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Santa Fe Leadership Center
Monthly Newsletter 
February, 2010
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Dear , 
The three of us recently met in Santa Fe at the Hotel La Fonda to review the details of the upcoming seminar and to do some SFLC planning and visioning. It was a brilliant and vibrant day in Santa Fe with glorious blue skies and snow capped mountains. We felt like we were in a postcard. The visit reaffirmed our decision to select Santa Fe and the Hotel La Fonda as the setting for our seminars (see Tim's article on La Fonda). As we say in our seminar materials, this setting in Santa Fe is being provided to enhance the creativity, inspiration and expansive thinking that are prerequisites for outstanding leadership. Just as the school environment is a critical component in the education of children, the location for these conferences offers surroundings conducive to openness, the free exchange of ideas and a healthy discourse among committed professionals.
Sunday's New York Times featured The Art of Being Santa Fe on the front page of the travel section. The article quotes D.H. Lawrence on his feelings about New Mexico: "Touch the Country and you will never be the same again." We concur wholeheartedly.
And the same can be said for those who attend the Santa Fe Seminars - you will certainly change the way you look at yourself and the place you work. We've been getting a number of questions and enthusiastic responses about the SFLC and the upcoming seminar. This month's newsletter will provide you with a bit more information about what the April Seminar, La Fonda and Santa Fe offer you.
In this issue, we also remember and celebrate our friend and colleague, David Mallery. He was a beloved member of our school communities and certainly an inspiration for our seminar series.
And don't forget to check out our blog. We continue to post interesting articles, reflections and reviews here. In fact, a recent post on Dan Pink's new book Drive elicited a comment from Dan Pink himself. And read Gary Gruber's recent post on Jonah Lehrer's book How We Decide -which may help you understand why you make the decisions you do - including brilliant decisions like joining us in April in Santa Fe.
Sincerely,
Gary R. Gruber Timothy R. McIntire Carla R. SIlver
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Register Now
for our April Seminar
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April 15-18 Exercising leadership in schools is not easy. Leaders in school today face a number of challenges including tough economic conditions, unrealistically high expectations from parents, a rapidly changing youth culture influenced by the media and technology, and the nearly impossible task of communicating with a multitude of constituents with different, and often conflicting needs. Will you decide to lead? Click here to learn more and register.
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| Click here to read the SFLC blog, Lead On! |
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Recent Posts include:
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The Santa Fe Seminars: Reflect, Recommit, Renew
The Santa Fe Seminar Ser ies is an opportunity for honest reflection, recommitting to
excellence in leadership, and personal and professional renewal. The
individuals who take this opportunity will change the way they look at
themselves and the place where they work.
Unlike many other
conferences with keynote speakers and formal presenters, the Santa Fe
Seminars brings together talented and passionate school leaders to work
collaboratively on becoming more effective leaders. The participants themselves are the honored guests and the featured speakers.Through
lively discourse and sharing of individual stories participants return
to their schools with an increased level of skill in leading within
their school communitites.
The April Seminar has taken shape. Sessions offered include:
Viable Leadership: Setting the Context for Your Personal Leadership The Harsh Realities and the Dangers of Leadership Leadership Case Studies: Written, Presented and Analyzed by Participants Minding the Gap: The Discrepancies Between the Real and the Ideal in Leadership The Functions and Dysfunctions of Teams: Group Dynamics and Individual Roles Biting into the External Pie: Finance, Governance and Fundraising -What everyone leading in schools should know School Issues du Jour (a little bit of everything else)
The Santa Fe Seminar is an invaluable and worthwhile investment. School
heads may consider sending team members they wish to reward and
challenge with this opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of their
work, renew their commitments and share with other colleagues at a
deeper level who they are, what they are about, and how to become even
better at what they do every day. And it all takes place in an amazing
and exquisitely beautiful place!
If
you have questions about the seminar, would like to attend or if you
would like to recommend a participant, contact Carla Silver at
408-348-8617. You can also click here for the full seminar materials and to register online.
