Lead Learner Perspectives

The winter break is a great time for educators and leaders to relax, unwind and spend time with family and friends. At some point everyone will return to work as we start the new calendar year.  Prior to that return, it is inevitable for many to think about their work and where they are at in their journey. This reflection can be helpful but it may also be discouraging and frustrating for others. The important part of reflection is finding ways to move forward with a purpose and in a positive way.  All professionals have a desire to excel in their roles, be valued for their efforts and supported in their work. What many do not see is how those individuals who do excel and are congratulated for their work go through periods of doubt, frustrations and even maybe regret. But they found a way to continue to push forward till they found people that would support their work and helped them find excellence within their job roles.  This blog post takes a look at some action steps for any educator or leader to consider and apply to their job role so that they can find fulfillment, joy and success within their work.

Let’s start with the truth about your job role:   You either control your fate or someone else will do that for you.  It is most important that every educator continues to grow in their skills, connect with others and improve as that will allow for you to control your professional journey. We must be courageous because sometimes the hardest thing you have to do will often lead to the best thing you ever do. You must be willing to take risks for a pursuit of an unknown better.  The small daily steps you take in the right direction can turn out to be the turning point into feeling more empowered, finding joy and happiness within your role.  In this next calendar year, each of us will have challenges and opportunities in our careers. In those moments, we each have 2 options:  we can step forward into growth or to step back into safety. We must continue to focus on continual improvement and be willing to learn new skills and face new challenges – that is how we will improve and grow over time.  There will be moments this next year when you cannot control what is happening in your job role and these decisions or moments may be frustrating. It is important to remember that you need to challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what is happening and that is where your power lies.  Focus on what you can control. 

Here are some action steps to consider for you and how you can move forward in your path.

Define your current reality

It may feel like your path is more difficult than others and perhaps it is. But remember that your purpose is bigger than you probably think and that anything worthwhile takes time and great effort. Being a leader is not defined by your clothes or title but the standard of behavior you uphold.  You must strive for excellence in your actions and grace in your interactions with others.  You should not worry about how others may perceive you in your work role or effectiveness. It is your character that will define you as it tells who you are and it will develop your reputation by others. It is important for each person to reflect and identify your effectiveness, know your strengths and also areas to improve. This sets the foundation for improvement. 

Know who you are and your core values

 Core values help drive your behavior, influence your attitude and over time define who you are. Invest your time, effort and energy into creating and living a positive life.  Human nature is that we are hard on ourselves and we are in many cases our own worst critics.  Give up doubting yourself, having negative thoughts, fear of failing or trying to please others. Instead, know who you are, what you stand for and do your best to bring your best version of yourself into the work daily.  Your best evidence of your work value is your own personal example of how you treat others, the excellence of your work, how you spend your time and how you make others feel. 

Invest in Others

Remember that even though you desire to improve and be your best, you must remember that great leaders believe they work for their team, average leaders believe the team works for them. So you must first focus on your growth and once you have defined your core values and are consistent in your daily habits focused on growth, you must then shift your focus on your people and improving your team.  Great schools and organizations don’t exist because of their buildings or programs, they exist because of their people. It is always about people. It is essential that you spend time getting to know your people and supporting them in their work. As John Maxwell has said, “To add value to others, one must first value others.”  You will have different roles and titles in your career but each part of your journey gives you a chance to help others improve. I encourage you to consider how you can invest in others.  This quote is a powerful example of this mindset:  “BE the type of person that no matter where you go or where you are, you always add value to the lives of those around you.”  In many cases, this starts with simply getting to know the people you work with and learning about their strengths and how you can support them in their work. The little moments or actions (ex. greeting someone by name, writing a note of gratitude, getting their feedback and ideas) are often what matters most to others and is what galvanizes others to give their best for the team.

Attitude

We have a choice each day on the type of attitude we bring. We cannot change the past or how others view us or how people behave.  The only option we have is to define how we will approach each day. As the common phrase by Charles Swindoll goes, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” At the end of the day, it is about who you have lifted up, who you have made better and about what you have given back to others.

