Lead Learner Perspectives

It starts with supporting others

As I write this blog I am thinking to myself “what do I need to do to help ensure our school has a great year”? That is a big question with many possible answers. I actually reflected upon that question all summer and I finally recognized it all starts with supporting others. Great schools exist because of great teachers and support staff. It all starts and comes back to people. That is the most important resource for school leaders as they can develop, nurture and support their own people. This is true every year and this year it is even more a top priority for leaders as the teacher and staff shortage is real. Educators are tired, stressed and worried about many things that make their work of being a success for kids a true challenge. School leaders must place a priority on supporting their staff. Below are key areas that use a relational and culture building lense to help leaders move their staff forward in a positive direction so continual growth and success occurs. I believe that the single greatest indicator about the health of a school is the quality of the relationships of the people within it. As Simon Sinek shares, “Leadership isn’t about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” Leaders must recognize the importance of taking care of their staff and here are some key areas that will provide this focus. I share 4 themes and then some strategies for each theme that can be utilized in any school setting to help support others.

Enlarge the heart

Interact with staff – It is a true challenge to find the time to get around to every staff member daily. I have learned that it is not the quantity of interactions with staff members that create the relationship but rather the quality of those interactions. Leaders must be present in each conversation (ex. do not look at the clock) and keep your eyes and attention on that person. It’s important to be a great listener and see the topic from their perspective.
Develop Trust – We develop trust over time through small behaviors such as the fist bump to a teacher who tried something new, a high five when they experience success and a pat on the back when they need support. When there is trust, staff are more likely to feel cared for and will then come to leaders for support when needed.
Be Visible at school events, carlines, lunches and get into classrooms. Staff value leaders who they see in action.
Show and tell staff how you value them – Send handwritten notes or postcards to staff. In addition, have students make videos about staff impact and share back with staff.

Empower Others to Act

Involve Staff – It is important to focus not on “changing someone” to fit a certain desired culture but focusing on the “growth” of the staff member. In other words, how can you maximize their strengths and “what skills they do have” to help your building. When people feel like they are being given a chance to contribute, they will be more confident. We must find ways to develop confidence in our staff as “Confidence” is the most powerful thing a principal can give a teacher and a teacher can give a student
Examples of how to empower staff include:
- Staff led PD sessions
- Staff led parent events
- Feedback loops with staff
- Genius Hour for staff PD
- School developed goals
- Staff Personal Growth Plan

Inspire a shared Vision

It is essential for leaders to keep the focus simple and “laser like” for their staff so there is a clear understanding of the purpose of the work. We must communicate our vision through stories, emotions and create engagement around the priorities.
Develop collective efficacy by creating strong teams. Keep in mind that “1 person cannot make a team, but 1 person can break a team”. A strong team will help each other stay focused on the right work and be there to help each other when they need it.
Examples of collective efficacy that supports a schools purpose
- Staff led home visits to new families
- Staff led parent book study
- Staff created videos for families

Model the change

Leaders set the tone as we are like the thermostat, not the thermometer. Leaders must Model the behaviors that we want in the building. Lead with positivity, grace and flexibility. Modeling is often the “tipping point” towards positive change. Leaders achieve vulnerability through active listening, sharing their mistakes and embracing discomfort.

Every school year has challenges and this year is unlike no other due to so many external factors and staffing shortages. How leaders maximize positive momentum for their staff is through consistency and a focus on supporting others. This will allow you to focus on spending the right efforts towards the important work of leading others. Leaders need to show gratitude towards staff for being in this most challenging profession, focus on positive relationships, share your excitement about the opportunities we have to help others, be authentic in your leadership style and always have a teachable (learner) mindset. I encourage you to reflect upon how you can make your school year great and what methods will you use to support 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 “It starts with supporting others” so you can leave your legacy. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

Greatest Challenge in Leadership – leading yourself.

As leaders rest and recharge over the summer for the upcoming school year there will be opportunities for reflection and growth. For some individuals this may include participating in conferences, graduate work and work within their roles in their district. For educators there is a desire to improve their craft and help impact others. This blog post shares that the greatest challenge in leadership starts with leading yourself and how that can be done.

There are many conferences, social media posts and opportunities for educators to learn how to improve. Most of this involves improving others or the teams that you are a part of. While this is important work and can improve your school organization, the top leaders point out that this work all starts with first leading yourself. If you cannot lead yourself and improve your leadership, then why would others follow you and how could you develop and influence them? If you think about the role of a leader within an organization there are several common areas the job focuses on:

Setting direction
Developing the learner
Developing others
Making the organization work

To help each of these areas improve in your organization you must first understand how you must improve your own leadership skills so that you can apply the work to your organization. Here are key areas to focus on to improve your leadership first before pouring into others:

Lead yourself daily

This sounds simple but can be very challenging due to the variety of tasks leaders face, multitude of decisions and trying to balance work and personal life. There are areas to consistently focus on within your day that build over time and produce significant results. This includes:

Managing your time so you focus on priorities and areas that deliver results.
Manage your energy and emotions so you do not put efforts into areas that distract from the work.
Manage your thinking so you can focus on being solution focused, setting a vision and on growth.
Managing the areas mentioned above allow you to focus on managing your personal life so you can have a balance which is essential for long term impact.
Be a lifeline learner who is committed to growth. This is done by consistently reading, listening and learning from others who also are demonstrating excellence and growth. You cannot lead without being a learner as the landscape is constantly changing. The only way to be effective is to learn and apply those new ideas to your work that allows for personal and professional growth.

