Two Things Companies Serving K12 Ed Need to Know

In my shift from public to private sector I have been considering several differences as well as what is essential for companies serving K12 education to know and understand. I've boiled it down to two (2) things.

From my perspective these are what I have come to appreciate and expect from those I did business with.

Number One: Relational Capacity

Relational capacity is all about trust!

Trust building and trust capital are derived from building and sustaining relationships. For me, I came to know and trust the motives, intentions, character, integrity, genuineness, and sincerity as well as the counsel of individuals representing myriad companies and their products, services, and solutions over my tenure as superintendent.

Over time, relational capacity led to reliability, dependability, and trust that products, services, and moreover, individuals would authentically meet the needs of our school system. I can’t emphasize loud enough that trust capital is built over time - it is never instant or automatic.

Number Two: Social versus Profit Mission

Superintendents and educators are not “meat on the hoof”. If Superintendents or other educators are viewed as “game” to be hunted, companies and individuals miss one of the most critical understandings about those who choose to serve public education. That is, educators are driven by a "cause beyond oneself”. They have a social mission - engaging and leading “the” work - making an enduring impact and difference on and in the lives of young people day in and day out.

My experience with most, if not, all companies serving the K12 space is that they do in fact have mission statements and even visions of making an enduring impact through their services, products, solutions and etc. The difference is that all too often the “profit mission” or the need to make a sale trumps the lofty aspirations of a company.

The profit mission more often or not conveys a lack of sincerity, genuineness, authenticity, and transparency. It feels like the sale is what matters. By the way, I believe it is relatively easy to see the difference between social and profit mission driven people especially in sales.

Please don’t get me wrong here.

I am fully aware and appreciate that companies need to be profitable. We need companies that are constantly and consistently partnering with schools and school systems to provide solutions through products and services.

My point is that social mission driven companies corporately and individually view schools and school systems differently in their behaviors.

Social mission companies and people build relational capacity resulting in a high degree of trust capital – both ways. For me, trust capital translated into truth telling, approachability, critical as well as crucial conversations, authentic and transparent feedback always with the intention of growing, leading and contributing to the greater social mission so important to serving America's children.