What a Team!!

As I listened to Patrick Lencioni talk about teams this morning, I reflected on what a great team it takes to pull off the AASA National Conference on Education. I have been truly impressed with President Randy Collins, Executive Director Dan Domenech, and the whole AASA team. I knew the team was very good, however, I did not realize how organized and to what level of detail they followed until today. The morning started with the Superintendent of the Year line up and rehearsal. Everything was well planned and last minute changes were handled with minimum commotion. Herding a bunch of school superintendents is like herding a bunch of cats, however, the AASA team did a great job. Then the Superintendent of the Year luncheon was a wonderful event. To see the legends like Rudy Crews, Bill McNeal and other former Superintendents of the Year sharing war stories at the lunch table was a lot of fun.

Patrick Lencioni talked about 5 dysfunctions of teams. I like to think that Executive Director Dan Domenech has assembled a team that exhibits the 5 components of great teams. You can tell when working with the AASA team that there is trust within the team. You can tell that Dan encourages diverse opinions. The commitment to the organization is evident in all that is done. Also, you see accountability in that everyone expects a job well done and corrects mistakes when they are made. The job well done is very visible with the daily on-line accounts of the conference. Jay Goldman and his team are doing a terrific job. As a presenter, I can also say that Molly O'Neill and the conference planning staff left no detail to chance!!! Finally, the results speak for themselves. General sessions have gone off flawlessly and we have had outstanding speakers and education sessions.

The team is very creative. I am looking forward to the weekly webinars concerning the stimulus package. Yes, I think Patrick Lencioni could use the AASA team as an example of a high functioning team. His five components of dysfunctional team are certainly reversed as you look at the AASA team - trust, seeking diverse opinions, commitment, accountability and results are very positive and apparent. Hats off to Dan and the team for a great conference. If you see team members on the final day of the conference, let them know what a great job they have done!!!