Communication

Most leaders who underperform and over time have little impact are not due to someone’s talent or work ethic. Instead, it is because the leader is unable to communicate to others that make a relationship connection. Communication matters. Here are some important reminders for leaders when they communicate that allow them to be effective at sharing the message and resonating with others.

Be authentic with your message through sharing a story or an idea that the readers/listeners can connect with.
Keep your message clear, simple and to the point so there is clarity and no confusion.
Focus on 1-2 key ideas that allow everyone to understand your purpose, what you are about and how you are trying to improve the organization.

Lead exceptionally well

Before you can help develop others and lead an organization you must demonstrate that you lead yourself at a high level. People will follow the leader first and then the vision or message. Here are some strategies you can use to demonstrate that you are leading at a high level:

Be consistent with your efforts and lead with character that places decisions on what is best for others.
Go the extra mile as that is the difference between good vs. great. That means at times you may need to take the tough job or be willing to do what others will not.
Always develop and share a solution when you mention a problem – be solution focused.
Be a team player for the organization as that makes you a part of something bigger and helps others connect with you.
Be action oriented and “walk the walk” by living your core values through your actions and how you treat others.
Lead with humility as the position is not about you but rather how you can make the position one of influence upon others.

Invest in relational chemistry

The most effective leaders are those that have influence with others. To develop this influence, you must first be someone who has the attributes that allow others to be drawn to you, connected and then believe in you as a person and then as a leader. This is achieved by incorporating the following strategies:

Listen to others before talking so you know their priorities and how you can connect to them.
Learn someone’s strengths, work with their weaknesses.
Be willing to admit your mistakes and be vulnerable enough to share this with others.
Believe that everyone on your staff or within your organization is a “10”. How you view people matters as that is how each individual will feel when they interact with you. Everyone has strengths and areas to improve but if you can focus on their value and what they bring to your school organization then it allows the trust to be built over time.

In summary, educators go into this profession to make a difference and to help others. This work takes passion-persistence-patience. How a person makes a difference may vary from organization to organization but a common trait for all leaders of influence is that they know how to lead themselves at a high level first before they try to develop and lead others. If you want to create a difference then you must be willing to lead yourself first. By recognizing and understanding this importance, you can be intentional with your time, efforts and energy that allows you to be your best version of yourself. Leaders focus on specific strategies and so their efforts help support the overall purpose of pursuing excellence and help to ultimately create their influence within their organization. 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 “Greatest Challenge in Leadership – leading yourself” so you can leave your legacy. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

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Leaving Footprints in the sand

Most educators are in summer or will be in a few short weeks. This is an important time so one can get needed rest, re-charge and do things other than our job roles. The next school year will be here soon. Some educators will be in their same positions next year but others will be in a new position, new school or even outside of education. As we all start the summer break at some point, our impact from all of our hard work this past year will be measured by those we worked with and work for and how they carry forward into next year the skills, habits and culture with those around them. How many “footprints” we leave behind us or how much our impact lasts depends upon the significance of our work and influence we developed in others.

This blog considers what is the work that will allow you to have significance and influence with others so that you can leave footprints in the sand or in other words – your impact will carry on once you are no longer in that role. There are many strategies or attributes one could work on to ensure their impact occurs over time. But we will focus on the most essential that transcend any building level or role and apply to anyone who is in charge of leading others and creating positive change.

Building others up and developing leaders

As John Maxwell has shared, “leadership is influence, nothing more – nothing less.” When leaders take an approach where they focus on building staff up and helping them grow, they are positively impacting the entire school community. To do this, leaders must recognize they need to lead with humility, find the strengths of each member of their team and find ways for that person to contribute. When leaders take an invested role and go one step further and coach their staff who are committed to growth then those staff multiply their impact as staff develop as leaders and the organization move forward. It is better to lead with a strong team and not an individual person.

Culture within the organization

This is where you must start and always focus on as a leader to create a ripple of positive change. This work should include activities with students, staff and families or all stakeholders within the organization. Examples of ways leaders can build this culture are most important in their daily habits and what they model by example but can also include Staff PD, Staff appreciation, Empowering staff, listening to students and partnering with parents within the school experience.