People will probably not remember how busy you were, the hours you worked or professional development you led. What they will remember is how you made them feel, the time you spent with them and if they could count on you. At the end of the day, do not have regrets about the interactions you had with others as we are in the human business – focus your time and attention on how we interact and treat others. No one is perfect and each of us will have bad moments or times where there is miscommunication. Each day we have an opportunity to reset and “win the day”. How we approach that day is up to us – regardless of our circumstances and stressors upon our plates.  

Focus on your growth

It is important to continue to learn from others and seek ways to improve. Keep in mind that the # of books you read, # podcasts you listen to or conferences you attend is helpful. However, the most important concept you must ask yourself is “what are you applying to your job role and your work”?  Keep in mind that the ideas you implement are more important than the ideas you collect or learn about. Leaders put things into action so you need to not only learn but then implement relevant ideas into your work and reflect upon its impact. That is where your growth and learning will occur. To help foster your growth, I listed some reflective questions below that allows a person to identify their daily habits and work role more closely. 

• If everyone in your school/organization had your attitude, what type of place would it be?
• Are you genuine or authentic with others in your interactions?
• Do you approach each day with excitement?
• How do you spend your day – do you control your calendar or does your calendar control your time?
• When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to learn something new?
• What are you learning and how are you applying that to your work?
• If you continue to do what you are doing every day – where will you be in 1 year? 5 years?
• What are you grateful for?
• What mistake did I make recently and what did I learn from it?
• Are you creating a stronger resume or a legacy?

Leaders must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts.  This includes each person recognizing their pathway within their work and then understanding how to move forward in their roles.  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 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

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“The difference between yesterday and tomorrow is us”.  That phrase is often shared as a way to help someone be motivated to improve and give their best effort.  In fact, I used that exact phrase in a recent blog post to help reflect how to help others by supporting them with what they need. But I want to take it one step further and reflect what I have learned and how I can use that to help move forward within my own role.  As a result, in this blog post we will take a look at my reflections of the Leadership Essential Truths and how to move forward.

Over the last few years, the following aspects of leadership have been impactful and essential to help students and staff improve and strive towards excellence as a school community.

1. 3 things people ask of their leaders:

• Can I trust you 
• How will you help me 
• Do you care about me

If leaders recognize the importance of developing trust within their people then they can collectively overcome any obstacle.  Leaders need to continually listen to others’ viewpoints, involve them in decisions, remove barriers so they can improve and collectively work towards the same school vision with passion and purpose.

2. 3 things leaders must address thru difficult conversations with employees include is the concern:

• An Ability issue 
• An Attitude issue 
• An Awareness issue 

When there are challenges with staff, leaders must recognize the importance of having conversations with the individual. The conversation allows the leader to discover what the staff member needs as far as support, encouragement and feedback. It also allows the leader to recognize if the staff member needs support in teaching the specific content or instructional strategy or is the concern something that the individual is not aware of and we must help them recognize the impact. However, it could also be an attitude of concern where they have lost their way as far as passion or purpose related to their work. In this instance, we want to help coach them back to where they can be their best version of themselves.

3. How leaders use their time impacts their effectiveness

Leaders know that there is the same amount of time for everyone within a day and within a week. The importance is how can a leader prioritize their time so they can focus on the work, not the management of the job.  It’s what you prioritize doing that allows you to make a difference.

Ask yourself about priorities: 

• What is required of you – as a leader what are things that only you can do for others?
• What gives the greatest return on use of time – where does your time and support of others provide the most improvement for the school by supporting others? 
• What are items that others can do just as well as you? One of the most important aspects for leaders is developing others. To this end, you must recognize what can others do well that you can take off your plate so you can focus on prioritizing your work and they complete the tasks that help them grow as a leader.
• Be clear to your staff about priorities  – this allows everyone to know your core values and have consistency within their day. This allows others to focus on connecting with students and improving within their work.

By understanding your priorities, you maximize time on work that improves teaching and learning, do necessary work as efficiently and quickly as possible and reduce the wasted efforts.

