An Interview with Tom Watkins: Opening Doors to China

Tom Watkins

5.19.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - Recently I caught up with Tom Watkins, a former state superintendent of schools for the state of Michigan, President and CEO of the economic council of Palm Beach County, Florida and talked to him about a range of topics

An Interview with Tom Watkins: Opening Doors to China

Michael F. Shaughnessy

Eastern New Mexico University

Portales, New Mexico

Recently I caught up with Tom Watkins, a former state superintendent of schools for the state of Michigan, President and CEO of the economic council of Palm Beach County, Florida and talked to him about a range of topics.

In many ways, Tom Watkins represents the future. Successful in a number of different fields, he has led the state education system, chaired the State Board of Education and served on the Detroit School Board. Tom's a reformer, challenging the nonsensical portions of the Bush "No Child Left Behind" law while embracing its moral imperative and helping to create quality charter schools in two urban area in two different states.

He has served as an academic assistant to two presidents of  major urban research universities and held academic appointments while writing an internationally- recognized report on e-learning which has been translated into a number of languages.

Tom is now managing a successful consulting business in the U.S. and China , is a regular newspaper columnist, and has led a major business organization and served Michigan as its Mental Health Director.

In many respects, Tom's career ladder more resembles a rock climb, reaching multiple peaks, in his climb to success.

1) Tom, you left the State Superintendent role back in 2005 -- what have you been doing since then?

I continue to be actively engaged with education issues both here and in China. I also consult with a number of school districts on such areas as budgets, labor relations, strategic planning, consolidation, shared services, e-learning as well as community and media relations.

I have most enjoyed my lifelong work of building two-way academic, economic and cultural bridges with China. I served as consultant to the Detroit CBS television affiliate for a 2-hour, Emmy Award-winning documentary, "Building Bridges From The Great Lakes to the Great Wall" and am most proud of the work I did to help bring Mandarin Chinese to a number of Michigan schools.

My work is with nonprofits, schools health and mental health as well as business. I serve as a consultant to a private K-12 school in China as well as an honorary professor there. I am also a regular columnist for several publications across Michigan on a variety of topics.

I stay busy!

2) Why China?

First, while in grade school, a great teacher originally sparked my interest in China. Great teachers at all levels from grade school to graduate school touch the future when they open up the world of learning to students.

China began as a fascination and has evolved into a passion. Because of its size and cultural intensity, China will touch all our lives well into the future. Economists predict China will be the largest world economy before the first half of this century ends. With 1/5th of all humanity within its country's borders, Mandarin Chinese remains the most spoken language on the planet.

While the culture, history and language first attracted me to China, the country has since become a magnet to me as I have traveled and worked there the past 21 years, learning a lot about myself in the process.

My goal is to continue to learn, finding ways to build connections and working to assure China's rise does not come at our demise.

3) Tom, with your deep interest in China, and having traveled extensively throughout the country for over 20 years, tell us about the Shanghai World Expo or World Fair that is scheduled to start May 1 and run through October 31, 2010.

There is so much to tell about this 6-month long extravaganza, expected to draw over 70 million people. The irony is few in the U.S. have even heard a thing about it!

The theme of the Expo is: "Better City, Better Life" and it promises to be a "grand gathering of the World's cultures."

For more about the Expo, readers can check out the following articles and websites:

     * Shanghai, China official web site-- www.en.expo2010.9,

     * Article: "From Mao to Wow!: the World Expo in Shanghai, China will astound the world" I wrote on the Expo at: www.oaklandpress.com/articles/2010/02/14/opinion/doc4b736169b7f632232167036.txt

     * Dan Redford's Blog: Dan, a 21-year-old Michigan State University Student is representing the U.S. as a volunteer Ambassador at the World Expo at: www.shanghai-exposed.com and see his updates at: www.domemagazine.com

Like everything in China, the Shanghai World Expo promises to be big, really BIG!