Connect with staff is important on many levels

Leaders must develop and communicate a shared vision. But people don’t follow data or a mission statement; they follow someone they believe in. Leaders must connect with their staff so staff have a sense of a broader purpose that is united by human connectedness. Staff will work hard for anyone as they are in it for kids, but for staff to give the “extra” that does truly make the difference they must believe in the people that lead them. This starts by building trust. This is developed and achieved through a focus on the human characteristics – empathy, vulnerability and valuing the people within our walls.

Developing the growth mindset of your school

A school community that develops into an excellence school is one where there is a focus on continual improvement and focus on growth. Growth of each person where they continually learn and strive to get better. An important part of this work is reflection. Leaders must model reflection and imbed this as part of the work. This should include reflecting upon past experiences and then identifying what practices will be put in place moving forward for growth.

Leaders set the tone

I do believe that leaders include everyone within an organization, not just the administrators. However, it is also true that it’s human nature for people to notice what the “leaders” are doing. As a result, I remind myself that if it is important to build culture then I should:

Model the behaviors that we want in the building.
Show that it is okay to make mistakes and admit when I am wrong.
“Be the thermostat not the thermometer” – in other words it is important to be consistent, calm and purposeful with our work.
Empower others to lead and give them chances to grow within our culture,
Take care of the staff and show how much I appreciate their efforts. As Simon Sinek points out that “Yes, we want to develop leaders and from that we know that someday they may leave for greater leadership opportunities but it is also true that you should treat them so well that they do not want to leave”. Very well said!

In summary, educators go into this profession to make a difference and to help others. How many “footprints” we leave behind us tells our story of our work. This work takes passion-persistence-patience. How we work with others needs to have enthusiasm, empathy for others and empower others to take part in developing the culture. If you want to create a difference then you must be willing to not only lead yourself but pour into developing others. Great schools exist because of the teachers/staff so all of our focus should come back to building the culture with the people that work directly with our students.By recognizing these components then you are more intentional with your time, efforts and energy and can pour into others. Leaders focus on specific strategies and so their efforts help support the overall purpose of pursuing excellence and help to create their “footprints” within their organization. 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 “Leaving Footprints in the sand” so you can leave your legacy. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

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Engage

Adapt

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Empower

Reflect

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What is the most important thing

Through my years as an educator, I have always enjoyed learning about new trends and ideas/strategies to help me improve. Over this time, I have asked myself this important question – “What is the most important thing a leader should do to impart positive change within a school”? As an administrator, I have researched this topic as I truly want to learn what I should be doing to help my school, staff, students and parent community. The various books, blogs, twitter chats have shared different perspectives. While all are valuable, they all have some differences but they also come back to one common theme – CULTURE. As a result, here is my perspective on ways a leader can develop a postive culture within their learning environment

It is all about people

As an educator, I have been in many different buildings during my time and have always strived to build strong connections and relationships. After some successes, but also failed attempts to create relationships to impact culture, I have come to realize that it is important to focus not on “changing someone” to fit a certain desired culture but focusing on supporting the “growth” of the staff member and learning what value or strengths each person brings to the school. This simply means that instead of focusing on what someone “didn’t have” as far as strengths, I now focus on “what skills they do have” and help them to excel in those areas. This has led me to the concept of finding value in each staff member and finding ways how that person can contribute to our culture. I believe that the single greatest indicator about the health of a school is the quality of the relationships of the people within it.

How to create that relationship

It is a true challenge to find the time to get around to every staff member and create these relationships. I have learned that it is not the quantity of interactions with staff members that create the relationship but rather the quality of those interactions. As Susan Scott wrote in her book “Fierce Conversations”, the

“The conversation is the relationship”. I admit when I first read that idea I was unsure of how relatable that would be to culture. However, I have found that when I have been visiting with staff members about an issue or topic that the conversation (done correctly) does lead to greater understanding from everyone involved which in turn creates a stronger relationship. This require me during these conversations to:

Be present in the conversation (ex. do not look at the clock) and keep my eye and attention on that person and topic.
See the topic from their perspective.
Provide praise (if appropriate) to the staff member in an authentic way with specific examples and give immediate feedback.

As I have transitioned into more than one building, I have reminded myself that when we are talking about building relationships, “It is better to go slow and build relationships built on trust then go faster towards creating a culture without the relationships in place.” It takes time to get to know people, but we must “know people to grow people” as it relates to our culture.

Leaders set the tone

Model the behaviors that we want in the building.
Show that it is okay to make mistakes and admit when I am wrong.
“Be the thermostat not the thermometer” – in other words it is important to be consistent, calm and purposeful with our work.
Empower others to lead and give them chances to grow within our culture,
Take care of the staff and show how much I appreciate their efforts. As Simon Sinek points out that “Yes, we want to develop leaders and from that we know that someday they may leave for greater leadership opportunities but it is also true that you should treat them so well that they do not want to leave”. Very well said!

