Name: Thomas Argersinger

Title: Head of School

Organisation: Community Christian School

Thomas Argersinger is an educational leader and instructional designer with over 40 years of experience in urban, suburban and rural K-12 schools.

He specializes in building, empowering and shepherding uniquely effective teams, discerning and communicating truth about worldviews and culture, and uniting people on mission through casting a compelling strategic vision and building durable relationships.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Thomas's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

The single greatest challenge for me as a leader is pacing the adaptations required by advancing technology and changes in employee perspectives with equity and wisdom.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was born into a family that had been farmers for generations, and was lower middle class. Neither of my parents graduated from high school, yet I was blessed to be the first college graduate in my family. I am a person of faith, and I believe that God has superintended the process for His glory, my good and the greater good of those I have the privilege of influencing.

I began as a teacher in 1982. Over the years I was given increasing responsibility, eventually being offered the position of Team Leader and then Assistant Principal. By 1997 I had transitioned from public to private K-12 education, and was offered the position of Head of School for the first time. I have served in similar roles ever since, including serving as Head of School in an inner city New York school during the early COVID years.

I believe that I have been called to be a leader-coach that empowers and supports the growth of other leaders' visions, and accelerate their trajectory to becoming truly effective leaders of faith, compassion and excellence.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

6:15 am Rise, having set out my clothes and other necessities the night before. After a shower that ends with 30+ seconds of cold water, I get dressed. I spend about

15-30 minutes meditating on the Bible and praying, and grab a quick protein-based breakfast to go (hard-boiled egg, etc.) These days I have about a 15-minute commute, during which I listen to a devotional podcast or music. I typically get to work about

7:45 am and leave the office between

4:00-4:30 pm. Though my work role sometimes forces me to be responsive to real-time issues, I do overlay a basic agenda that gives some much-needed shape to the day:

7:45 @ Work: Prayer in my office

8:00 Interaction with parents and Corps members (faculty and admin)

8:15 Daily Brief with my assistant to go over my schedule for the day

8:30-12:00 Work loosely organized in 1.5 hour blocs, often meetings, with a short active hydration break around

10:00am 12:00-12:30 Protein-oriented lunch with simultaneous professional development reading

12:30-3:30 Additional 1.5 hr work blocs, typically including project/creative work and content creation for my weekly article and podcast

3:30-4:00 Tie up loose ends via my End of Watch ritual 4:15-5:15 Training at the gym or at home, depending on the day

5:30-6:30 Intentional connection with my wife (our kids have launched)

6:30-7:30 Dinner at table with my wife 7:30-10:00 Relax or attend professional/personal events

10:00 Transition into my Bedtime Ritual, which includes laying out clothes for the morning, deciding what lunch to bring, and spending time in examining the day and writing in my journal. I close the time with a Compline prayer and silence.

10:30 Read a good book that sets images/thoughts I want to take into sleep 10:45 Lights out.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Recently a member of the Admin Team came to me with a different view on a specific issue we had discussed in an earlier meeting, and was quite passionate about his viewpoint. I enable my fellow leaders to openly voice their concerns, so I listened carefully to their views. Two weeks later that leader told me that my openness and willingness to reexamine my perspective spoke volumes to him, and had influenced his trajectory as a leader in a positive direction.

Lesson: listening can be difficult, and it often requires us to swallow our pride. Yet almost always considering opposing viewpoints enhancing organizational learning for everyone, and moves the mission forward.

P.S. I realized upon reflection that this brave leader was actually correct, and their viewpoint was more complete and actionable than mine. We are currently implementing it, and it has enhanced our position in our local market space. More importantly, it has allowed that leader to grow in confidence and maturity.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Other than the Bible, I would say Blue Ocean Strategy by Mauborgne and Kim. In 1997 I cast a vision of starting a unique new high school from scratch. A team of talented educators and dreamers work tirelessly with me as we worked to see that vision come to be a reality in 2006.

Blue Ocean Strategy had a huge impact in focusing our efforts, building on the core concept that to enter a market successfully, you have to be first, the biggest or demonstrably unique and excellent. We took that to heart, and developed a very unique high school that is flourishing today,

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Listen. And then listen some more. Listen until you actual hear the inner subtext, and go out of your way to fan the flame of what is right and good in it.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

I served as Head of School in an institution where I inherited a fairly toxic work culture that was rife with conflict and shot through with distrust. None of the things that I had learned about leadership seemed to work, and it was deeply discouraging. It became clear that in order to improve the organization I would have to get to know the people, and to listen behind their words.

Over the course of some years, I has literally thousands of conversations, and wanted to quit many times. Yet somehow I knew that personal investment in people is the core and foundation of good leadership, so I stuck with it and trusted that God was working. When I was called to leave that school, my greatest critic came into my office with tears in their eyes and said, "I'm sorry your leaving. You're the first person who ever listened to me and did not retaliate harshly. I have learned so much from you about what it means to be a leader. Thank you." What better ending could there be to a leadership story?