4) You were always quick with a quote. The two I remember best: You called our public schools and community colleges the "true Statute of Liberty of this great country" and something about a "yardstick and quality education." Can you explain?

Education has been and will remain the great equalizer, not only in America, but around the globe. America is great because we have invested in "human capital" - we have educated our people.

Why the comparison to the Statute of Liberty? It is quite simple. Name another institution that truly takes the tired, the hungry, the poor the huddled masses to give them hope and opportunity. This happens every day in our neighborhood public schools be they traditional or charter and in our community colleges.

If we are to remain strong as a nation we must invest in education, creativity and innovation. The city, county, state or nation that invests in quality education will be the area that will thrive in the 21st century. I want my country to be that place.  We must strive to be the brain bank of the world where everyone wants to come for deposits and withdraws.

Our community colleges remain a great American innovation. For me, Henry Ford Community College was a life saver. I was not focused in high school but the community college gave me a second chance. I would not have accomplished what I have without the educational foundation Henry Ford Community college offered.

Furthermore, not everyone needs to have a Ph.D. Community colleges are doing an excellent job of providing certificate programs and associate degrees that jump start careers in health, human service, technical fields, criminal justice and other first responders. And with great faculty, lower tuition and smaller class sizes, they are the grand bargain of higher education in this country.

President Clinton had it right when he said, "If community colleges had not been created, we would be rushing to do so".

We need to continue to invest in education if we want to be competitive as individuals, a state and nation in the global knowledge economy where ideas and jobs can and do move around the globe effortlessly.

I also believe we should measure every action we make as education leaders/policy makers against this statement: "Show me how this helps our teachers teach and children learn."

If a policy, direction, procedure, expenditure does not help us accomplish this goal, why do it? I believe these ideas remain a powerful reminder of where our focus should be.

5) As you mentioned, you have published quite a few newspaper articles, op-eds and magazine essays on a variety of subjects including China, but also leadership, state budget, government and school reform, environment, social justice. The list could go on and on. Why do your write? It's not publish or perish for you, like a university, is it?

I write because I think. Ideas pop in my head and I although I have kiddingly said it is a simple formula, I do:

* Have ideas

* Ideas percolate over and over in my head until I write them down and share with friends and colleagues

* Male ego? Well, I think my ideas, are something that others should also care about! (he says laughing!)

Seriously, I believe that ideas DO matter and having thoughtful, civil conversations is good for our democracy. It is, after all, ideas that helped make this country great.

We need more thoughtful civil discourse in every city, state and on a national and international level. I hope, on a small scale, to do my part.

6) You have moved in and out of the private sector and public sector throughout your career and seem genuinely invigorated with your work now as a consultant. Would you ever consider re-entering the public sector and if so, what would draw you back?

Great question. I do enjoy the freedom of my current work. It has enabled me to travel globally and I love learning from other people around the world. I have been to China 4-5 times in the last year alone.

Having said that, my work in the public sector, as a local elected official, being responsible for running two departments of state government (education and mental health), working in the Governor's office and working at Wayne State University were all invigorating.

The people in government and education are overwhelming competent and hard working, in spite of what some people think. I enjoyed the team spirit we formed to help solve societal problems. I truly feel the work I have done in the public sector, along with the team around me, has been some of the most professionally rewarding times for me.

Public work enables you to leave a public legacy - educating youth, creating safe shelters, challenging the status quo. It adds value and makes a difference.

I would like to find a leadership role that enables me to use my skills in administration, government, business, media and labor relations.

I have had my share of successes and made my share of mistakes but I welcome the opportunity to lead the right public organization in the future. And with the right reform-minded Governor, I would again consider a role in state government.

I have also looked at a few urban superintendent jobs and would consider a small college or community college that needs a leader, a team player with an academic but diverse set of skills not usually found in academic settings.

While I'm not actively looking, I am open for the right leadership role in the private or public sector.

7) There is lots of talk about management or leadership style. You have been successful across a number of professional endeavors in the public and private sectors. What do you attribute this to, what is your leadership style?