Create learner centered learning environments

To help create our schools that are future focused and developing students with skills so they can be successful in any career, then as leaders we must:

Develop capacity within others to lead our schools (shared leadership)

Use the approach of “fail forward” and give teachers permission to try new strategies or lessons that create higher engagement and skill development.
Get parents involved in our work so they have a better understanding of our purpose.
Most importantly, as Jimmy Casas shares in his book Culturize, the leaders must “be a merchant of hope” for students. When I read that line I thought it was so important for leaders to create meaningful ways for staff to remember the “why” they went into teaching and how they do influence kids on a daily basis.

Communication is the key

As I reflect over the years, I have been disappointed in myself at specific times, as I did not provide the correct type of communication for particular situations. This has allowed me to remember that every action I take (ex. every interaction, every decision and every expression on my face, tone in my voice and body language) conveys my thoughts/emotions to a person. These interactions earn trust or erodes trust and it is up to me to communicate effectively.
When I interact with a staff member about an issue, I remind myself of the phrase “Asking good questions will inform us but asking great questions transform the relationship”. I have found that it is best to have Face/face interactions and if not possible then a phone call.

In summary, I try to remind myself that developing the culture is the most important thing every school leader should always be working on. Every day, Every Year. This work takes passion-persistence-patience. How we work with others needs to have enthusiasm, empathy for others and empower others to take part in developing the culture. If you want to create a difference then you must be willing to not only lead yourself but pour into developing others. Great schools exist because of the teachers/staff so all of our focus should come back to building the culture with the people that work directly with our students.By recognizing these components then you are more intentional with your time, efforts and energy and can pour into others. Leaders focus on specific strategies and so their efforts help support the overall purpose of pursuing excellence. 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 “what is the most important thing” so you can leave your legacy. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

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Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

What should leaders Start-Continue-Stop Doing

Like so many professions, educators get better by learning from others and applying this work to their own craft. It happens in the business world, coaching and within leadership too. As I study and learn about leadership, I intentionally try to learn from great leaders within the field of education. Recently I was reading the blog by friend and leader Danny Baeur (twitter handle @alienearbud) called 15 Things Great Leaders Do. His read provided a great reflection tool as he interviews, studies and learns from greater leaders from across the globe. In this particular instance, the reflection upon those 15 traits allowed me to see where my strengths are, be aware of blindspots and understand how to intentionally grow to improve. Overall this provided me an opportunity to be aware of areas for me to START doing, others to CONTINUE to do and add a few to STOP doing. This mindset of continual growth and pushing to get better provides the action for positive change.

Here are the 15 traits that were listed that great leaders do (I put into my own words)

Invest in self
Put things into action
Work in their strength zone
Serve others – not please others
Daily habit – start it right
Journal your findings
Communicate the vision
What type of feedback are you giving to others
ALL means ALL for every student
Develop others
Develop your EQ (the ability to control your emotions and read others emotions)
Express gratitude
Choose your mindset
Collaborate with others that will allow you to influence others
Re-energize self

While having a list like this is helpful, it will not make any impact unless you take the time to reflect upon your strengths, become more self aware, and identify how you intend to grow moving forward. A person could look at the list and identify which areas are your strengths and ones to continue. To help with this, consider asking yourself the following questions in relation to the 15 attributes:

What do I do well?

What do I want to do?

What do others say I do well?

What do I do as an area of strength that I can keep getting better at in the position/role?

What skills or experiences am I learning in my role?

Who am I developing within the role?

What makes me happy?

What do people need from me daily that they may not want to ask me for?

What can I work on that will help me serve people better?

How will I know that I am serving people well?

The answers to these questions will help you identify areas to continue to do and even some to start doing. It is just as important to recognize you must stop doing some things as well as the quality of your time/focus is more important than the quantity of what you focus on. As we all recognize, leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. But to lead others we must lead ourselves first. Once you recognize attributes that are your strengths please be mindful the best way to grow is to continually stretch yourself within your strength zone. That is where you can gain the most as a leader as you will continually grow and it is what will separate you from others. I encourage you to take this a step further and identify what you can start-continue-stop in all facets of your life as this allows you to have a better balance as a leader. The chart below shows how to think through this part of the reflection.

Reflection and how to be Action Oriented within your:

Area	Start	Continue	Stop
*Positional role*
*Professional role*
*Personal like*
*Passions or areas of interest*

The important thing about reflecting and trying to improve is that it is much more meaningful to write the specific areas down so it becomes visible to you. If something is visible on paper or a computer, you can look at it often and reflect upon your work within each area.

Overall to move forward with your growth:

Find a mentor who can push you and give feedback
Build strong connections to those people who value you and make you better
Develop others
Change is greatest growth accelerator – ask yourself what do you need to change about your current learning and growth process

Educators must remember that nothing is easy. In fact, if you want to create a difference then you must be willing to not only lead yourself but pour into developing others. This starts with recognizing how you can continue to grow, what you need to start doing and also what you can stop doing. By recognizing these components then you are more intentional with your time, efforts and energy and can pour into others. Leaders focus on specific strategies and so their efforts help support the overall purpose of pursuing excellence. 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 “What should leaders start-continue-stop doing” so you can leave your legacy. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

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Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

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Impacting others

The phrase by John Maxwell “leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less” describes how true leaders can change their environment by their impact upon others. As I think back over time to the best leaders I have worked with, they didn’t all give great professional learning, not always the most visible and communication was okay. However, what they all did was influence those around them and as a result, had a positive impact upon others and their schools.

