Essential Qualities of an Effective Activities Director [NIAAA]

By: Bill Fitzgerald, CMAA - Fremont, Nebraska

As schools are looking to expand duties or consolidate positions for their current or next activities director, one should be aware of what it takes to be a competent AD. There are some strengths that might be innate to a person or may need to be developed over time, but they are necessary building blocks if you intend to be a successful activities director at any level for a long period of time.

The following are some essentials that are key to any kind of success in the position of activities director. They should show up in your work regardless of whom you are dealing with and will become second nature if you are doing justice to your calling.

• Organizational Skills - This is one of the most essential qualities you will need in any activities director position. The ability to sort, shape, and manage the office and position you hold to best suit your school's current offerings is top priority. Your organizational skills are essential to keeping your programs in a growth mode rather than in constant confusion. Upper-level administration, your activities staff, and the community members look to you as the expert in the field. The ability to organize your department is essential to accomplish this.
• Intentional Listening & Understanding - The ability to listen, process, and evaluate what is going on at any time in each of your school's offerings is very important for an AD. To be able to look at the big picture and help those leading your programs will help them develop the best opportunities for students. By taking the time to focus on the concerns and needs of others, you help them in processing the best way to achieve their goals. Sometimes, you may need to steer them to another objective which you feel is a higher priority. You may not be in charge of each program, but you help to set the path that each will take to grow and improve.
• Patience - It is imperative to have the ability to take in what others are saying or doing and process those thoughts with a clear mind before any decisions are made. In the AD's position, you will have continuous communication with coaches, staff, parents, other administrators, community members, and students. They all have an opinion of what would be best either for themselves, their teams, or their school. Not everything can be accomplished in a short amount of time. State and national regulations, as well as current school policy sometimes limits what actually can be done. The ability to be patient in the process is a big part of decision making.
• Total Involvement - Being involved in ALL school activities is essential to being a successful activities director. Many of us moved into the position after coaching a sport or two or sponsoring a fine arts activity. It is easy to gravitate toward that familiar activity as an AD. However, it is essential to be involved in all of your school's offerings. That does not mean that you have to be at every event - that could be nearly impossible in some schools. We all know that the major activities need your presence to manage the event due to the size and volume of those in attendance. By occasionally showing up at events that are not considered main stream, and becoming involved in the process, you show that you genuinely care about your students and sponsors. Following up with a sponsor or participant after a contest or performance can make a huge impression on them, even if you do not totally appreciate the activity. They enjoy their participation, so you should always show interest!
• Honesty & Integrity - Having the ability to lead means that you need to learn to deal with all types of people. Some will need additional help from you while others might be especially demanding at times. Your ability to listen and give them an honest response is essential to the development of a quality activities program. Those you deal with will have ideas or needs that you may not always be able to grant or fulfill. Often you will have to say no, and be able to explain why this is your answer. Being honest about your rationale rather than putting blame on someone or something else is critical to open communication. Your honesty helps to show the integrity in your decisions to those you work with.
• Commitment - Your job as an activities director is to manage and organize the activities offered by your school district. That means that you need to be committed to making each offering the best it can be. When you came to your current position, you inherited coaches and sponsors already on the current staff. You will ultimately find that some are not a good fit for a specific assignment. It is your duty to find the right people to lead the programs in the manner that your school expects. Not everyone can be conference or state champions on a yearly basis, but are they doing their best to improve and compete in their respective activity? Evaluation of all of your activities is an ongoing process. What are you doing to help each program improve, not only in quality but in participation? Your long-term commitment is essential to the improvement of all the programs you offer.
• Persistence - As an AD, you should have short- and long-term goals to help improve the quality of the offerings in your school. Persistence helps lead to positive changes for all involved. First, be sure to get the support of your administration - selling them on the need for improvements will only make your job easier. This can be as small as new equipment or uniforms to as large as a major renovation project to update your facilities. These goals sometimes happen quickly with the right funding and backing, or can take a longer period of time if financing is not currently available. Try to seek multiple sources of assistance and cooperation from your community with sponsorships or advertising. If a large project isn't feasible, you might need to break it into phases to get everything accomplished over a longer timeframe. Remember that activities are the front porch of any good school, and improving the look will help gain school pride and possibly new students as well.
• Time Management - An activities director is always asked what they do, and a common answer is often “whatever needs to be done!” Your days will be long and sometimes arduous, but you can help manage them by being efficient in your use of time. With e-mail and text messages, people are looking for instant answers. Taking the time to process any requests will help you formulate the best response and solution. Do not answer immediately if it isn't necessary. Having time to think about all options could help save you grief in the long run. Plan ahead for big events by doing work well in advance. You don't always have to do everything yourself. If those around you can help with some of the preparation, encourage them! Allowing them to take ownership and delegating duties will help you be more organized and efficient.
• Servant Leadership - Everything that you do as an activities director should be geared toward helping others achieve success. Regardless of the decision you make, you need to make it with the idea that you are helping to improve the process for the school and the students you serve. A quality program is not always based on wins and losses or success in a competition. Steady growth and improvement is a very important ingredient to the bigger picture. Noticing every little accomplishment helps to improve overall performance. Your duty is to offer educationally based activities for anyone who is interested. Improvements should not be made to help you gain status, but to help others enjoy their experiences.

These are not the only assets needed to be a valuable activities director, but they are a beginning foundation to use if you intend to be a quality leader of your educationally based activities program. Eventually you will develop your own methods to help guide your decisions. I am confident that many, if not all, of these identified qualities will be included in your own portfolio as you grow in the profession.