00:00:00Patricia Cross, transcript, November 2, 2020
[00:30]
Ariel: What part of your personal biography or background led you to this position?
Patricia: Well, I have danced since I was four years old. Dance has been a part
of my life and I love it and I actually majored in ballet in college and I got
my degree from Skidmore College in dance. I've taught and I've choreographed,
and I started a non-profit ballet company in upstate New York. A little regional
ballet company and I've started several schools in different parts of the
country. So, it's just what I do, I've done it all my life. In 1993 I was
teaching at Belmont actually and Vanderbilt and Harding Academy. Places where it
was just expensive for students to take dance. Really, I felt like God was
calling me to start a school for children who couldn't afford it. So, in 2000 I
started the non-profit. So, we're celebrating our twentieth anniversary this year.
Ariel: Oh, that's wonderful! I didn't know that.
Patricia: Yea I know it's kind of amazing to me. You know I love ballet I love
children I love teachers and I want everybody to have that opportunity, I think
it's really important.
Ariel: Definitely, I totally agree with you. We spent so much money
Patricia: I know
Ariel: I didn't even realize obviously you know as a kid and I started at four
as well which is interesting, but I had to stop because of my knees. My knees
still give me problems to this day
Patricia: Do they? Oh shoot.
Ariel: Yea they're really bad.
Patricia: Yea, oh that's too bad.
Ariel: But, yea I love that you've done that because I want to do a similar
thing which is the other reason I thought of you is because I want to give kids
the opportunity to do dance and art and things like that, that they wouldn't
otherwise because of funding
Patricia: Right
Ariel: Yea. I didn't know that you started school like in New York I had no idea
about that, that's really cool
Patricia: Yea well it was upstate New York I started a school and then we moved
our school over to the state university of New York over in Plattsburgh and then
I started a school in Eugene Oregon. And, oh I didn't start a school down here,
I just worked for other people down here, but I had a school in Minneapolis and
so anyways that's just what I've done.
Ariel: Wow that's really cool, okay. What cultural identities/experiences are
most salient for you?
Patricia: Okay well, I mean up until I started Rejoice, I really did not have a
lot of experience with diversity and I am eternally grateful that I have had
that experience. It's so important. I'm just amazed at the culture at Rejoice
because it is very diverse it's like 50/50 fifty percent white and fifty percent
black or biracial or Hispanic or Asian and everybody comes together to dance you
know and we've had very few racial issues. We've had some, but we haven't had
very many. I think that's really miraculous and I think its because they're all
coming together to do something that they absolutely love. And we're not doing
it artificially trying to get black people and white people together. They're
coming together to do something they love, and I think that's important. And I
have grown tremendously as a result of Rejoice myself. Because as I said I
didn't have a lot of experience with diversity. I grew up in Minneapolis and as
we know there are racial issues there and I wasn't even aware of that as a kid.
You know I'm really shocked. So, I guess that's the most important thing to me
is that we come together. And if we get to know each other from different
cultures from different countries from different races if we just get to be
friends, I think the issues can go away and that's what I like about Rejoice.
Everybody is coming together to do something they love to do. And it's just kind
of a natural coming together.
Ariel: Yea. That's kind of why I went to film because everybody does film, I've
worked with so many different types of people and it's the same thing because I
can't dance anymore. Everyone comes together for art it doesn't matter what you
look like or what background you come from; art is universal.
Patricia: Right!
Ariel: I love that answer because it's so true.
Patricia: Yea and art is so important. I don't think we really appreciate it
enough in our culture. It's very important for so many reasons. So, I'm so
thankful that you're doing that Ariel that's great!
Ariel: Okay. What experiences have most shaped you as a leader?
Patricia: Oh boy. That's a tough one. You know my degree is in dance and all of
my experience is in dance, but I did start ballet schools I did start a ballet
company and to be honest I learned as I went. I mean I've read quite a few
leadership books, but I've never done leadership training. It was on the job
training for me basically.
Ariel: Wow. Okay. Were you called into leadership or did you seek it because of
held convictions?
Patricia: I think I was called into leadership. I think I was called by God to
start Rejoice honestly now that might sound weird to some people, but I don't
think it's something I would have thought about myself. And I think starting my
own school it just seemed like the thing to do so I think I was called to do it.
Ariel: Yea definitely. Okay. How have you learned from obstacles and challenges faced?
Patricia: I'm really an introvert.
Ariel: Yea
Patricia: So, when it comes to confrontation with parents, students or board
members I just kind of I shrink. I don't want to deal with it but I've learned
that I absolutely have to. You can't be a leader and not deal with confrontation
and obstacles, so I've just bit the bullet and prayed and went forward and did
what I thought I had to do and I've gotten more courageous over the years but
it's still not my favorite thing.
Ariel: Yea. I'm kind of an introvert too. But yea I don't like confrontation I
want everyone to be happy.