This blog post describes different ways someone can influence or impact others. There are many parts to leadership, but of all attributes most important to sustaining excellence in schools, is the development of others. This is achieved when the leader is intentional with their efforts, focuses on the right work and builds others up by developing their confidence, influencing their actions and behaviors. This leads to an improved effort by staff that collectively builds towards excellence. This is how you impact others and here are the characteristics that are found within those efforts.

Integrity

Leaders must be many things to those they serve but the most foundational is to provide the character and values that help drive the organization and its people. When leaders know what they stand for and what you do is the right work, then it multiplies the significance in others and allows the school to have a solid foundation based on trust.

Care for others

Many schools have great equipment and technology. Some buildings even have the latest floor plans with open seating and brand new furniture. These are nice but not the characteristics that move the needle on excellence. When leaders care for others, and put their needs before the leaders, then you are committing to love your people for who they are and what they bring to your school organization. We all have faults but also strengths. Leaders accept people for who they are, maximize someone’s strengths and value others for what they bring to their role.

Listening

The next time you are in a meeting with many individuals who are the head of their organization I encourage you to observe interactions. There are some who will speak first and often, others who are not engaged to the extent they should be and others who are soaking everything in and will share when needed. Leaders understand the value of learning from others, seeing other perspectives to help understand someone and then making informed comments and decisions.

Develops others

The leader recognizes that their efforts and work is important to a school. But to create the biggest gains, the leader must develop people to their fullest potential as “you grow as a school community by growing your people”. This takes an investment of time, energy and effort and pouring into others. The leader sees potential in everyone and makes it their responsibility to connect with others. The greatest thing a leader can do for someone else is give them confidence; the confidence to step outside of their comfort zone to grow in their skill set. Leaders do this by seeing what people can become and working/motivating them to learn and develop over time. Leadership is built on integrity and character but the cornerstone are the people who make that school foundation.

Educators must remember that nothing is easy. In fact, if you want to create a difference then you must be willing to not only lead yourself but pour into developing others. This creates the greatest gift a leader can provide to an organization – impact others. Leaders focus on specific strategies and so their efforts help support and develop others as leaders. 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 “Impacting others” so you can leave your legacy. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

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Time to turn the page

Time doesn’t stand still. That phrase is so true, even though at times in the pandemic it may seem as if it was. The last few years have been challenging for everyone but it also has shown us the importance of making moments matter, appreciating the small but significant parts of life and taking advantage of opportunities to make them matter most. Those who aspire for growth and want to strive to maximize their leadership, recognize the importance of continual improvement and growth. This blog post shares my perspective as I have made a career decision as I recognized “it was time to turn the page” and try a new leadership journey. The purpose of this blog is to share the reasoning behind my decision to strive for greater growth so I can become the best version of myself and maximize my leadership journey.

Self Awareness

As a leader you must discover your purpose as this puts all your efforts and focus in the right direction. Self awareness is a critical attribute of leadership. I was reading a book from author John Maxwell and he shared that Leaders must continually ask themselves the following questions that drive self awareness:

Am I investing in myself and my growth?
Am I contributing to the growth of others?
Am I doing what I love and love what I do?
Am I investing my time with the right people that continually allow me to improve?
Am I working in my strength zone?
Is the organization better because I lead it?
Have I taken the organization as far as I can take it?

As you become self aware it allows you to stretch yourself in your strength zone and have a greater impact upon others. This reflection allowed me to greater understand:

What I can improve upon tomorrow
What do I need to start doing, stop doing and continue doing.
How can I help others grow in their craft?

Practicing Quality Leadership

There are many factors that contribute to quality leadership. Once someone is self aware and recognizes their strengths but also their deficits, then they can also self examine their leadership qualities upon the organization. James Kouzes and Barry Posner shared that there are 5 practices to great leaders:

Model the way – This is where you set the example for others by aligning your actions and words to your purpose.
Inspire a Shared Vision – You create the future for your organization by together developing the dream and then creating opportunities for everyone to be part of the work.
Challenge the process – This is where you seek to improve the school by challenging the status quo and this is done by your daily habits and routine.
Enable others to act – This is a critical part to the development of an organization as the work should be done by everyone – not just you. Together we can achieve so much more than in isolation.
Encourage the Heart – This is where you must value the people, know their strengths and find ways to allow them to practice and develop their leadership.

