Leadership Shadow and Interview

John Betz
Shadow Todd Spinner, Principal, Olentangy Berlin High School

Interview

How did you first get involved in leadership?

Coaching and teaching at Dublin Scioto High School, 1995. Football and taught English
grades 9/10.
What is your personal philosophy and/or definition of leadership?
“Great leaders don’t do great things, they give others the opportunity to do great things”
-Ronald Reagan….. We always talk about “leaders lead”, and while it’s simple, it gives
ownership to others.
Who is your leadership role model/mentor? Why?
Role Model-My dad, 35 years as a Principal. He seemed to always do things the right
way. Stood for all the right things. Mentor- Mike McCreary, Principal, Marion Harding
High School. Always seemed to be “on the clock”, worked all hours, and I never quite
understood why until I became Principal.
What are some resources every leader should know about?
Use people wisely. Always network. Most of all, Peers in same position, do not be afraid
to call/email/text to ask questions
What are the outstanding skills or abilities of effective leaders you have known?
Communication/Accountability/Life Experiences
Have you observed differences in the way men and women lead? What are those
differences?
Yes, both are great. It truly depends on individual but women seem to be more
relationship driven, soft skills apparent.
What are the major reasons leaders fail in position like yours?
Being not intentional or purposeful. Very little follow through. Leaders fails when the
settle on their laurels instead of continuing to push the envelope, find new and exciting
ways to lead. They stop working as hard as they did to get in the position they hold.
If you had to train someone to replace you in your current job, what key abilities do you
search for?
Willing to trust other people, realize you can’t do everything yourself, learn to delegate
early
What has been your biggest leadership challenge and celebration?
Challenge- The opening of a brand new school, Celebration was the ribbon cutting
ceremony
What are some words of advice you give new leaders?
Listen, Listen, Listen…then make decisions…either way, make decisions as some will
work and others might not but you can’t be afraid to make the decisions.
You are always so positive. Where does that come from and how does it help you lead?
My father was the most positive person I know and I thought he handled everything with
such grace. It allows others to feed off of it, even if they might be having a bad day.
What is the biggest difference between being an assistant from being the one in
charge?
Making the decisions and living with the responsibility. Always thinking ahead.
What do you look for in the hiring process?
Enthusiasm for what they do. We can teach our culture and how we want it to look, but
the individual has to have enthusiasm and a way of expressing that enthusiasm.
Do you think leaders can be developed or just have that knack of being a leader?
We develop leaders every day. While some do it differently, we want all of our students
to be a leader in the own right. We also try to develop our teachers, and most of
continue to develop ourselves, learning from each other.

Reflection
The observation and interview with Todd Spinner, Principal of Olentangy Berlin High
School was an informative but very rewarding experience for me. Although we have
been side by side, step for step the previous 2 ½ years in the planning/opening/hiring of
a new high school, this gave me a chance to sit down and really talk about his
experiences and shaping of where he is today. It also allowed me to use the questions
and conversation through the day(s) as a test, purposefully looking for characteristics,
styles, and models that he has put into place and continues to work and mold.
As I went through the interview process, I paid close attention to the way Todd was
answering. Thinking back to our readings in Strengths Based Leadership (Gallop/Rath,
2008), it became very apparent to me; Todd uses his strengths continuously through his
leadership style. While he has never formally taken the CliftonStrengths assessment that
we went through, Positivity would have to be his number one asset. Todd continually
finds the best in every situation, relying on the mentors and models he mentioned in the
interview, and learning from their behavioral style. He believes in this style, lives it, and
is confident that while he is the leader of the high school, building this positive culture
and environment will only enhance his motto, “Leaders Lead”.

While all leaders need and want others to follow, Todd does not push this issue. He
allows his conversations/interactions through the day to enhance these relationships,
not only with the adults, but most notably with the students. He is continually trying to
develop others, give ownership to the students, and allow the culture to be developed
through the experiences of everyday school life.

As having been involved with leadership over the past 25 years, it was interesting to note
his biggest advice to new leaders was to listen. When he said this, he said it repeatedly,
emphasizing how important but overlooked it can be. I bring this up because throughout
our most recent VoiceThread and Ted Talk(Julian Treasure: The Art of Meaningful
Conversation), we continuously focused on listening to others. While there are many
ways to communicate, the basis of conversation is listening, which Todd has seemed to
zero in on, giving others a welcoming feel, enabling leadership to take place in many
forms throughout the building.

While picking Todd for this interview and shadow project, I found some of my own
frustrations in our interactions could easily be explained through the differences of
styles that each individual possesses. Having examined this, along with the fact that the
past four weeks I have been assessing my own leadership style, gives me a better
understanding to how we both can balance our leadership styles to effectively make the
building a better place. He has always told others, “God put us(me and him) together for
a reason”, and now I also see that for myself.