Patricia: Right
Ariel: I don't like when people are arguing. It gives me anxiety. I've been in a
position of leadership and I've had to deal with things and I just don't like it
but yea. As you said I definitely think that with the leadership role you have
to deal with confrontation
Patricia: Right
Ariel: You know different people and different opinions. It's definitely hard,
but absolutely necessary unfortunately.
Patricia: Yea it really is, and you learn as you go. I think the important thing
is to be gentile and kind, but this is what it is, and I have to do what I have
to do. So anyway. Not fun.
Ariel: Yea definitely. And the this next one What does leadership mean to you?
Patricia: Well leadership. First of all affirming our staff and allowing them to
have their input and their opinion and to work together. My leadership style is
not this is it and this is what we're doing you know we talk about it, we work
together and I have a wonderful team and I think there is a spirit of respect
and love at Rejoice and it comes from the teachers they really do respect each
other they care about each other and I feel like that comes from the leadership
down. If I'm just not caring about anybody well then everybody's going to be
unhappy. So, I want us to be a team I want us to work together and the other
thing I love about our teachers is their emphasis, their focus is on the
students They want them to do well and I do too and so we all have the same goal
and we work together well and that's really important to me and then the other
thing I've learned is I have to ask for help. That's really hard I always tend
to feel like well I have to just do it myself, well no I don't. I don't have to
do it myself and a lot of times there's someone else that can do it even better
and would enjoy doing it so that's been a real growing thing that I'm thankful for.
Ariel: Yea, it's so funny how what you're saying it applies to me.
Patricia: Really?
Ariel: Yes. Recently God's been working his ways in my life and doing certain
things and I just feel like everything's been happening for a reason and I'm so
glad I thought of you because what you're saying is helping me personally right now
Patricia: Well good!
Ariel: Yea! I've gone through similar situations and as somebody who wants to be
in the entertainment industry, I want to be a director, writer and producer. So,
what we're talking about right now is something I'll have to deal with in the
future. I really appreciate this. Okay the next question is. How would you
characterize your leadership style? So, you kind of said it a little bit.
Patricia: Yea I think my leadership style is one of friendliness one of teamwork
one of inclusivity one of honoring others and realizing that I don't know
everything and reaching out to people to do the things that they do well and
that just enhances everybody.
Ariel: Exactly, yea. Oh, and mind you these questions are from my professor that
she gave everybody and I
Patricia: Uh huh
Ariel: She didn't tell us that we couldn't write our own questions, but I
probably should have. So, yea that's why they're so generic.
Patricia: Oh well that's okay.
Ariel: Yea. What are your professional strengths/weaknesses? You've already kind
of said this so if you want to go to the next one, we can.
Patricia: Well I think my professional strengths are that I care about people, I
love people I think my weaknesses are that I am an introvert. I really don't
like confrontations. Yea, so.
Ariel: Yea. Okay. What or who has been your greatest influence?
Patricia: I would say my sister. She's three years older than me and she has her
doctorate in education and she's been the president of a university, executive
director of several non-profits and she's writing a book. So, she's been really
helpful. She's recommended books to me and I call her when I'm having an issue
and I guess she would be my mentor.
Ariel: Okay. The next one is. Leaders help to turn ideas into action and empower
others. How do you accomplish this? And I can read it again if you didn't
understand what I said.
Patricia: No, I think I got that.
Ariel: Okay
Patricia: So, yea I mean there's no way I could do Rejoice by myself, but
somebody had to start it. So, I'm the one that started it I did the paperwork to
set it up as a 501c3. And I you know run the day to day stuff. We have about ten
teachers and we have a part time communication and marketing director and a
grant writer and they're all very important. There's no way that I could do it
by myself I mean you just have to work with other people.
Ariel: Definitely
Patricia: Yea
Ariel: Okay. Next one is Do you feel it is important to delegate? If so why?
That's the first part of the question, there's another part.
Patricia: Oh okay. Definitely yea and I've learned to do that and it's been a
joy because I've found that some of the stuff I don't have the skills or I don't
want to do there's other people in our organization that do have those skills
and they love doing it. This is an example we have. One of our teachers has her
master's degree in math and she actually teaches at Belmont. She teaches dance
and math Allison Hardy I don't know if you know her but anyway, she does our
assessments. She really knows what she's doing and so it's wonderful and I'm so
thankful that I asked her to do that.
Ariel: Okay. When/ How do you delegate? Is the next part of the question.
Patricia: Well I look at who we have, and I try to figure out what their
interest is. Another person that really helps us out a lot is Molly Robinson and
she's one of our teachers. She's been teaching for years and she loves recitals.
So I asked her several years ago to manage our recitals and I mean she's just
run with it and done a fantastic job. So, just trying to figure out what people
like to do and what they have the skills to do and then asking them and then if
they don't want to do it then you know that's fine but if they do that's just
good for the organization and for everybody.
