Reading the posts to this community has been a joy!  Upon invitation of Dr. Augustine, I submit this entry with the hope that my experience in leadership will resonate with members of this community.

It is very rare to be able to hire an entire staff – to interview and select just the right people to become part of a team. In 2010 I had that opportunity. A colleague and I had written and succeeded in obtaining a large competitive, multi-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education.  We had an incredible number of individuals interested in the more than two-dozen positions created by the grant project. Many of the applicants were extremely qualified and, frankly, quite a few were intimidating.  My colleague and I decided to have no fear of selecting strong, dynamic, knowledgeable and highly driven individuals even if their experience overshadowed our own!

At the end of the five-year project I was so very thankful to have worked with such a fabulous group of professionals. From this experience I learned some valuable lessons:

1. Explicating a meaningful and obtainable vision is crucial to success. Once the team understood the goals they worked diligently to meet them. They problem-solved independently and let nothing stand in their way: no excuses.
2. Empoweringthis team meant giving up some control but unleashing this team's innovation proved to be vital to the success of the project.
3. Oversight meant being available when assistance was needed. As resolute and innovative as the team was, sometimes they needed assistance and it was important for me to be available and provide the necessary resources as they were needed – not at a later time.
4. Facilitating frequent opportunities to shareand engage as a team was invaluable. The team thrived on interaction with their peers and it reinforced the vision and mission.
5. Success for one was success for all!Success was shared; there were no signs of jealousy or envy.

I admit that I was initially fearful of surrounding myself with such strong professionals; I worried about being up to the task and able to exert control. In the end it was the best experience of my professional life.

------------------------------
Wayne A. Foster, PhD, CCC-A/SLP
Director of Audiology
Cheshire Center - Greensboro, NC
------------------------------