Dr. Tricia Mooney on Balancing Authority and Collaboration

Episode description

Quick take: Discover how a veteran superintendent transforms traditional power structures into collaborative leadership, proving that giving away authority actually strengthens your impact as a leader.

Dr. Tricia Mooney brings 30 years of educational experience to her role as Superintendent of Hermiston School District. A relentless advocate for student achievement, she's dedicated to creating multiple education pathways for students both in the classroom and beyond graduation.

In this episode, Dr. Mooney challenges traditional education paradigms:

Key Insight #1: Reimagining Positional Power

• What's broken: Traditional hierarchy where titles create barriers and centralize decision-making

• The shift: Intentionally giving away power and maintaining approachability ("I'm still just Tricia")

• Impact: Created a more collaborative culture where team members feel empowered to innovate and take ownership

Key Insight #2: Trust-Based Leadership

• What's broken: Micromanagement and the superintendent's need to "know everything"

• The shift: Building strong teams and trusting specialists to lead in their areas of expertise

• Impact: Developed a system that runs smoothly even in leader's absence, with increased innovation and specialized excellence

Key Insight #3: Strategic Resource Allocation

• What's broken: Prioritizing budgets over community needs

• The shift: "We budget our priorities, we don't prioritize our budget"

• Impact: Successful implementation of innovative programs like the Think Big Space and comprehensive summer programs serving the community's unique needs

"Your job is to develop another leader. If a sniper takes me out tomorrow, what's going to happen? The system should run so well that you don't notice whether or not I'm here." – Dr. Tricia Mooney

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

1. Tomorrow: Identify one decision you can delegate to empower your team

2. This Month: Map out your team's strengths and begin aligning roles with natural abilities rather than traditional expectations

3. This Semester: Launch one innovative partnership program, starting small and building based on community needs

• 🎯 Get the full episode transcript: Link

• 🔗 Follow Dr. Mooney: LinkedIn | Email: tricia.mooney@hermistonsd.org

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