Leaders stand tall at Springer

Today is the final day of the Springer Theatre Academy summer camp, where I’ve been the Playmaking teacher. After eight weeks, I’m going to take a lot of fond memories with me. I’ll also walk away with an incredible amount of respect for the way the camp is managed.

Over the years, I’ve worked for a handful of companies in various positions. I’ve done corporate, small business, admin work, creative work — I’ve been a barista and driven a campus cab. In each new role, I acclimated to the company culture, the managerial style, and the standards and policies. Some experiences were more positive than others, but not for the reasons I would have expected. Even when the nature of the work was more aligned with my interests, the job was still a drag if the team was managed poorly. A team is only as strong as its leaders, and this summer at the Springer, strong leaders stood tall.

Last summer, Sally Baker succeeded Ron Anderson as director of the academy. Now in her second summer as director, she has continued to blaze a successful and fresh path for the academy by practicing what academy preaches. She knows that her teammates are more important than she is (servant leadership). She isn’t afraid to fail boldly (innovation). She considers the whole person when dealing with her staff (empathy). By leading this way, Sally has facilitated a workplace where each member of the team feels valued and encouraged to think creatively.

I love that I don’t have to lose my identity as a mother when I get to work. Sally is a mother, too, and values the ability to work hard while being an active parent. My two tykes have been able to visit me at camp, just as her daughter has. I’ve never felt that my work and family life could co-exist, and Sally’s ability to serve me on a holistic level encouraged me as a working parent and helped me be a stronger teacher.

I love that we don’t have staff meetings that waste time! Don’t get me wrong — we have a lot of staff meetings. Every day, we meet for 30 minutes before camp begins and discuss our plans for the day. It is a time to learn more about our respective teaching trajectories and where there is room for collaboration. It’s also a time to encourage one another and smile for each other before we smile for the kids.

At the end of most days, we have another brief staff meeting. This is a time to talk about any challenges faced and brainstorm new approaches for the next day. But Sally always starts the meeting on a positive note, asking each of us to say one thing that went well that day. This helps us to remember that even at the end of a long day, there is always something to celebrate and be proud of.

As I close this chapter, I will happily take what I have learned into my next classroom and work environment.

This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Leaders stand tall at Springer."