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The Inn at the End of The Trail:
The Hotel La Fonda 
The last day of January and the first day of the new month, we three gathered in person to prepare our plans for the Seminar from every angle including meeting spaces, materials, accommodations, meals, and transportation. We seized the occasion of our Planning Session to meet at La Fonda in Santa Fe, home of our Leadership Seminar. In every single way it was the right thing to do. For example, the same staff colleagues with whom we have worked for years still work at La Fonda and remembered events we held there more than a decade ago. In viewing rooms and meeting spaces we were delighted at the suitability of each facility and were frankly overwhelmed with the high quality of the standard and deluxe rooms. The renovations have made a excellent venue even more superior. Literally meeting at a conference table in the midst of the Inn's offices, we were surprised to have Desiree Quintana return between our different inspections to announce that she and the powers that be had decided to reduce our already-amazing nightly rate from $119 to $99, available for the nights of the conference and nights before and after as well.
What changed?
It was clear that as we inspected La Fonda with people in different roles there that we established and renewed our relationships. Our friends could not help but hear our working on details and intentions for the Seminar and they got caught up in what we were planning and they could envision those of you who are coming to this or future Seminars. They clearly wanted us at La Fonda enough to help us all in challenging economic times. Not only were we immensely grateful, but we also perceived a valuable lesson. Doing the work of planning, inspecting, revising, and learning together in-person and on-site is quintessential preparation that assures the quality of an anticipated experience and invariably opens the door for something that is a surprise but not something unanticipated. This is the path to good experiences in learning and teaching.
We'll be sharing more of what we have planned, including our own enthusiasm which seems to increase with every step of this endeavor. Please look for anyone of us at NAIS for a discussion around any of the many aspects of the Seminar. You may be the genesis of our next anticipated surprise.
Click here to learn more about the past and present of the Hotel La Fonda.
A few things that La Fonda has to offer you during your stay.
ยท- Complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel
- Fitness center with steam rooms
- The Spa at La Fonda massage services
- Outdoor hot tub and heated swimming pool, open year-round
- Covered parking (Only $5.00 a night for Seminar Participants
- Nightly turndown service
- Room service
- Plush, comfortable terrycloth robes
This is a first class hotel in a remarkable city.
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Celebrating David Mallery
Everyone I know within the independent school
world knew David Mallery and had at some time attended one of his
seminars working with teachers and administrators. David and I used to
joke that when you hang around long enough, you get to meet a lot
of people. One of David's special gifts, among many, was staying in
touch and remembering us -- who we were and what we were all about and
being genuinely interested in what we were doing.
I remember
attending a David Mallery workshop on administrative leadership in the
early eighties at Applewild School in the Berkshires that began a
quarter century relationship with this very special person. When I
moved to Philadelphia to become a head of school, I had the distinct
pleasure of seeing David more often and one of our special treats was
to have tea together at one of several special places along the Main
Line. How civilized, how urbane, and how unforgettable!
We
shared stories about people we knew, places we had been, and always
about schools and those who lead them. David was full of stories, full
of good will, kindness, generosity of spirit, and always and in all
ways encouraging, supportive and helpful. He knew how to ask
penetrating and probing questions that got to the heart of the matter.
That was David. Goodness of heart as well as head.
David's
Westtown Seminars were legendary and my son, now a Science teacher and
department chair in a Friends' School, was the beneficiary of one or
more of those experiences. So it went for so many.
I suppose
that in some ways, without my being fully conscious of his influence,
the Santa Fe Leadership Seminars were inspired in part by my
experiences with David both personally and professionally. To that end
we would like to dedicate this April Santa Fe Seminar to David Mallery
and his many years of service to the profession, to thousands of people
who have been privileged to have known him and enjoyed his presence
among us.
Like David, we celebrate good teaching and outstanding
leadership in schools, and we endeavor to assist and support those who
give themselves to the enterprise of educating young people. It's an
awesome responsibility and such noble work. In David's spirit we offer
this opportunity to learn together, to take time out to renew mind and
spirit in an inspiring setting and to discover new strategies for your
best work.
Gary Gruber
For those who would like to read more about David Mallery, we have provided two links that can give you a sense of his creative spirit and his life's work.
David Mallery's Website
NAIS Mallery Tribute
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About Us
We are excited to meet you. We are the Santa Fe Leadership Center team, Gary Gruber, Timothy McIntire and Carla Silver. Click here to read more about our careers and leadership experiences.
Please visit the Santa Fe Leadership Center to learn more about our programs and our other leadership services and opportunities.
Santa Fe Leadership Center
17 Camino Redondo, Placitas, NM 87043
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