S05E05 - Mastering the Five Steps of Happiness as a Superintendent | Dr. Rainey Briggs, Superintendent, Baraboo School District

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Rainey Briggs, the superintendent of the Baraboo School District in Baraboo, Wisconsin.. In 2022, he was recognized as one of the 48 Most Influential Black Leaders in Wisconsin. Dr. Briggs and his wife, Julie, who is also an educator, are the co-founders of Meraki Consulting, which offers seminars, workshops, professional development, coaching, mediation, and other services centered on equity and inclusion.  Dr. Briggs works collaboratively with organizations such as North Star Consulting Services, where he partners to provide equity institutes to school districts around the country. In their spare time, the Briggses enjoy going to sporting events and traveling with their three teenage daughters: Rayna, Rylee, and Reagan.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us more about your career. (01:25)
• Do you agree with the RAND research showing that superintendents have one of the most stressful jobs in America, and how did you cope with stress in your own career? (04:51)
• How has scrutiny of the superintendency changed over the years? (08:30)
• How did your experiences compare with other superintendents across the nation? (10:24)
• What brings you joy and what do you love about your job? (12:15)
• What have you found is the key to bringing people together to see your vision as a leader and cultivate community support? (14:39)
• In what ways are you using storytelling to connect with educators, families and the broader community? (16:14)
• What advice can you give to superintendents who might be struggling with divisiveness and building a community? (18:06)
• Why is it important for the community to see superintendents as real human beings? (20:11)
• What can community advocates do better to support K-12 leaders? (23:50)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. Briggs’ career (01:33)
• His perspective on job stress and coping strategies (05:22)
• Changes in scrutiny of the superintendency (08:52)
• His personal experiences as a superintendent as compared to others (10:38)
• About what brings him joy in his work (12:39)
• Keys to bringing people together and cultivating community support (15:01)
• Different ways of rallying a community through storytelling (16:24)
• Advice for superintendents struggling with divisiveness (18:21)
• The importance of communities’ viewing superintendents as real human beings (21:05)
• Suggestions on advocating for K-12 leaders (24:32)

Quotes:

”When you start to judge, you lose out on curiosity, right? That curiosity of really wanting to know and understand what's happening or how you can even support others is really important.”

“Knowing your values, your worth, your beliefs, and what you stand for is the number one piece of advice that I would give.”

Stay in touch with Dr. Rainey Briggs:
Baraboo School District Website
Meraki Consulting, LLC
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

Transcript

Sarah Williamson  00:05

Hello and welcome to Build Momentum for Education, a Podcast where we explore thought leadership in education. I'm Sarah Williamson, the founder of SWPR Group, an agency that supports public relations, communication strategies and thought leadership, support for school districts, education companies and nonprofit organizations, 

Chad Bolser  00:23

and I'm Chad Bolser chancellor at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, this season, we explore a particularly unique perspective in K 12 thought leadership, humanizing the role of the superintendent. 

Sarah Williamson  00:36

Throughout the many conversations we continue to have with superintendents, a clear theme has emerged about the need to bring more humanity into the role of the superintendency. In this special series, we interview current and former superintendents and researchers to pursue the core question, how can we better see superintendents as real people navigating complex challenges to provide the best possible education for K 12 students? 

Chad Bolser  00:58

We dig deeper into how this important work can help build community, invite collaboration and increase widespread engagement. 

Sarah Williamson  01:08

We can't wait to get started. So let's dive in on today's episode. We're so fortunate to have Dr Rainey Briggs, the superintendent for the school district of Baraboo. Welcome, Dr Briggs, 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  01:21

How are you guys out doing today? 

Sarah Williamson  01:22

Good. It's great to have you. 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  01:24

Yeah, thanks for having me. 

Sarah Williamson  01:25

Will you start off by just telling us about your career in education, where you've the districts that you've worked with, and then your role now as a superintendent? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  01:33

