Advice from Chicken Man

06/04/2007

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
Rumi

Frank Perdue, who was the hands-on CEO of the Perdue Farms poultry business, will be remembered for his saying, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." Surprisingly, this concept very much applies to the early childhood world, where in fact, it takes a tough director to craft a nurturing environment for children.

On first glance one would think that the ideal center leader would be someone who is gentle, caring, and warm. While indeed these traits are important, if this person lacks a certain degree of hardiness, the center, and ultimately the children, will pay the price. This hardiness enables a director to stand tall in the face of the many challenges confronting a typical early childhood program...

facing a cash flow crisis brought on by dips in enrollment;
losing a valued teacher unexpectedly with few good candidates in sight;
being confronted by parents highly agitated over recent biting incidents;
negotiating a truce between two teachers in conflict.

Not only must a director stand tall and deal with these challenges, but she must also do so while maintaining a positive spirit. She must present a positive demeanor to the staff and parents so they can remain confident that all is going well. Most importantly, she must remain positive deep down inside so that she can maintain the will to continue focusing on running a quality program, to insure that the crises facing the center do not impact on the nature of care going on in the classrooms.

Contributed by Roger Neugebauer

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Exchange's popular guidebook, The Art of Leadership: Managing Early Childhood Organizations, is on sale this week at a 20% discount. This comprehensive text offers sections on leadership development, organizational development, legal and financial management, organizational structure, staff supervision, staff development, evaluation, curriculum development, parent relations, and marketing. Review or order Art of Leadership today!

The Institute for Early Childhood Leadership & Professional Development has an advanced degree (M.Ed.) for you if you aspire to become an Administrative Leader!

Johnson & Wales University, School of Education

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