Megan King & Aly Kirchhof

Communication and Effective Leadership Thompson

April 11, 2014








Leadership in Education:
An Interview with Mark Larson, CEO of KIPP San Antonio











Mark Larson, the CEO of KIPP San Antonio for the past 12 years, is a prime example of
leadership in the field of education. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at
Trinity University, started his career as an educator, and eventually founded what we know today
as KIPP San Antonio, which consists of three schools with a fourth opening later this year. The
driving research question we sought to answer was, What types of leadership and/or qualities in
a leader are most important in the field of education? Using a qualitative interview and
leadership theory covered in our course, we have come to a greater understanding of leadership
and the education system in general, as well as how the two converge through Marks specific
experiences.
Literature Review
One article that connects well with our guiding research question is The Importance of
Leadership Development Within Higher Education by Elvira Nica, published in Contemporary
Readings in Law and Social Justice in June of 2013. This article details the types of leadership
development opportunities typically present in higher education, how they manifest themselves,
and the benefits that come with them. It also covers the roles that leaders typically have in a
higher education context. After our panel discussion in class, as well as our interview with Mark,
it is clear that there is a high value in leadership development opportunities, particularly in the
higher education setting.
Marks general attitude about leadership, particularly in terms of the college experience,
was simple: take advantage of the opportunities presented, and dont be afraid to advocate for
yourself. This article details several of the ways this type of leadership development can manifest
itself in higher education, and for this reason we believe that it has a relation to our overall
research on this project. Another connection we found between this article and our research is its
emphasis on greater preparation for leaders in an academic or educational setting. Nica (2013)
advocates for dispersing leadership throughout the educational establishment (p.4). She also
advocates for reform in leader preparation, particularly when it comes to educational leadership
positions. Specifically, she states that leaders are not being equipped with the skills needed to
lead effectively (p.4). Marks experiences as an undergraduate and graduate student at Trinity,
while positive in a personal sense, could have prepared him better for his particular leadership
position. Leaders in the education field have very specific duties, and this article pushes for a
reform in the preparation of these leaders. Nicas article connects well with the insights we
gained in our discussions with Mark and has expanded our knowledge on leadership in
education.
Method
In our interview with Mark we sought to answer the question: What types of leadership
and/or qualities in a leader are most important in the field of education? To accomplish this we
created our questions around two central themes: What were his approaches in his leadership,
and What characteristics does he look for in other leaders-? With these themes in mind we came
up with a set of nine questions, which started with general questions about his job, education and
experiences and moved to questions that asked specifically about leadership and its importance.
With the help of his secretary we were able to schedule a meeting with Mark for a one and a half
hour time block. On the agreed upon day we met Mark in his office. During this time we asked
our predetermined questions, as well as asking question that helped lead the discussion.
Throughout the interview we both took notes and kept conversation with Mark. These notes
allowed us to look back on the interview and remember specifics.
Results
In our interview we gained insight into Marks understanding of leadership as well as
gaining information that is valuable to us in our careers and lives. We found the qualitative
interview process to be a success. We reached this conclusion because our driving question about
the types of leadership and qualities in leaders was answered. The success of this interview, we
believe, had much to do with the rapport we established at the beginning of the interview. We
conducted the meeting in a semi-formal manner. We both dressed in business casual clothing and
were professional in our introductions. After establishing what we hoped to get out of the
interview there seemed to be an environment that encouraged openness and curiosity from both
parties. The majority of our questions were asked directly and received a direct response,
however two of the questions were omitted because their answer would have been redundant to
information that Mark had shared in response to other questions.
Upon looking at Marks responses as a whole we found two major themes. The first one
was that leadership is being able to see and understand your followers and use the strengths they
bring to better the group. One of our first questions, which was intended to be a lead in question,
asked him about his role as CEO of KIPP. We noticed that though he was able to clearly identify
what others did, it was hard for him to give a simple description of what he did. This shows his
commitment and dedication to his followers. His description of what he did was mainly focused
on what he does for others. He notes that vision setting, measuring performance, raising money
and culture setting were some of his main focuses. None of these tasks are accomplished alone. It
seems like all of the work that he does is part of groups and committees. Throughout the
interview Mark talked about the roles of others being what made the KIPP organizational
structure run smoothly. When these aspects of Marks responses are viewed together it seems
very likely that that his view of leadership is based heavily on his followers. The second major
theme we noticed was change. This is not only change in himself, but also being able to change
the environment. He told us that one of the most important things he received from Trinity was
the fact that it was small enough to make change. Within this he also noted that advocating for
yourself and working hard to make change happen is important. He also mentioned change in
himself. While at Trinity he gave an example of a professor who forced him to think outside the
box because he would never get hired. The professor told him this was because he was
argumentative, didnt accept authority for authoritys sake and challenges change. This event
spurred him to look for a position that was outside the typical path for school administration,
which eventually led to him founding KIPP.
Discussion

