Measuring Success

As leaders, how do we measure the success of our work, the development of our teams, or the achievement of our goals?

While history best remembers Julius Rosenwald as co-owner and president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, he is widely recognized as a visionary leader whose commitment to social change transformed the landscape of African American education in the early 20th century. Working closely with Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute, Rosenwald established more than 5,000 Rosenwald Schools across the country, offering equal education, dignity, and opportunities for Black students. Channeling what he learned while growing Sears, Roebuck and Company from a small, mail-order catalogue into a retail giant, Rosenwald led his school initiative using a three-step leadership approach we can learn much from, today. 

1

Leverage the Multiplier Effect.  In economics, the multiplier effect is the phenomenon by which a change in financial input results in a larger change in financial output. And it comes as no surprise that Rosenwald approached dismantling the inequality faced by the Jim Crow era Black community through his lens of business acumen. Recognizing both the profound impact education has on communities, and the unequal educational quality and opportunities faced by African Americans, Rosenwald prioritized initiatives for quality education (over other relief efforts), believing this would create a ripple effect leading to broad social and economic improvement for this marginalized demographic.

​But even within this targeted approach, Rosenwald concentrated his efforts. Working with Washington to identify geographical communities most in need, he constructed his schools in areas where they would have the most significant impact, and the greatest potential to spur forward momentum.

​Lesson for today’s leaders.  Rather than diluting efforts across many programs, locations or groups, consider focusing your efforts on projects that have the greatest potential for scale and sustainability. ​

2

Set clear goals and measure the outcome. Rosenwald believed that good leaders provided clear direction, and that good leadership was measurable. Before breaking ground on any Rosenwald school, he and Washington worked together with local parents, educators and leaders to identify the unique needs of the students the school would serve. Based on the needs of the community, Rosenwald then set clear, specific, written goals for the school to work toward. To ensure they were leading effectively toward these goals, Rosenwald employed several strategies to measure success.

• Believing in the power of numbers data to access the effectiveness of any given approach, Rosenwald required each of his schools to provide detailed and regular reports on school attendance rates, student performance, graduation rates, and community engagement. He also employed outside agencies to track post-graduation college acceptance rates, employment rates and entrepreneurial ventures.
• Recognizing the need for specialized oversight, Rosenwald closely partnered with Washington’s Tuskegee Institute, an established educational institution with expertise in educating African American students. Tuskegee played a crucial role in monitoring the educational progress of Rosenwald’s student body, and provided crucial guidance as each school worked to structure its curriculum to meet the needs of  students. 
• Rosenwald frequently visited the schools in his initiative, engaging with students, teachers, parents, and community members to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges, successes and failures experienced by his student body. These visits allowed him to see, firsthand, the impact of his schools, and where further improvements were needed.

Lesson for today’s leaders.  In addition to clearly communicating the goals of any given project, consider using several, varied methods of data collection to assess results.  ​

3

Adopt a culture of constant improvement.  In response to what he learned through school visits and data collection, Rosenwald consistently made improvements to his school initiative. From increasing his financial contributions, to instituting teacher training programs that enhanced the skills of his educators, to making the groundbreaking decision to include classes on African American history, literature, arts and culture in the curriculum of every school within his initiative, Rosenwald never stopped looking for ways to make his schools better serve his students. 

Lesson for today’s leaders.  When we think of the overarching initiative of a project as an ideal we work toward, rather than a finish line, we remain open to every avenue of improvement.

​Julius Rosenwald’s strategic leadership was a hallmark of his approach to creating meaningful and lasting impact. He understood that success required him to focus his efforts, impartially evaluate his results, and keep the mindset of forward motion. There is much we can learn from his approach, and much we can accomplish when we put it into action.

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