Dr. Finley was featured in the October 2020 Edition of the Purdue Alumnus Magazine. The link to the magazine article and the synopsis of her story are below.
Before she became a school board member, Shaunna Finley spent years as a high school principal at School City of East Chicago and Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities in Portage, Indiana. In other words: she knows how to command a room when she needs to.
But to her, leadership has always been less about hierarchy than collaboration. “I always think about a book I read by Colin Powell,” she recalls. “Whenever he would have one of his assistants come in his office to meet him, instead of having them sit across from his desk, he would walk around his desk and sit at a round table with them. It was more collaborative.”
While that philosophy has always been important to her — the approach helped the board build support to renovate the high school pool, for example — it’s been particularly valuable in the era of COVID-19.
In early June, Finley was laser focused on getting feedback from parents regarding their ideas and concerns about any potential back-to-school plans the school might adopt. “You can make all the decisions in the world that you want, but if you don’t give people a seat at the table, your plan will not work,” she says. “Top-down models don’t work.”
How she gets it done: “I was the first person from my family to graduate with a high school diploma, and I’m someone who’s always wanted to go to school forever. I’m always asking: How can I be better? How can we be better? It’s important to welcome that conversation.”
So how are you doing in this area?
Are you collaborative or are you a “top down do as a I say” type of leader?
Who do you think has the most success?
I pray by now you know your leadership style, if not we have a different concern. For example, how can you effectively lead and you have not taken the time to research the best examples of leadership?
I will continue to share my thoughts in this area soon. I want to research and share articles to help you on your journey.
Right now, I want to celebrate with my followers.
Boiler Up!
Dr. Shaunna D. Finley
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