As I became more self aware and learned the qualities of effective leadership, then I was better able to understand where I was at in my growth journey and what decisions I had to make to strive for continual improvement. This type of leadership concepts were utilized in our pandemic as we have strived to help our staff help our kids during the most challenging times. The COVID pandemic has definitely provided everyone with opportunities to impact those they serve. When leaders can define reality for others, remind them of their purpose, help them develop a plan, promote teamwork and give hope then the team of people you serve can stay together and achieve greatness.

Growth process

On my desktop computer there is a quote that says “Courageous – The hardest decision you have to make will often lead to the best thing you ever will do”. I have looked at this almost daily as my self awareness and desire to grow in leadership has reminded me the importance of growth and being action oriented. To maximize anyone’s growth, you must recognize to:

Focus on the journey
Mature and develop people
It is a lifelong commitment
Recognize you must take responsibility for your own growth

These reflections led me to stretch myself and take on the process of interviewing and being selected to serve a new building next year. While I am bittersweet about leaving the people I currently serve and worked so closely with, I also recognize that this decision will help lead to greater growth for me and my team is well prepared to lead without me. As I plan the next steps of change, I recognize that for the staff I will lead, I must remember the following about the transition from 1 leader to the next: it all comes back to people, building relationships and strong culture and creating great moments together. This includes

Reminding them of their purpose as educators
Sharing with them the pace of the work
Showing them the path or how the work will be done
Describing how each person has a part in the work.

Educators must remember that nothing is easy. In fact, if you want to create a difference then you must be willing to take ownership for your growth plan .This can be done by understanding some of the challenges you are facing, be self aware, reflect upon your leadership work and then decide your next steps. To grow over time, leaders can focus on specific strategies and understand what is within their control so efforts and time is spent in the right areas. 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 “Time to turn the page” so you can have your greatest impact. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

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Adversity…Do we Go Through it or Grow through It

The current school year has put a burden and responsibility upon educators like no previous year. The responsibility is from the typical challenges of working in a school setting including personalizing learning for students, responding to student needs and the increased workload. The burden is a result of educators feeling like they must give more to others then take care of themselves and find ways to connect with students and colleagues in difficult times. This has resulted in adversity and challenges that create a “fork in the road” for educators. Each individual, at some point in the year, will come to a realization that they can either find ways to go through this year till get to May/June or be innovative and demonstrate grit to grow through these experiences. If you are reading this blog post it demonstrates that you are someone who cares, gives extra effort and seeks to grow and maximize their opportunities as a leader. This blog post takes a look at some of the challenges leaders are facing, the impacts it is causing upon their role and suggests strategies to grow through these difficult times to become even more of a transformational leader.

Some of the challenges leaders are facing within their roles include:

Decision Fatigue
Emotional Exhaustion
Time spent on Management vs Leadership principles
Being on 24/7 and responding to emails and phone calls

We all understand why these items are occurring with COVID, but the significance is the impact it is causing upon a leader’s role. It has created Barriers to Excellence that include

Lack of consistent and clear communication
Lack of Trust
Inability to adapt
Lack of Visibility
Lack of Action Orientation or improvement
Isolation

But the good news is that anyone can choose to grow through these difficult times and not just make it through till the end of the year. It is important to “focus on things we can control” that specifically includes using the following strategies within your role:

Importance of your daily routine.

How someone takes care of themselves, focuses on the most important resource (our people) and manages their priorities is essential. Leaders should ask themselves when determining how to prioritize their decisions if the item is either:

Important but not Urgent
Important and Urgent
Not Important but Urgent
Not Important and not Urgent

Lead with your feet by being visible.

During these tough times the staff and students will ask themselves “what is the leader doing”. Taking the time to visit with people, listen to their concerns or ideas, being positive and leading the way with your behaviors helps those around us feel a sense of comfort and calm.

Keep a strong and healthy school culture.

It is not always easy to lead daily and that is ok. When leaders lead with authenticity and are transparent with their staff, it helps everyone feel a sense of unity and togetherness. That is the healthy part of culture. A strong culture is developed by incorporating fun and engaging activities/traditions with opportunities for staff to share ideas, express concerns and help lead the work. This empowerment develops into a healthy culture.

Communication must be adapted to meet the needs of others.

People look to school leaders for answers. That reflects the important role of educators and the trust our society has in schools. Communication is an important part of keeping schools as a central and integral part of our communities. Communication can be effective when we focus on:

Communication that is timely
Communication that is clear and straight to the point
Communication that connects to the heart of people
Communication that provides the next steps or vision moving forward

Within your profession as an educator and leader, it is important to remember the importance of knowing “what is within your grasp” for each challenge and then focusing your attention and being intentional with your efforts with those endeavors.

Leaders need to recognize that everything that happens is within 1 of 3 areas:

What is within their control
What is out of their control
What is within their influence

How leaders handle the challenges and experiences they face determines the effectiveness of their leadership. It is important they recognize which area each circumstance falls under. This determines if they are able to be successful or if they struggle through the situation. Simply put, leaders must recognize “what is within their grasp” so they are not putting time/effort into areas that will not have any impact.

