Nine Percent

What percentage of companies actually come out ahead of the competition following an economic downturn? Nine percent, this according to a yearlong research study published in the February issue of Harvard Business Review.

In "Roaring Out of the Recession," business writers Gulati, Nohria, and Wohlgenzogen report that companies that came out ahead reduced their operating costs, but it's what else they did that separated the 9% from the 91% of companies that fell behind. They invested. That's right, they invested by spending even more than their competitors on marketing, research & development, and assets.

This got me thinking about where we find ourselves here and now. In my 30-year career, the pressure to cut costs in public education have never been greater. And the cuts are hitting home. TLA districts' central service staff and special programs have been particularly vulnerable. Better the ax fall there than schools, the thinking goes. No argument. But are we making a sucker's choice? 

A sucker's choice, as students of Crucial Conversations know, is a fallaceous either-or statement. From where I sit, it's beginning to sound like this: Either we cut TLA from next year's budget or we fail to address our schools' immediate needs. The anectode is to pose an "and" question: How can we invest in school leadership, second only to classroom teaching in its impact on student achievement, and balance our district budget?

I do not presume to know the answer to your question. I do know that leadership matters and that leadership is the one and only thing TLA worries about. You have our undivided attention. Continued membership will take courage and discernment but that is exactly what got the post-recession leaders ahead of the rest. For you, it means better led schools and increased student acheivement. Can you live with that?