Yeah, yeah. So I actually it started out really interesting, because I did not want to work with kids at all. I didn't want to work in education, nothing. I majored in Health, Science, corporate, community, fitness. But my wife, who is a teacher, she worked for Milwaukee Academy of Science, 99% free and reduced 99% African American school, and she was on me about volunteering. And I'm like, No, I'm not coming in there. I want anything to do with it, you know? So you know? I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna get her off my back. So I finally go in, and I'm like, Okay, I did it. I got her off my back. Two weeks later, she was like, hey, you know, the kids want you to come back, you know. So I go that second time, and I'm like, You know what? This is actually pretty decent, you know? And she was on me three weeks later, she asked me to come back. I go back, and I ask myself that critical question, why am I working with kids? And at that point, there was this position that came available in the Verona Area School District, which is a suburb just outside of Madison, and it was called the cultural liaison position. That position worked primarily with students of color, and, you know, their families bridging home life and school life. And when I interviewed for that job, the superintendent said to me, or I said to the superintendent, you know, when he offered me the job, I said, the only way I would take this job is if I can work with all kids. And I said white kids included, because I think white students need just as much bridging, if not more, you know, particularly with their peers as well, you know, into home and school life. So he was like, the job is yours. So that was my first position in education. And like I said, it was more like a counselor type position. And I did that for three years. And then from there, I became I called the Department of Public Instruction and was like, hey, what can I do to get a teaching certification. You know, I majored in Health Science Program, community fitness, and they referred me to this alternative licensing program. So I sent this program all of my transcripts, my resume, all that good stuff, and they told me I can go into PE health or biology. So I chose PE and health because it got me two certifications. So I had to take like, two classes at UW Madison, and when I finished those couple classes, I mean, I had probably three job offers. So then I ended up taking a job over at in the Sun Prairie Area School District. And my wife also worked in the Sun Prairie School District now as well. And from there, I did that job for about three years, and in the midst of those three years, I got my administrative license, which took about 18 months, and then I ended up taking a high school AP position, assistant principal position. Did that for two years, and then Madison recruited me out of Sun Prairie to be a head principal of an elementary school. So mind you, I had no elementary experience other than going into my wife's classroom those three times, you know. So I ended up taking this position and just really learning a lot. And from there, I ended up going back to Sun Prairie as an elementary principal. Stayed there for, I think, five years in that role. And then I went to Middleton Cross Plains as the director of elementary education, in many cases, in many districts that would be considered like an assistant superintendent, and I was there for five years, and then now I'm here in Baraboo, and I've been here in Baraboo for the past four years as superintendent. 

Chad Bolser  04:51

It's kind of an amazing journey there. Yeah, that's that's awesome. That's awesome. Well, thinking about the superintendency, according to RAND study in 2023 researchers discovered that superintendents have one of the most stressful jobs in America, citing the intrusion of political issues or opinions into schooling as a source of that stress. Do you agree with this perspective or and how have you been able to cope with the stress of your role throughout your career. 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  05:22

Yeah. So I honestly think I might be cut from a different cloth. I don't allow stress to number one seep in, but I will say I have a lot of colleagues, man who this study, this research, hits the nail right on the head for a lot of people in this job, this job is not one that's easy for anybody, and I don't want to make it sound like it's easy for me, either, but there are some things that I do to really ground myself in making sure that I'm okay, right? I'm not stressed. I'm not allowing the naysayers or the outside or the political issues kind of get in the way of the work that we do. So there's a couple things that I do. Number one, I work out every morning. At 415 I'm at the gym, so I'm there for a good hour and a half or so, shower, do everything there, and then I hop on the road to head to work. But more importantly, there's a mindset that I have, and there's something that I lean into, and that's the five steps of happiness, right? And those five steps are one own, your own happiness. Like, I mean, I'm responsible for things that bring me happiness, that that's me, right? Challenge your own story, right? That's number two, change the way you talk to yourself. You know, I feel like I wrote the story. I should be able to change the dialog and then enjoying the journey, not the destination. It's very rare that many of us in our lifetime reach our destination, right? But there's a journey along the way, right? There's a reason that you have a birth year, you have that dash in the middle, and then you have that departing the earth, you know, end of the time, of your time. But that dash means a lot, right? That dash to me, is that journey, right? And what we have to celebrate along the way? And that's what I tell people, you got to celebrate along the way, because there's a lot of really good things happening that are overshadowed by some of the negative things that people kind of bring in the space. And then the next thing is make relationships count. If you don't like you, nobody else is really going to like you, right? So how do you ensure that the relationships that you building are relationships that mean something my father used to say to me, show me your friends and I'll show you your future, right? So that stuck with me for years. And then that fifth piece is balanced work with play. You can't do all of one of those things, right? You have to have a really good balance of being able to have some fun and play and also make sure you're, you know, getting work done. And I think those five things have really, really helped me, you know, live in this position, understand that there are tough things that are going to happen and challenges that we face, but yet and still, those five things I lean really heavily on those.

Sarah Williamson  08:03

I just listened to a podcast yesterday about the dash. Have you heard the podcast Curiosity Chronicles? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  08:11

No, I haven't heard about the podcast. But when I was a younger athlete, I had a coach who always talked about the dash, so that was really that stuck with me for years, and now I'm able to put it into some of the work that I do, and talk to it and speak to it. And I made a link there. That's the first time I made that link, actually. 