Educators must remember that nothing is easy. In fact, if you want to create a difference then you must be willing to not only go through tough times but find ways to grow through difficult experiences.This can be done by understanding some of the challenges you are facing and then the barriers it creates in your work. To grow through this year, leaders can focus on specific strategies and understand what is within their control so efforts and time is spent in the right areas. 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 “Adversity….Do you Go Through It or Grow Through It” so you can have your greatest impact. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

Leading in unprecedented times

As we near the midpoint of this 2021-2022 school year, I have been reminded by just how challenging and unpredictable this year has been. This leads to many people asking questions to school leaders about why this year is hard yet also expecting more from students/staff than ever before despite unprecedented shortages of staff, hardships and lack of resources. Everyone wants what is best for schools but often few understand the challenges of leading staff during these challenging times so that the educators can be their best for students to support their academic learning, connections and SEL growth. These challenges help me to remind myself that we are leading in times that have never been seen before but leadership is what makes the difference. As I reflect upon the work of this school year, the following leadership traits are helpful if leaders apply to their work and the skills leaders need to use with others.

Leading Self

The following traits are essential for leaders to use within their role during times of complex change, unpredictable changes and external negativity.

Humility and Grace – We must be humble and not put ourselves at the center of the thinking but rather focus on those we serve. Ask ourselves for others what their needs are, what support they will ask for and how we can connect with each other. As John Maxwell has shared, the definition of humility is “not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less”. At the same time, it is important to give yourself grace as you will not have all the answers. The key is not having all the answers but developing the right questions that will develop solutions.

Be Flexible and adaptable – While it is important to prepare to lead, we must be ready for changes and when it happens, then embrace it. Our mindset of how we handle adversity is critical to support and lead others as they will look to you for guidance. Adaptability is one of the most essential skills for our times and leaders must model this for others. To be adaptable, keep your core values or principles in mind and model the way for others. When we connect with others and lead with our core then others will trust our actions. This will allow the pivot to be effective if significant adaptations must occur.

Connect with others and have conversations – No single person has this figured out. It is just not possible. As a result, an important part of leadership in uncertain times is to connect with others, listen and ask questions. Learn from others and determine what can be applied to lead your organization. Find ways to connect with those that will challenge your thinking, give different perspectives and accelerate your rate of growth. Be a learner, a listener and understand everyone has something of value to share. Great leaders are learners first and always.

Importance of Reflection and Action – When you think of great leaders there are a few common traits they share. One of these is the importance they place on reflection. They use this to learn from their experiences, understand mistakes and adjust for greater growth. However, reflecting alone will not move the needle. Most important part is then putting that learning from the reflection into practice by action. Hope doesn’t create change, action does. Leaders understand the importance of innovation or trying something new to create better results and they are willing to take that risk.

Leadership Skills to use within your role with others

The following skills embedded within your work with others will allow others to be valued, empowered, connected and feel the sense of purpose to drive continual change.

Relationships – This should always be the most important focus area of any leader as the quality of your relationships will determine your level of influence and impact. Helpful reminders to use, especially during unprecedented times:

Model the type of behaviors you seek to create in your school organization.
Be authentic with others .
Maximize your staff by playing to their strengths and empowering them to lead in those areas.
Use face to face communication as much as possible.
Your behaviors and integrity are more important than any strategy.

Communication – If Leaders succeed or fail in many ways is due to effective communication or lack of it. It is important that leaders communicate clearly the vision to staff, be proactive with communication and are consistent. The authenticity and how sincere the message is shared often determines the success of communication.
Build Culture – Relationships are the foundation of a great culture. However, culture is also how people act and their behaviors towards others. Leaders set the tone for the culture and how a leader treats the staff is typically how the staff will treat students. While Leaders cannot control other people, we can control how we respond with our words, actions and emotions. We need to model positively, kindness and the mindset of “all in for kids”. We must be the “thermostat” and set the tone and climate within our organization.
Visibility – This is probably the most important to staff and parents. Leaders need to be in the classroom to see the teaching/learning to understand how to support teachers and get to know the passions of its students. School events are a great opportunity to get to know parents and have authentic conversations with them and allow them to see you as someone who cares about their child and the school. The beginning of each day at car line or bus drop-off also presents another opportunity to greet students and start their day with energy and feeling supported at school
Challenge the status quo – This is very difficult as leaders have so much on their plate then how do they find time to improve themselves and their organization? It comes back to your daily discipline and being a learner first. This simply means to stay humble and hungry to always grow as a leader and think about what they can do for others to help create a better version of the school. Leaders must model their innovative thinking and be comfortable when teachers try new approaches and it does not work. But providing that framework of “let’s try” and supporting teachers will allow the narrative to always focus on “how can we do this better for kids”. Educators must also be “connected” learners, simply meaning learning from others in and outside your organization as that provides the spark for many innovative ideas! To drive continual change, leaders must be aware of not asking too much of staff so that they don’t feel overwhelmed while applying enough tension or need for change so there is a continual push to get better. This balance for a leader is what I like to refer to as “push n pull” as sometimes we must allow the rate educator improvement to be their empowerment and at other times help initiate or pull the improvement.