When we began discussing qualities that Mark believed educators should have, he
immediately gave a specific answer based on the KIPP philosophy. Using a Strengths Finder
from Gallop, all employees of KIPP San Antonio are given a list of eight to ten strengths and/or
qualities that they possess. Mark and the KIPP team believe in using these qualities to the benefit
of the organization, and in this way we were able to connect Marks approach to the Traits
Theory we discussed earlier in the course.
The traits approach calls for examining the particular qualities in leaders in order to learn
more about which types of people could be predisposed to be leaders. According to Hackman
& Johnson (2009) the traits approach seeks to find connections between the way people are and
their likelihood for becoming effective leaders (p.73). Similarly, the KIPP team seeks to find its
employees personal traits and strengths and uses these to benefit its organization. Instead of
only certain traits being more effective, however, Mark and the KIPP team recognize that all of
their employees possess different characteristics and strengths that make them assets to the
organization as a whole. This is in contrast to the theorys assertion regarding traits and
personal factors related to leadership (p.73). In this way, we considered Marks approach a
modern take on the traits approach that was popular so many years ago. Much research has
disproved the traits approach in its truest form (specifically, that traits make or break a leader),
but Marks point of view regarding traits seems like an effective way to incorporate similar ideas
in a more modern and successful way.
Another approach to leadership that we made a connection to based on our interview with
Mark was the relational approach. Much of the work being done by KIPP is based on the
development of relationships between teachers and students, the overall organization and its
employees, and even Mark and the employees he interacts with as CEO. There was one portion
of the interview that really stuck out to us as a defining moment in Marks (and, by extension,
KIPP San Antonios) philosophy on human interactions. Mark claimed that there are four
guiding questions about relationships that must be answered in order for individuals and/or the
organization as a whole to move forward. They are: 1) Can I trust you? 2) Do I do things well?
3) Do you love and want me as I am? 4) Is it okay if I fail? Mark assured us that these questions
must be answered through a leaders actions with his/her followers in order for relationships to
be successful. This notion connected directly to the main values discussed in our course text by
Hackman & Johnson (2009): higher levels of trust, mutual influence, and support (p.96). A
higher focus on interactions within the organization leads to greater influence from followers
and, overall, a higher level of trust all around. This approach is followed with teachers in their
interactions with students, all the way up to the most powerful members of the organization.
In this way, it seemed to us that Marks own leadership is a cross between the traits
approach and the relational approach; his organization focuses on the strengths of each employee
and how they can be used in a positive way, as well as developing the relationships between
employees, students, and all members in between. Mark seemed fascinated with his employees
not just for their professional experiences, but also for their traits as people and the qualities of
relationships that can be forged between these people. In the end, successful leaders may not
subscribe to just one of the approaches weve studied. Mark is an example of taking positive
aspects from multiple approaches and bringing them together in a real-life, applicable way.
Mark noted that in in his position it is important that he, and other leaders, are developing
the people reporting to them. Without this he believed that one would not be considered a leader.
Although he did not say it specifically, it was interesting to see the communication implications
in this process. He strongly believed in the importance of training and professional development.
These activities rely heavily on communication between people. Typically in training processes
there is one person who possesses the knowledge that others are trying to learn. The information
is lost if it is communicated ineffectively or not communicated at all. Similarly he seemed to
believe that for someone to lead they must be able to effectively communicate their ideas. In the
KIPP organization each team member receives a Team Goal Tracker. This is a spreadsheet that
very clearly lays out the goals, expectations, steps and status of goals that need to be
accomplished. This is a ways for members of the team to communicate their information in a
clear and concise way so everyone, including Mark is on the same page.
Upon evaluating our qualitative interview we observed several key strengths and
weaknesses. One of our studys strengths is the in amount of information we were able to discuss
with Mark. The time we spent with him was focused and allowed us the opportunity to fully
discuss the questions without the fear of running short on time. We also had a variety of
questions that gave us the opportunity to get to know Mark and the KIPP program well. Because
of these facts we believe that our study was strong and effective. However, we do realize that
every study has room for improvement. One of our biggest challenges was scheduling the
meeting. It is possible that with stronger communication on our behalves we could have
scheduled an earlier meeting. Another weakness we found was that in taking notes and having a
conversation it was challenging at times to record all of the information. An obvious solution
would have been to record the secession, however we are not sure that wouldnt cause problems
of its own. A recording could have increased the anxiety in the room and made both parties feel
more tense.
Conclusion
Overall our interview with Mark Larson was interesting and full of information. This
interview gave us insights into how communication is used in leadership, and what is truly
valued as leadership in KIPP. On a personal level this interview gave us invaluable information
that we will be able to use in our application processes for teaching as well as in the field of
teaching itself. Though we learned incredible amounts of helpful information about Mark and
KIPP we are still curious to learn more. With future interactions with Mark we would like to
learn more about his own leadership style. We would like to learn more about the traits that were
listed on his Strengths Finder. We believe learning more about him would lead to further insight
to understanding qualities that he believes to be important in the field of education.



References
Nica, E. (2013). The Importance of Leadership Development Within Higher
Education. Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice, 5(2), 189-194.

Hackman, Michael Z., Johnson, Craig E. (2009). Leadership: A Communication Perspective.
Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.