Sarah Williamson  08:30

Yeah, it's really something I hadn't thought about it that way either. I'm curious. Dr Briggs, it sounds like you're not struggling as much with stress, because you have really healthy habits and a healthy perspective on how you're navigating that. But how do you think scrutiny of the role of the superintendent has changed over the past few years? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  08:52

Oh, man, that's a really good question. I think the scrutiny of it is that, like, it's almost like back in the day, and you can go back 10-15, years, you can say that like, you know, in this role, it was definitely a well respected role. It was a role that, like, when things happened, you had to call a parent, or share with a parent something that's happened, or you share with the community things that are kind of happening. People like trusted you. They believed in you as the leader of a school district. And now it's almost like everything you say you're lying about, like you sat over in the corner and you've made this up to like, you know, share with people these false stories or false backgrounds on things. And that piece is really challenging, because I don't think there's one superintendent that wakes up and say, You know what, I'm going to go in here today and I'm going to make life health, right? I'm going to go in here and see what kind of lies I can make up. I'm going to go in here and see whose life I can turn upside down, right? I mean, our job idfs to really try to support help, you know, create an environment culture that's really strong and powerful and uplifting and supportive. And I think the scrutiny of these roles now is like, Let's do everything we can to try to tear down as opposed to build up. And that's what I see, you know, sometimes from communities around the country, not just here, but in different places, for sure. 

Chad Bolser  10:24

Yeah, that kind of leads into the next question, which is, how do you how representative Do you think your own experiences are compared to other superintendents in the local area, the state, the nation? You know, is it like this for everyone? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  10:38

Yeah, I would say, really, depending on, you know, where you are. I mean, there are some places I'm sure things are different. And I have a lot of colleagues all over the world that are serving in the superintendencies, and it's I haven't heard, like things different, like most of us are dealing with a lot of the same things. You know, you have book banning, you have furries, you have, you know, I'm going to call it. Some people call them red shirts. I don't know what you want to call them, but individuals that just come, just to create an environment at board meetings or to create an environment in the communities, passing, you know, false, you know, narratives on things, and that doesn't help at all. But I would definitely say that there are superintendents all over the country dealing with some of the challenges that we deal with, and it's not like we can just snap out on not like we can just say, you know, get away from me. Go go somewhere like you still have to remain professional. Otherwise the narrative shifts and change. This individual is not, not ready to lead, not quite the individual that you want to have. And I'll share this piece too, because I think this is really important. In the state of Wisconsin, we only have seven superintendents of color out of 421 so when you think about like the level of stress, the level of challenge, the level of scrutiny that exists in these roles, it does kind of possibly either push people out or cause people to really say, I will never get in that role. I don't want anything to do with it, you know. So I would say this, it's definitely there. 

Sarah Williamson  12:15

Yeah, well, I can't imagine that. It's such a challenging position. Chad and I have talked about how it's special people. Special People are in this role, because it takes a special kind of person to navigate those complex realities. I'm I'm curious all of that being said about all the challenges and all the things that are problematic in this position, what actually brings you joy? And what do you love about your job? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  12:39

Oh, man, you know, one of the biggest things that I love about my job is that, you know, I get to do everything I can to create what I call like a beloved community, right? And when I think about the beloved community, Dr King, back in 1957 did a speech about the six steps to social change, right? And those six steps are what I use to really help me build that beloved community, you know, and that first one is really, I mean, what brings me joy is learning right? Like, what are the things that I need to gather information about, right? And then now, from there, what those things that I've learned about now, how can those things either educate me or educate other people, right? And then from there, what commitments, personal commitments, professional commitments do I feel like I need to take, or I need to do, to support, you know, other people in taking. And then with that comes those discussions, conversations around you know, what are some of those next steps that we need to take which leads to like direct action? What steps, what actions are we going to take to make sure those commitments are going to lead us to where we want to go, or lead me to where I feel like we need to go? And then this is the inevitable. It always happens. There's that reconciliation piece that has to happen, and this is the part that probably brings me the most joy, is that when people have the heart to know that they have either caused harm, made something difficult, and they realize it, and that they can go back and apologize and fix it, those six steps, to me, is what brings that beloved community to life. It's what causes me to feel like, you know what, we're moving in the right direction, to get done and move the work like we need to move it, which also allows me to take a step back, smile, cry or laugh around what we've accomplished. If that makes sense, 

Chad Bolser  14:39

yeah, that makes tons of sense and super inspiring and as we think about those steps, I think we all also understand that it's a complex and challenging time to lead a school district, and what have you found is the key to bringing people together to see your vision as a leader and cultivate Community support. 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  15:01

