I recently became aware that my Activities Director accepted a job at another school. It is a tremendous opportunity for him and I wish him the best of luck. I certainly do not begrudge him the opportunity to seek out professional growth opportunities that are going to fulfill his needs and provide him the challenge that he is seeking and I know that he will do great in his new role. After putting together the job description to advertise the vacant position, I realized that the role of the Activities Director is essential to running a school effectively.
Early on in my career, I applied for numerous AD positions. I had a passion for sports and wanted to be a leader that played an integral role in providing high quality experiences student-athletes. After being turned down multiple times, I decided to pursue the other side of administration and it has worked out pretty well for me and I can't imagine doing anything else.
A funny thing happened along the way though. Now I am in the position of trying to hire an AD and I am seeking out an individual who can run a program that has a huge impact on the lives of young people. With that being said, I thought it would be important to identify the top 5 things that I would look for in an AD.
The A in AD Stands for ACTIVITIES
AD used to stand for Athletic Director and still does in a number of places. It is important to note however, that students are involved in a lot of extracurricular activities that are not sports. Organizations like FBLA, FCCLA, DECA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, NHS, Band, Orchestra, Chorus, Speech, Debate, Journalism, etc. are all vital programs in schools and deserve just as much attention as sports. Students who participate in these activities invest a lot of time in what they do and should be recognized for their accomplishments. An Activities Director needs to embrace this and pay close attention to the fact that these organizations are just as vital to student growth as sports are.
The AD Position is NOT an 8 to 5 Job
A High School AD needs to be prepared to work HARD. The time commitment is huge and the hours are rough. Not only do you need to manage the multitude of events that take place on a nightly basis, an AD also needs to evaluate coaches and sponsors, organize officials, manage facilities, and in some cases, evaluate teachers if they are serving in an Assistant Principal role. There are typically not enough hours in the day to get everything done. A person who is interested in the AD position needs to be okay with this line of work and truly have a passion for the job that they do. It also helps to have an extremely important spouse that will put up with long nights and time away from the family. The bottom line is that the AD position is extremely hard work and it takes a special person to be able to do it.Character/Integrity are EVERYTHING
One might think that winning is the goal, but in reality, developing character and integrity in our students is the ultimate prize. Everyone likes to win, but it takes a special person who can win with humility and lose with grace. At the end of the season, there can only be one person who ends up being the best. That means that there are an awful lot of students who don't come away with the prize. An AD recognizes this and teaches coaches/sponsors the importance of modeling this. The importance our society places on winning and losing is misguided when it comes to high school athletics. It is really about learning and growing as a human being. Winning is icing on the cake.
Mediation is an Invaluable Skill
More than any other position, ADs need to be effective mediators. There is a lot of conflict in this role and the AD needs to navigate the waters carefully. In a typical day, an AD is going to need to deal with angry parents who feel that their child isn't getting enough playing time, coaches/sponsors who need more money to run their programs, buses not showing up on time to take students to contests, vendors who want to sell new products, and a host of other issues. Being too hot or too cold in these situations could sink you. Having a level head and approaching issues in a thoughtful way will allow an AD to maintain composure.
Always the Bridesmaid, but never the Bride
The AD is someone who is behind the scenes all the time. They rarely get the glory for winning state championships or having students perform well at national contests. A High School AD needs to be comfortable with this and can't let their ego get in the way. At the end of the day, the role of the AD is about WE and not ME. If you want the glory and the pats on the back, you probably need to seek out a different position.
Still want to be an Activities Director? I can tell you that if you can live with the five items above, you have the opportunity to earn a lot of jobs. I know of one school that is looking.
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