the funds, and to our accountant on the structures and processes used in dispersing them.
    • Though it’s not a committee of our executive, our Equity & Social Justice Committee runs a Collaborative Learning Group co-funded through the PD fund. When I was a half-time president/half-time teacher who was also working on my Masters and raising a new baby with my wife, my reading time was minimal. Later, as a full-time president who was also on the Provincial Bargaining Table Team, and now with three children while my spouse was a full-time nursing student, reading time was again hard to find. Joining the book club obligated me to spend time reading each year, even if it was only a handful of books, but it also held me accountable around the learnings and the discussions. With little-to-no professional development funds for the president, it provided me with equity and social justice PD, as well as an accountability group. It also allows me to model behaviour for others, and signals my belief in ESJ work.
    • In order to create new or revised policies, we have recently been using the process of striking Ad hoc committees – last year GVTA had seven. By using this secondary committee structure and by attending these meetings ex officio, we are able to mentor executive members who want to gain experience as meeting Chair or Recording Secretary.
  • Including our division office, our alternative high school learning program, and our technical vocational building, GVTA has members working at 17 different sites.
    • While some sites are joined together with regards to having a representative on the executive, we believe in ensuring that all members have a voice at the executive table, including representatives for clinicians, substitute teachers, and COSL members.
    • All 17 sites receive a minimum of two school visits a year; substitute teachers also have a designated visit time and location outside of the school day. Site visits for any school with 4 or more members occur over the lunch hour and for the entire afternoon. I believe that being around over the lunch hour, during recess, and after school – as well as when students are in class – gives me the best exposure to what teachers are going through. I do class visits, read books to students, participate in their learning, and also help teachers as requested. Members have more opportunity to get to know the president so that when there’s a need, they have a face to the name. I also bring a bin of snacks which we share with all staff members: building relationships with EAs, secretaries, custodians, library technicians, and others is important. Education takes an entire team, and a small treat from teachers to the other team members helps build relationships between the union and our educational partners.
    • The division emails our local a list of all dues-paying members monthly. This allows me to maintain an up-to-date email list of all active substitute teachers. They receive a welcome email when they are brand new to the local, as well as monthly emails with our association’s staff meeting announcements and a link to our monthly newsletter.
  • While I realize this is not an option or a necessity for each local, as a full-time president it seemed practical to have a dedicated office and board room where the work can take place. In partnership with our division, I procured a dedicated union office with a table for 10-12 members, a mini-fridge and coffee station, two cozy chairs, storage, and a desk for the president equipped with office supplies and a printer. This space has elevated the work and has given it an additional air of credibility.
  • Encouraging executive members to bring the land acknowledgement, providing leadership training, and providing a structure for participating in–or chairing–ad hoc committees builds capacity. GVTA also strives to being at least one new executive member to MTS AGM each year, with the short term goal of having every executive member attend at least once.
  • GVTA purposefully has a large executive (up to 26 members). We reaffirm this concept periodically. Each committee has a chair and a co-chair – this allows for mentoring at the committee level. We also have school representatives who serve as Members-at-Large when their school doesn’t have any other representation on the executive (including division office members and substitute teachers). This allows for every school to have one member who is “in the know” and can be accountable from the union to the members and from the members to the union.
  • I meet, as have GVTA presidents before me, with our superintendent once a month, and our liaison committee meets with the superintendent and the board four times a year. These conversations are a valuable way to maintain our strong relationships.
  • We have a full-day executive “retreat” annually on a school day. Held at a local location, we take a purposeful time to discuss leadership, our philosophies around member- and union service, and receive professional development. We work together for the day, strengthening the team, and we also share food and participate in team-building. It’s an important time for our group – who otherwise meets only once a month and needs to make significant decisions together, sometimes in the midst of conflict.
  • I take my time as president as a time for me to learn and grow – as a person, as a leader, and as a citizen. I’m always surrounded by intelligent, passionate, thoughtful people who are invested in doing the work. I’m learning from them constantly.

Listening with Purpose, Dedicated to Progress

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