What Lessons can a Business Person Learn from Henry Tyson and the St. Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee?
I had an AMAZING tour of St. Marcus Lutheran School on Palmer Street in Milwaukee in early November. It was the opening of my TEC 6 meeting and a fantastic way to start the day.
St. Marcus is a private school in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (vouchers) specializing in college prep studies. What is amazing is that St. Marcus outperforms nearly every school in Wisconsin with a similar student population as our failing Milwaukee Public Schools (which are rated at the bottom in the nation). It is located in the center of Milwaukee (North Avenue and Palmer Street). They do not exclusively take “good students” or “gifted students”. So what’s the secret and what did I learn that can apply to running a business?
Create a Vision
From the day the students enter St. Marcus, they are told that they have exceptional talents and abilities as a gift from God. And there is a clear vision that is defined for every student—to attend college. The first college visit for students starts in the 5th Grade!
A Clear Mission Statement
The St. Marcus Mission Statement:
To disciple children now and for eternity
and to train them in excellence
for their roles in their
family, church, community, and work place.
Get out of the Office
Middle school students begin their “Discover America” trips in the 5th grade and visit each corner of the country by the time they graduate in the 8th Grade. They learn American History, Civics, Geography and human interaction. Reminds me of the old United Airlines commercial with the CEO handing out plane tickets. Not a bad idea at all.
A simple contract (Covenant), but with 100% compliance
According to Henry, one of the keys to success is to have a simple agreement, (click here to see the covenant) but with no compromises on compliance. It is 100%. For example, students are not allowed to attend class, if their parents do not attend a parent-teacher conference. If the parents don’t make the conference, the student is pulled out of class and the parents are notified. Henry says in the first quarter, there may be a dozen or so kids that need to be pulled by class. By the third quarter, very few get pulled out.
I love the idea of a few simple rules, with no compromise. And here’s another thing. Notice that the staff is available 24X7 with a school provided cell phone. That’s pretty good customer service, eh? How many of your executives are available to your customers’ 24X7? Are they paid a bit more than a parochial school teacher? Thought so.
Working for a Higher Purpose—I am Third
Throughout St. Marcus, there are signs that say “I am Third”. I asked Henry what they meant. He said they serve as a reminder that “God is first, others are second and the individual is third”. The students and staff really follow this philosophy.
The Most Important Part of My Job
When asked what was the most important of his job, Henry Tyson said “To know the names of everybody in the building—Students, teachers, parents and staff”. How simply great is that? Wow, treating everybody like an important person! Even children. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Lessons Learned
First I was not expecting a fantastic leadership lesson from a middle-school superintendant but that was exactly what I got. I would encourage any of you to bring your management team to St. Marcus for a one hour tour. You don’t even need to tell them it’s a management program.
Second is that there is hope. It’s pretty easy to be negative today. But every once in a while seeing something inspirational really makes a difference.
Third is that great leadership can occur anywhere. Even in a K-8 school!