Yeah, well, part of what I just shared around the six steps to social change, but another really important thing to me that like really helps bring people together, is really knowing that, you know, people creating an environment where people feel like they're accepted, they're appreciated, and that they're understood. Those three things, just so, you know, I call them the triangle of love, right? And those things, how you create that unconditional space where people can come in, they can feel safe, they can feel like they belong, they know that they matter. And that's what I feel like for me, I don't judge anybody. I have not judged anybody. And I really believe that, like you know, when you start to judge, you lose out on curiosity, right? That curiosity of really wanting to know and understand what's happening or how you can even support others, is really important. And I feel like those three things, understanding appreciation and being accepting, kind of really allows people to believe and feel like they are part of this puzzle of accomplishing the things that we want to accomplish, and I think that that has kind of really supported me in creating that culture and community of support. 

Sarah Williamson  16:14

And when you're doing all of that work to create that community, are you using storytelling to connect with educators, families and the broader community. I'm curious about that 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  16:23

absolutely, I think when you think about being accepting and understanding and appreciative, it's really hard to not, you know, do those things without really understanding who and what people bring. Right like the stories that people bring is what really allows you to say that you understand or you are accepting of this individual, knowing what they've kind of endured or overcome or been through. So if you don't have stories, if you don't have examples, if you don't have something to share, it's going to be really hard for people to kind of lean into those three things. Like, it's very rare that in America period that I mean like right now, I don't know either one of you that well, but you know, knowing what you do, why you do what you do, who you work with, right? Those things automatically causes me to really look at you and say, I appreciate what you do. I accept the work that you are bringing to the table to highlight some of the things that matter in this field of education, to, like, get the word out to help people understand what's happening. You know what I mean? So I don't know you that well, but I know enough to know that you value what's kind of happening. So just imagine if I was to learn, you know, some of the stories or experiences that you've had in life, things that you may have overcome, the ways that you've uplifted and shared certain supports for people, right? That storytelling is a must, right? Because it's a different connection that you have with people. And some people, I'm going to say they feel for you or they don't care, but they still have learned something about you. And I think that's really, really important in storytelling to make those connections. 

Chad Bolser  18:06

That's such great advice for folks. And I think I'm going to ask you to give some more advice to other superintendents that might be struggling with divisiveness and are struggling to build community. What advice do you give those folks? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  18:21

Yeah, you know, as you can tell, I'm big fan of Dr King. And Dr King has a quote, and that quote is the time is always right to do what is right. And my advice to anybody in this field is to know what you stand for. Believe in value if you know those three things, it's going to be really hard for people to knock you off your rocker, and you're going to be able to take a stand in the moments of divisiveness, in the moment of the heat, where people are swearing at you, coming at you, doing things that you know will cause you to say, I want to walk away from this job, but sometimes you have to walk away from this job because it's the right thing to do, right? And you have a family, you have to, you know, make sure that you get back to them, and you have to make sure that they know that they're loved by you, right? So continue to put family first, continue to know what you stand for, believe in value, and also know that like you matter, right? There's days that we're in this position alone in some districts, right? And you matter, just like every other person in education, just because you're the superintendent doesn't mean that you don't matter, but you do. You're a human being. You're a person, and we have to humanize this position, because we are human. There are mistakes that are made, there are decisions that we have to make that may have some differing impacts, but you have to know that the decisions that you're making, why you made that decision and those decisions were the right decisions to make that supported kids in and staff the community, and it was the right thing to do, so knowing your values, your worth, your beliefs and what you stand for is the number one piece of advice that I would give. 

Sarah Williamson  20:11

Well, that's why we decided to do this podcast series. So thank you for summarizing it. We really want to help humanize the role of the superintendent, because we've had a lot of conversations with different leaders of school districts throughout the past, particularly this year, and we continue to hear the same thing. We're not robots. I mean, we can't spend 100% of our time focused on the school district. We're also a human being with families, and so that's kind of what we wanted to get at. Tell us more about what that means to you and how you think that's important. Just you touched on it, but anything else you want to add? For example, you talked about storytelling. Is it helpful when your district sees the challenges that you're facing, they understand you as a human being. They see you, your mistakes, your flaws, who you are, your authentic personality? Do you think that helps when you're actually trying to lead and navigate this role? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  21:05

