It Has Got to Be the Shoes!

It Has Got to Be the Shoes!

"It has got to be the shoes"

As a young kid growing up, I constantly had a basketball in my hand and Michael Jordan shoes on my feet. My parents refused to pay top dollar for tennis shoes, so I would cut neighborhood lawns and save my money. Every once in a while, I was able to negotiate with my mom and dad and we would split the cost of a new pair of Air Jordans. 

I can still remember the first few weeks of owning a brand new pair ... I would leave the shoes in the box and only wear them when I laid in bed so I did not scuff them. I’m sure my parents laughed and rolled their eyes a bit when they found me asleep with them on my feet.  

The temptation to shoot baskets in them would eventually prove to be too much and I would find myself in our driveway arranging trash cans to play defense against me. I would weave through the cans and take shots, and every once in a while I would make one. “Yeeeeeeeessssssss!” I would say, “It has got to be the shoes.” If you are smiling, you are probably around my age and remembering the Nike commercial with Spike Lee as Mars.

I guess that should have been my first indication that I had a bit of a shoe obsession. I now find myself a little wiser and a little older, yet I am still seeking out new pairs of shoes at every turn. No, they are not Air Jordans anymore, but it is common for the family to retrieve a package at the door and say, “Jeesh Dad, what shoes did you get now?” 

The shoes I wear today are actually a reminder to me of a very important life lesson I learned when I was contemplating going into school administration. I had just received a master’s degree in administration and needed to make a decision on whether to stay in the classroom or begin applying for assistant principal positions in nearby districts.  

I decided to ask my father-in-law his opinion. John Burkart has been a mentor to me ever since I married Jennifer some 26 years ago. I have so much respect for him that even after 26 years of knowing Mr. John Burkart, I still have trouble calling him John. (I tend to stick with Mr. B.) Mr. B. was in the car business and ran the Chrysler plant in Fenton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, for several years. His official title was Vice President of Chrysler, although he never thought too much about titles. 

No matter where I go in the St. Louis area today, I still run into people that know or worked for Mr. B. To this day, I have never heard a bad word about him. Whether I meet someone who worked on the assembly line or someone who worked with Mr. B out of the office, all who came in contact with him would tell me just how much respect they have for him. So, I could not think of anyone better for me to ask for their thoughts about whether or not I should take on a role as an administrator.

Little did I know Mr. B’s few words would not only stick with me forever, but would also give me an entirely different reason to continue with my shoe addiction!  

I remember going over to Mr. B’s house and sitting with him. I asked him what he thought of me going into administration. He told me to follow my heart. I then changed the question a bit and asked him if he had any advice for me. He simply said, “Trust people.” He followed that statement up with, “until they give you a reason not to.” I smiled and thought to myself, “Now that is a typical John Burkart answer.” But he wasn’t finished. After a long pause and a little wink, he said, “but if they do give you a reason not to trust them, Jim, put their shoes on and see if you would not be reacting the exact same way.” 

This has been some of the best advice I have ever been given and helped me enormously as I entered the world of school administration. I also can say without hesitation that Mr. B’s advice applies to all professions. Whether you are the Vice President of Chrysler, running your own business or an educator.  

Many years after having that conversation, I find myself in the role of superintendent in the wonderful Ladue School District. Mr. B’s advice continues to guide my leadership and is one of the tenets I use in making decisions. What would I think about a decision I am making if I were a custodian, bus driver, teacher, parent, student or another stakeholder in our district? No, I can’t make everyone happy, and I can’t say I have correctly made every decision. However, I can say that when I put on the shoes of others I make better decisions and they are always made with my heart in the right place.

So, as I sit and type this blog and glance at my shoes, or I walk down the hallways of our schools and someone comments on my shoes, it is a direct reminder to always think of others, consider the impact of my decisions on them, and no matter what is decided, make that decision with a sense of love, service and care.

Jim