Former Arkansas basketball star and NBA player Sidney Moncrief spoke to school representatives on Thursday at the Arkansas School Boards Association Summer Leadership Institute.
The conference began on Thursday and will conclude today at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Fountain Lake Superintendent Darin Beckwith will take part in a statewide panel this morning on the need for high-speed internet adequacy for public schools.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson and Democratic candidate Mike Ross will speak this morning in Horner Hall. Members of the public can attend the two sessions. Hutchinson will speak at 8:45 a.m. and Ross will follow at 9:30 a.m.
Moncrief was introduced by ASBA President Jerry Don Woods on Thursday. Woods also introduced Mayor Ruth Carney and City Manager David Watkins who spoke briefly before Moncrief.
Woods listed Moncrief's numerous accomplishments, including being drafted fifth overall in 1979, receiving the first two ever NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, being named to the NBA All-Defensive Team five times and being voted as an all-star five times.
"Sidney Moncrief all his life has not only been a great ambassador for the sport of basketball, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the NBA, but he has also been a great ambassador for the state of Arkansas," Woods said.
Moncrief now manages Moncrief One Team, a team enhancement and people development company. The company specializes in leadership training.
Moncrief's presentation, "Building Your One Team," emphasized student-focused leadership and creating "One Team" in every district. He recognized the superintendents and school board members in attendance.
"The leader's primary responsibility is to drive performance, to drive performance of those you work around," Moncrief said.
Moncrief spoke about how Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh has not yet re-signed with the team. Bosh has been criticized for waiting to see where Lebron James decides to play.
"I chuckled because that's what building a team is all about," Moncrief said.
The three types of teams Moncrief listed are elite, average and poor. He said elite teams have great leadership, consistency in management and transparency. Those attributes become weaker for average teams and worse for poor teams.
Parallels between a school district and a basketball team listed by Moncrief included parents and students as the fans, school board as ownership, superintendent as the general manager, the principal as the coach, the teachers as the players, and the school plan as the playbook.
Moncrief emphasized the roles of the teachers-players and their interactions with the students-fans. He said mini-leaders in parent organizations, the school board, teachers, community partners and the administration help to carry out the district's vision.
"You take that same system, that same coach, that same general manager, give them poor players and they will fail," Moncrief said. "No question. I have seen it year after year."
Moncrief's components for building a championship team are trust, respect, resolve, effort, responsibility, communication and assisting. He added that the team with the most assists in basketball games usually wins.
"My challenge to you, as leaders, is to learn how to recruit," Moncrief said. "Learn how to sell with integrity your school district. And learn that the best players will make your district, give your fans -- your -- students the best opportunity to achieve what you would like for them to achieve."
Board members posed several questions to the speaker at the end of the session about his time in the NBA and where James may decide to play. Moncrief also highlighted a key component that he has seen in school boards across the country.
"One issue is they understand the difference between governance and managing," Moncrief said. "They take the time to hire the right superintendent, they evaluate, they train, they make sure that he or she is doing a great job, they encourage, they hold them accountable and then they step back."
Local on 07/11/2014