Yes, I do think it helps. But I also know that, like families, parents and the community, their kids are like their prized possession, right? And I think that's something that superintendents and I'm going to say also as building leaders as classroom teachers, we have to remember, like their little kid that you have in your class are their prized possession. There's not too much that people allow to get in between them and their kids, and most parents and community members will do anything they can to protect, usually, right? However, this is where I would argue with any parent, with any community member, that they have to understand that. Again, none of us wake up and say we want to go in here and give them hell today, right? We wake up every day and we say we got a big job to do. We want to make connections with people. We're out in the communities. We're at events to see kids, you know, Excel. We're in classrooms also with kids, and supporting teachers, you know, all those things that come with this job. And then there's the sense that it's not so much the person, more than it is the role, right? And when you have that role of superintendency, whoever happens to be in it is the person that's going to get all the craziness directed at them or said to them. So at some point, we have to help people kind of understand that, like when you do have those really tough times when you do feel like something's not right. Your kids been treated a certain way, and there's been no answers Call and sit down with your superintendent. Sit down with you know, whatever the chain of command is in terms of connections or who's next that you should talk to if you've already spoken to someone, humanize the position, humanize the conversation, humanize, you know, what it is that you want to see come from it, because one of the questions that I do ask people sometimes is, what are you hoping for out of this conversation? Right? So I know up front, like whether I can help you or not, I don't want to sit here with you for two hours and then in the end, oh, there's nothing I can do, right? But I want you to know that sometimes this role, and in many times, this role, is not so much about the person, but it's about policy, it's about statutes and it's about the law, and if those things are broken, then that's back on you as a superintendent for violating the law, violating statutes, violating policy, and I think that piece is something that people don't really see because they're so concerned about their kids. And I get it, I really do 

Chad Bolser  23:50

Well I think through all of these conversations that Sarah and I have been having, the one thing that we love is to see the passion that superintendents have and how they think about things. And I think we have certainly been advocates, but I suspect that over the course of the last few weeks of talking to people, we've become even more huge supporters of the work that is done in the superintendency and of K-12 education. And how can we as advocates do a better job of supporting our leaders across the nation in districts like yourself, superintendents or district leaders, how can we do a better job of supporting you? 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  24:32

Yeah, I think it starts more within the communities in which people are in. You can go on to probably any Facebook community site, and see people being really, really nasty towards, you know, educators, towards superintendents. And it starts there, right? And it starts with people standing up to individuals that are creating these hostile environments that are not conducive to students being successful, not conducive to teachers feeling like they matter. And I think when people realize that there's a way to stand up, and that standing up goes back to me saying, knowing what you stand for, value and belief, if people know those things, there's no, oh, I'm going to get retaliated against, or I'm going to be treated a certain way, like, if you're doing the right thing and you're standing for the right thing in these communities and even across our nation, we're going to see an instant change in how people either humanize these positions or just build relationships, right, like remove the title, throw the title away, and just look at me as a human being. The moment that you give me a title of superintendent, people treat you a certain way, but remove that, and let's just have a solid conversation as human beings around what we can do and how we can work together to better the community, better education, focus on the things that matter, to support kids and being successful, because the ultimate goal is to make sure that the kids that we serve every single day become global citizens of our world, right, that they have opportunities, whether they go to college or they go into certain careers out of high school, right? That's essentially what we hope for, and that when they haul off and have kids, those kids get the same opportunity to be successful, but have some better opportunities, because we've evolved for them to have different opportunities, better opportunities, more opportunities, right? And I think what people can do is continue to like not look at the position as this authoritative individual more so than partnering with each other to make things better.  This has been fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us. Where, yeah, where can our listeners connect with you or learn more about you?  Oh, man. Well, they can easily go to the Baraboo School District website as one location, but they can also go to my personal website, which is at www.somethingwithsoul.com, somethingwithsoul.com and You'll see, you know, as a CEO of Meraki Consulting. I do quite a bit of work around the country, as well as serve as superintendent here in the Baraboo School District. Amazing. And of course, and of course, I'm on LinkedIn X Facebook, you can find me pretty easy. Rainey Briggs

Chad Bolser  27:39

 I've already reached out to you on LinkedIn I did that last 30 seconds. So there you go.

Dr. Rainey Briggs  27:45

Awesome, awesome, awesome. 

Sarah Williamson  27:47

All right. Well, thank you so much, and I hope to see you soon. 

Dr. Rainey Briggs  27:51

Awesome. Well we'll see you guys around. 

Chad Bolser  27:53

Thank you so much. Thanks for tuning into the Build Momentum for Education Podcast. If you enjoyed listening today, we would love to hear your feedback, and we'd be grateful if you could leave us a review. 

Sarah Williamson  28:05

This helps us to share these powerful stories with even more people. If you liked what you heard, we'd be honored if you could share this episode with someone in your network. We look forward to seeing you next time on. Build Momentum for Education.