True leadership occurs by intentional efforts when you work extremely hard to improve your own learning and that leads to an improved school. I encourage all leaders to think about how they can grow from the items mentioned above and how that will put your school organization in a position of success. It is never too late to change or adapt to create something better. Leading in unprecedented times we must be willing to let go of what we have done to pursue an unknown better. Growing as a leader can only happen if you intentionally spend time looking at your mistakes, learning from experiences/others and then adjusting to your work. We owe this to our students and staff that we serve. I encourage you to reflect and better understand your role and “Leading in unprecedented times” and what will give you the greatest impact. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

Walk Slowly Through The Crowd

It seemed just like yesterday we started this school year and now we are several months into the 21-22 school year. In a few months we will be entering the final quarter of this school year. That is how fast, at times, it feels like the school year goes. I believe this comes back to how busy leaders are, the vast amount of workload and how vested we are in striving to help others. As I reflect upon the last few months a little closer, I have been perhaps the busiest I have ever been in my 26 years in education, but I don’t want to miss out on great opportunities to build connections with others, develop others and make a positive impact upon the school I lead. I believe the answer lies in that I must remember to “Walk Slowly Through The Crowd” and have the mindset to slow down at times to focus on the right work with others. As I reflect upon this idea, I recognize that I can do better and I must do better if I truly want to help make an impact in the busiest year yet.

Leading within schools is busy with new aspects added to our plates like contract tracing, covering for shortage of workers in para positions, kitchen staff, and custodial support. As a result, our workload has increased and taken on even greater capacity. However, as I reflected that being “busy” at times doesn’t always mean we are being more productive. We must find ways to slow down and have meaningful connections with others. Where this occurs may be at carline drop off -pick up, monitoring lunch for students, walking through the halls during passing periods or just finding yourself going into classrooms to observe teachers working with students. There are multiple opportunities that leaders have and we must capitalize on Walking slowly through the crowd as it provides the following impacts:

Leadership is developed daily…..not within a day.

As a leader our behaviors, actions and words matter. As John Maxwell has shared, most humans learn from experiences and interactions as research shows 70% of what they learn is visual or through experiences (remaining is 20% from mentoring and 10% from formal training or reading). So if a leader is visible and interacting with others it gives you a greater opportunity to model the culture you desire to create in your organization and connect with others. It also allows you to be more aware of potential barriers or issues that you can help find solutions for.

“Where your focus goes, your energy flows”

This quote was said by Tony Robbins. For leaders, it is very easy to get caught up in handling the management of unfilled subs, covering classes, dealing with Tik Tok Challenges and student behaviors. This is important and at the moment they must be handled. However, if that is where we spend all of our energy and efforts daily…..then how will you be helping your building over the long term move forward with instructional work or building culture ? The answer is your organization will be stagnant and very little growth will occur. Leaders must have an intentional focus on how they can help their buildings improve to help students. This is reflected by your intentional energy you put into leading staff professional learning, leading with clear communication and connecting with others so you develop them as leaders. These are the things that will make a difference.

Develop others so they multiply the impact

When you walk slowly through the crowd you can help others as you learn their strengths and how they can develop as leaders while increasing the impact upon your organization. If you can spend some time working with others, you will increase their confidence by listening to them, walking with them or model how things need to be done and support them as they lead endeavors. On the front end, this will take a little time but over the long haul they will start to carry more of the workload and be able to have a broader impact for your organization.

How you treat others matters

People understand leaders are busy – they get it. But they also will remember when you stop and listen to them, take that phone call on a Friday night at 5:30 p.m. or respond to an email late at night. We cannot do everything, but we can place people at the forefront of our decisions and actions. How we lead with character, kindness and empathy is important. Leaders are not perfect, we will make mistakes. Own up to your shortcomings or when you are at fault – lead with vulnerability. But if you lead with a servant leadership mindset it will make a difference. It will allow staff to feel valued, retain them in our building so there is consistency in your staff and school improvement efforts. For students, this is important as they will develop a sense of trust and connections and from that foundation greater learning can occur. As a parent, I feel a sense of calm knowing that a leader cares about my children and that increases my engagement in the school. That is what I aspire to create for conditions for my parent community.

Educators must remember that creating positive change must be done with intentional efforts that transform the organization with a focus on the culture, learning and leading people. This can be done by Walking slowly through the crowd as our daily efforts matter, energy is in the right work, we develop others and we treat others with respect/kindness. Growing as a leader can only happen if you intentionally spend time looking at your mistakes, learning from experiences/others and then adjusting to your work. 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 when you “Walk Slowly through the Crowd” as a leader you can have your greatest impact. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve