Partnerships of Success: Principals Supporting Athletic Directors

The football game had long since ended, and the parking lot was empty except for one vehicle. The athletic director locked the door to the office and made the long walk to the car. The home team won the game, but the myriad responsibilities of tickets, game setup, announcing, guiding officials to appropriate locations, and making sure the needs of the visiting team were attended to had left the athletic director exhausted.

It’s a job that few understand, but it is all smiles as the athletic director gets in the car and is thankful for being an important member of the administrative team supported by a collaborative principal.

Regular Meetings Promoting Safety and Best Practices
In a different generation, a high school athletic director could run a successful program with little support or input from school administration, but the role of an athletic director has transformed today, and success depends on support, strategic planning and collaboration. Principals and their administrative teams need to meet regularly with athletic directors to ensure program success.

Athletic directors understand the culture of team programs and administration must have a shared understanding of program values so they can support and promote in times of criticism and praise. Working together, they have the potential to create a safe, organized and effective program for everyone.

Regularly scheduled meetings between administrators and athletic directors should cover a wide variety of topics including student and parent concerns, issues that arise with coaches and athletic personnel, and time devoted for the athletic director and administration to engage in long-term planning so that future events can be scripted for success. Feedback during these meetings should be reciprocal. Athletic directors may need help on how to address particularly difficult programs or parents while principals may need help in communicating that students understand that the purpose of athletic participation must support the school mission. Regardless of whether a principal has an athletic background or not, if both the principal and athletic director agree that they are part of a team working toward successful environments, they are likely to share perspectives that will allow for better solutions to emerge while addressing current and future challenges.

Adapting and Supporting Needs Through Professional Growth
Like all facets of education, high school athletics continues to evolve. Both principals and athletic directors find their roles constantly changing by a variety of local, state and national variables which require adaptability and flexibility. To better understand the changing climate, principals can support professional growth. Professional growth not only promotes time to analyze and address individual and organizational weaknesses, but allows those engaged in professional activities to better understand the changing responsibilities of positions.

Athletic directors, like all educators, benefit from professional development, and principals can work with athletic directors to identify and support attendance at professional conferences. Before a conference or class, both the principal and athletic director can target specific sessions that may better suit the needs of a school.

For example, the principal may want the athletic director to explore current Title IX law implications while the athletic director may want to explore social media presence to improve community outreach. Both the principal and athletic director can then become partners to prioritize needs and devise a plan to cover all relevant topics. If time and funds are available, the principal and athletic director could attend conferences together to increase understanding of current issues facing athletic programs.

Provide Mentor and Partnerships
Being an athletic director can be isolating as most personnel on a school site may not fully understand the requirements and expectations of the job. Mentor relationships can be challenging in positions of leadership as many sites don’t have access to retired athletic directors or former principals. To combat isolation, principals can work to strengthen partnerships within local leagues so that athletic directors can be encouraged to work through challenges together.

When principals set expectations that entire leagues of schools should support each other and create common expectations, it is more likely that athletic directors – veteran or rookie – will collaborate and share their challenges to come up with better, supportable solutions. In addition, such collaboration may spark opportunities for leagues to share best practices at regional, state and national levels to broaden the scope of athletic program improvement.

Support Athletic Director Leadership and Be Visible
Perhaps the most important support a principal can provide is visible leadership. Athletic directors know they are responsible for everything that occurs in athletics, but this doesn’t mean it has to be the norm. Many site administrators, including assistant principals, may lack athletic experience or know what is done at an event. When principals lead the way for administrative teams by showing what an administrator can do and allowing the athletic director to provide leadership and direction, the relationship between the athletic director and administration becomes stronger and more supportive.

Athletic directors should be given meeting time to review their responsibilities with administrators whether it is welcoming new students to programs, NCAA clearing for academics, or even facility setup. When site administrators better understand and appreciate the role of athletic directors, they are more likely to provide active support. Something as simple as running a cable for audio or even helping set out chairs for an athletic contest may go a long way in helping an athletic director see the department is a caring leadership team that works together for success.

When administrators are present at events and supportive of school practices and procedures, they empower athletic directors to do their job professionally. Whenever questions arise at events concerning coaches, students and poor parent behavior, and when the administrative team first directs reporting parties to athletic directors, it empowers them to be seen as educational partners and community members gain a better understanding of hierarchical leadership that promotes understanding and success.

Promoting Staff Leadership Pathways
The athletic director position is incredibly demanding with endless deadlines and a laser focus on safety and best practices; however, just as some schools and districts have aspiring administrator academies, schools can develop aspiring athletic director academies. Principals and athletic directors can give opportunities for coaches and staff to learn aspects of leadership.

Participants in a pathway may be part of a host tournament committee, help design postseason nights, or even be part of major community welcoming events. Shared leadership demystifies some of the requirements of the position while allowing future athletic directors to develop competency and explore new responsibilities. In addition, athletic directors are put in a rewarding position of having additional personnel help them create the best environments while setting themselves up for mentorship later in their careers.

Final Thoughts
The relationship between an athletic director and principal is paramount to school success. When principals support athletic directors through ongoing professional development, hold regular meetings to discuss challenges and successes, and visibly support school procedures so that athletic directors can professionally address concerns, they empower athletic directors to be the leaders that can help guide students to academic and athletic excellence. Such collaboration can spark further leadership within all facets of a school and promote future leadership growth for entire school communities.