“The difference between yesterday and tomorrow is us”. That phrase is often shared with staff as a way to help someone be motivated to improve and give their best effort. In the previous blog post, we shared insights from Don Clifton and the book Strengths Based Leadership on what organizations can do to help retain staff so they stay. That involved the importance of developing trust, showing compassion, providing stability and giving hope. In this blog post, we want to take that a step further and share 3 components that you can use with students or staff that will help them thrive. Retaining staff is important but leaders must also be aware of what they can do to help others improve and reach their potential.
The variable that is different in any school and in any school year are the PEOPLE. The foundation of a great school is the people; the key is how do leaders galvanize staff to come together to create amazing experiences during this school year. Together educators can accomplish anything. While there may be things we cannot predict that will happen this year, we do know that our collective resolve, resilience and focus on supporting each other is what matters most. Leaders can help their staff not only improve but thrive if they focus on the following:
3 Components that help others thrive
- Create Connections
- Help the person develop their capabilities
- Develop their confidence
Creating Connections
When you think about what you can control in your daily life there is very little. We cannot control other people, the phone calls or emails we will receive or the situations that we encounter daily. But we can control our Efforts, Attitudes and Behaviors with others and towards others. Leaders must recognize that our effort should be to support others and help them within their role. This includes our attitudes by seeing everyone as a 10 ; in other words as a valuable teammate that is an essential part to our school organizations. This starts by always placing an emphasis on listening to others, valuing their input and celebrating their accomplishments. If a person can focus on these three key areas and do this consistently then they will find they are making a greater impact with staff or students by creating meaningful connections.
Help the person develop their capabilities
As school leaders, no matter our exact roles, we have many tasks on our plates. It is important that leaders continually try to focus on the work, not the management of the job, that includes helping others improve. If we can spend time helping others improve within their role then it will directly help students and the overall school organization. This starts if leaders are intentional with their work as far as how they use their time and efforts. This includes:
- Praise – How you give credit to others
- Feedback – Feedback is one of the most important but underutilized aspects within education and is a key to improving. We must provide feedback to others that is specific, genuine and provides the items that propels growth.
- Communication – When we visit with others, are we listening to their words, both with our own eyes and ears? We must also be consistent with our messaging and use the same words or phrases with staff-students-parents so there is a consistent message.
- Modeling – How leaders model their behaviors and actions is the tipping point that determines if others also will use those same behaviors.
- Vulnerability – One of the greatest ways to build trust and connection with others is to share your own vulnerability. All of us are learning and that includes making mistakes, so the more we share our experiences and failures with others it helps others to recognize the importance of trying risks to improve.
Develop their Confidence
If leaders can create connections and build relationships with others, and at the same time also help the person improve, then the individual will over time develop more confidence in themselves. Confidence may be one of the most important factors that leaders can develop in staff and that staff can develop in students. This will help the individual be willing to try to take more risks to improve, be resilient when things don’t go well, connect with other like minded individuals and stay consistent on the right work.
Leaders must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts. This includes incorporating the 3 components within our work that help others improve and thrive over time. This includes creating connections, helping others improve and developing their confidence.
The focus of leaders must be people over programs and using strategies to propel others forward in their journey. I hope this blog allows leaders to remember our purpose and perhaps, reflect and adjust our focus so we can be our best for others. It is never too late to change or adapt to create something better. We owe that to our students and staff that we serve. I encourage you to reflect and better understand “How to help others thrive” as a leader and how we each have opportunities to strive to get better and that includes learning from others but also supporting others. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com
Learn
Engage
Adapt
Delegate
Empower
Reflect
Serve
Lead Learner Perspectives 