I wish I could say it is attributed to all the management and leadership books I have read. However, I believe the best leadership training comes from having a large family and playing sports. I played football and boxed with the Boys Club, learning a great deal though team sports.

But overall, the best leadership skills were garnered through growing up in a large family without lots of financial wealth. When you are the 3rd eldest of 7 kids, you find strategies to survive! Especially with 4 sisters! They were always there to remind me "you are not the smartest one!"

When I worked at Wayne State University the shared governance reminded me of growing up. My belief is just because you have the "title" as the director, president, CEO, it does not automatically endow you with knowledge and wisdom. It is best, given the opportunity, to engage and involve people in decision-making. Better decisions and results come from this process - whether it's in a large family or a private or public organization.

The Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak."

In this fast-paced, disruptive world we sometimes don't have the luxury of time to fully engage others in decisions. While it is my practice to engage folks in decisions that impact them and the organization where they work, sometimes it is not possible, and then I am quite comfortable making decisions and being held accountable.

I also learned from an early age to value money and have always tried to maximize private and public resources to the best of my ability.

Early in my career, I learned from a mentor about expenditures of public monies: "If this was your money and my money, would we spend it this way?" This question has helped guide me throughout my public career.

Travel and interacting with different cultures has reinforced my academic and life experience in the role of a leader. Every time I think I have reached a conclusion on a topic, I learn still more from my travels. Not everyone sees the world in the same way. I collect kaleidoscopes as a reminder that leading an organization, like life, is full of constant and unpredictable change.

8) You have been in a tough union/labor country a good part of your career. How have you managed with these tough unions?

I respect employees, represented by a labor union, or not, and believe people want to do a good job and add value to an organization. I learned from my Dad very early in life that you should treat people fairly, decently and respect them. I value a diverse work environment. I believe firing someone is the capital punishment of the work place and should only be done with due process and as the last resort.

Working with these beliefs has served me well with the organizations I have led.

I have found the overwhelming majority of labor leaders, (certainly, not all) to be fair, bright and reasonable. Four of the best are David Hecker, the President of the Michigan Federation of Teachers, Mark Gaffney, the President of the Michigan AFL-CIO Frank Garrison, former head of the Michigan AFL-CIO ( now deceased)and Paul Massaron, Chief Executive Assistant to President of UAW (Ret).

Did we agree on everything? Not at all! Yet I do respect them as leaders and I always felt, even when we had different perspectives, that they fought fair and were doing their best to represent their members and found the common ingredients to be smarts, toughness, honesty and fairness.

In my career, I have been given my share of plaques. One that I accepted with humility and honor was from the Michigan Federation of Teachers. Why? I believe we have a genuine mutual respect that was earned on both sides. There are many good men and women in that organization, starting at the top.

9) You have been in some tough leadership roles in your career. What do you do to relax and release tension?

I love to ride my bike (when Michigan weather allows) travel, hike and read. I have learned the hard way that you must not be "all work and no play". It is personally unhealthy, not to mention unhealthy for the organization I am responsible for, to not have outside interests and time to refresh and reflect.

So, I've learned over the years to make time for friends, family and loved ones, to recharge. It was a painful lesson to learn -- family and friends have a wonderful way of keeping you humble and grounded. 

10) You do write a great deal and many articles are published here in. Ed News. Are there other places for people to look for your writings?

Yes, check out www.domemagazine.com. I am a regular columnist.

11) If people want to reach you, or better still, hire you as a consultant,  what is the best way to reach you?

E-mail me at tdwatkins@aol.com or call me at (248) 345-2550. My Blackberry phone is always at my side. I have even learned that when I am in China and get a three AM call (3 PM EST in the U.S.) to have handy the Blackberry in silent mode! I promise I will get back to you shortly.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts with the Ed News readers. You and Jimmy Kilpatrick do a great service through the Ed News Forum.