Ariel: Right. Okay and we're on the last four questions so this one is. How do
you measure success and how do you learn from failure?
Patricia: Well, we measure success one way by the assessments that Allison does.
We send out surveys at the beginning of the year. We have the students do a
self-efficacy survey and then we do the same one at the end of the year and you
can tell if they've grown in the life skills that we're hoping that they will
learn. We also just finished our ballet exams on what they're going to be
learning this year so they won't do well on that because they haven't learned
that stuff but at the end of the year we'll do the same thing and they will have
learned it all so they will have really improved so that's another thing. We
survey our audiences and then we survey our parents and you know it's helpful to
know what they think and so that's our assessments and what about the failures?
Ariel: Oh, it's how do you learn from failure.
Patricia: Okay. I'm trying to think. I mean we've basically been pretty
successful. We have had some failures. I had a failure with a board, and it was
pretty devastating. But I learned I had to go on. I couldn't allow them to
interfere with what we were doing and so I learned to be strong and reach out to
other people. We created a new board and it was really challenging but I learned
that I am a pretty strong person and that I can manage things I can handle
things that are difficult.
Ariel: Okay. What are two or three action steps you believe are essential to
enable others to be successful?
Patricia: Let's see. I think. Well. Ask them what their interests are. Like
Molly for instance, she loves, she absolutely loves recitals. So, I found out
that she liked recitals and then I gave her the job as manager of the recitals
and then her and I sat down and made a plan what do we have to do, what are the
things we have to do. And so, I worked with her at the beginning, but now she
runs with it she does the whole thing and it's wonderful. And I did the same
thing with TA's she manages all of our TA's now and that's another wonderful
thing that she does. And you know I just asked her if she might want to do that
and she did and so I worked with her we sat down and figured out what do you
have to do. She sends out the background checks she works with Belmont on hiring
them and she does the whole thing and she does a great job. It's just I think
finding out what somebody wants to do and helping them get started and then
allowing them to run with it and not interfering. I think sometimes leaders just
interfere and be kind of a pain and, but she's doing a great job so she doesn't
need me.
Ariel: Yea. I think that's also an important part of being a leader is knowing
when the people that you've kind of helped can you know like fly, like spread
their wings and get away from you because people that hover that are leaders I
feel like they don't trust the people around them
Patricia: Right!
Ariel: It's extremely important to trust those that you're working with or who
are working underneath you because you have your own other things to worry about
you know worrying about their things and yours, I feel like would be
overwhelming. So, you just kind of have to know the people you're working with
and then you know trust them because if not I feel like it's just energy wasted
where you could have it somewhere else and make what you're doing better.
Patricia: Yea, yea, no that's good. That's good Ariel you're absolutely right.
Ariel: Yea. Okay Last two questions this is the second to last one it is. What
advice do you have for building relationships and trust in an organization?
Patricia: Well I think one of the main things is listening to others. I don't
know everything, and other people don't know everything and realizing that we
are a team. I can share my knowledge and they can share their knowledge and we
can come together and figure out what's the best option for the school. And
building a team, I think affirming people it's really important that they know,
wow I really appreciate the job you did so people want to hear that, they need
to hear that and also when something is not going right sitting down and talking
to them and saying okay what can we do here how can we you know deal with this
situation and I mean I had one recently. And we worked it out and it was fine,
and you know it's just communication. Listening, talking and working together
and teamwork, I think.
Ariel: The final question is. What do you want your legacy to be?
Patricia: I'm actually planning to retire next July. So I would love for my
legacy to be the continuation of Rejoice. I hope it will go on after me and we
have a search committee and don't, probably don't put that in there because we
haven't made the announcement yet. But we do have a search committee and we're
looking for a new executive director so I'm hoping that Rejoice will continue
after I leave that would be just wonderful. So maybe when you say what do I wish
my legacy to be I guess I would like my legacy to be creating a school that is
inclusive and loving and kind and where everybody is welcome.
Ariel: Okay. That's a wonderful answer for that question. We were actually
talking about it recently in class how some people are like oh I don't want a
legacy because I'm focused on the work that I am doing but for me I feel like
it's important to want a legacy because for me a legacy is how you leave people
how they feel about you after you've gone and that God put us on the earth to
spread light and love and so it's important to leave people with that feeling of
being appreciate and being loved and feeling important.
Patricia: Yea
Ariel: I think legacies are important to talk about and to want to have because
we're not on earth very long so this little section of life that we have on
earth I feel like it's important to leave some kind of mark in people's hearts
so yea.
Patricia: Yea that's good.
Ariel: Yea, well those are all of my questions. She said it could be an hour
long. I mean that's way too long I feel like, I think we did good. I think it's
a long enough time.
Patricia: Yea
Ariel: I think it was a good interview, good conversation. I'm going to stop the
recording now.
