I recently viewed the trailer for the upcoming release of Wicked: For Good. It brought back memories of my childhood and I was reminded of how much my siblings and I enjoyed the movie The Wizard of Oz. Over the next few days, I found myself humming, “Lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh, my!” While this phrase was stuck on repeat in my brain, a school-system leader mentioned to me that she was responsible for collecting and tracking many different grants, safety requirements, and even student data. Her cup was overflowing with tasks, and I could see in her face that she felt the burden of the responsibility. As anyone with district-level experience would do in this circumstance, I empathised with her and tried to find the words to encourage her. When our meeting concluded, I started humming, “Title, and safety, and data. O, my!”
In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy has to bring the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion on a journey toward success. Sometimes they help her; other times, they feel like a burden weighing her down. In the life of a Federal Programs Director, you have to ensure compliance of all the Title grants. Sometimes, you have to ensure compliance with other grants and functions in your school system as well. While these grants and programs offer so many benefits, carrying the load alone can feel burdensome. So how does Dorothy do it all? How can you do it all?
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
Dorothy follows the yellow brick road to find the Wizard of Oz. She is seeking help. Do you seek help often enough? There is a fine line between being a rockstar who can handle a lot and being a work martyr. Evaluate your approach to seeking help. When others offer, do you sometimes accept help or do you always quickly and politely refuse the assistance? There is no weakness in accepting help. There is no victory in overworking yourself. There is no weakness in leaving work at closing time. There is no victory in being the person who locks the gate to the parking lot each night. Somewhere in here, there is a balance to be sought and it probably begins with accepting help. Next time you feel overwhelmed, think of Dorothy, start singing, “Follow the yellow brick road,” and accept assistance with the tasks.
“Put ‘em up! Put ‘em up!”
As the Cowardly Lion seeks courage on his journey, he learns he has had courage all along. As the Tin Man seeks a brain, he learns he has been smart all along. As the Scarecrow seeks a heart, he learns he has loved all along. Where do you doubt your capabilities? Is it possible that you are capable of more than you realize? There is a time to collaborate, and there is a time when autonomy is both appropriate and efficient. If you have an abundance of tasks to complete, begin with those that do not require permission or approval. Just jump in and get started. An example is collecting the correct documentation to ensure Title compliance. This is your purview. It is what you were hired to do, so go ahead and do it. This is especially hard when you are new to the position, or you are doing things differently than your predecessor. However, there is a penalty if you fail to comply with Federal grant regulations, school safety regulations, or even state and local grant regulations. When it comes to this stuff, you’re the expert, so put ‘em up and collect what you need. Others will thank you for this when the monitoring results are favorable and everyone gets to keep using their funds.
There’s No Place Like Home
There really is no place like home. You probably have a system in place already to monitor your federal grants. It is familiar to you, and you are good at it. Use what is already familiar to monitor the other programs and tasks to which you are assigned. Work as a team to streamline processes across grants and programs. Work smarter and more efficiently. If you need help finding an efficient way to set up monitoring folders across grants, programs and departments, there is a new home waiting for you with Titl1Crate. We are here to help you with all the lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh, my!
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