4. Keep Your Mindset focused on what matters most

There are many challenges that leaders face daily. It is not the physical demands by itself that make leadership hard, it is the emotional toll on leaders. To help keep your perspective and mindset focused on the positive, keep reminding yourself to focus on:

• What you can control 
• What is within your influence
• What lies outside your control (this is one you don’t focus on) 

This will allow leaders to help build positive culture and community. It allows the school community to focus on supporting one another, having a consistent purpose and leaders can model the way on a daily basis. 

5.  Self awareness as a leader is most important 

Leaders recognize they need to develop others but it starts with first developing themselves. This involves:

• Leaders start with self (are you self aware of your gaps, strengths and blindspots). 
• People see things from their perspective not yours, so are you finding time to listen to others and see their perspective to help find common ground.
• Do your actions as a leader match your words?
• Leaders lead with humility and seek growth.

6. Model the way

What leaders model for a school community impacts the culture; what people say and how they feel.  Leaders can lead by example by the following methods:

• Are you modeling learning and sharing that with others?

• Do you model integrity in your interactions?
• Are you genuine and authentic in your interactions with others?  This is a trust accelerator.
• Are you teachable where you are open to new ideas and change?
• Do you continue to focus on relationship building as that builds value in others and creates an inclusive environment.

Leaders must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts.  This includes each person recognizing their essential truths within their work and then implementing those attributes within their roles.  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 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

“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

1. Create Connections
2. Help the person develop their capabilities
3. 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

The best school districts and schools exist not simply because of great leaders but because they have the best people (the staff).  Leaders are important but it’s more important that the teachers/staff believe they can make a difference, believe in each other, continuously grow professionally and make it about kids. This is driven by the leaders and a result of their actions with the staff. This can only occur in places where staff have their professional needs met and leaders strive to provide the 4 basic attributes to their people.  In this blog post, we consider What People in your Organization Need as a way to ensure you are helping your staff to move your school forward.

This concept comes from the book Strengths Based Leadership by Don Clifton as the author and Gallup have done years of research involving thousands of organizations that show why people stay and others leave. Furthermore, they studied and learned why some leaders thrive and others do not within an organization.  Here are the 4 basic attributes that leaders need to provide their people in the organization.

Trust

Leaders recognize the importance of helping their school or district grow and improve.  To achieve this, the leaders themselves first must lead with integrity and honesty.  This will allow the staff to believe in their leaders and trust their actions, behaviors and decisions.  This answers the question that staff have when new leaders join the organization of “Can I trust you”?

Compassion

Leaders have many conversations with staff as they set the expectations for the school. At times, this also means that leaders need to reaffirm with staff the expectations and put procedures in place to help individuals move forward. In even those hard conversations, the leaders can visit with the individual from a place of caring, listen with intent to understand and see the other persons’ perspective but reaffirm the organization’s values and mission.  When leaders act in a professional manner and put the needs of the organization first, individuals may not agree with the leader’s conversation but they will remember how the leader treated them with dignity and respect. It is always important that staff can answer the question “Does the leader care about me” with a yes.

Stability

Change in any school organization will happen and all organizations must strive for continual improvement. However, the core values of the leaders and the mission/vision of the district helps provide a consistent focus for individuals as they perform their job roles.  From an individual leader perspective, the leaders provide stability by being consistent with their behaviors, communication and what they emphasize in their work.  This includes both verbal and nonverbal actions. When staff know what to expect from their leaders they can answer the question “Do I know what the leader wants” and if this is a “yes”, this allows the individuals to be focused on their role and what matters most – the students.

Hope 

A quality that everyone needs is the importance of being inspired. Inspired to grow, improve and believe in the work they are doing day in and day out truly matters.  Leaders must provide this inspiration to give hope for the organization. The hope provides the stimulus to move forward during challenging times, despite hurdles and frustrations, and believe in something bigger than themselves.  This allows an individual staff member to know “How will you help me”. Telling stories, reminding staff of their impact and showing gratitude are all ways that leaders can provide hope for individuals.

Leaders must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts – we must focus on meeting the needs of our people within our organization so they can be their best.  If we take care of our staff and support their work, then this allows the staff to be their best for the students.  The focus of leaders must be “People over programs”. 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 “What People Need in Your Organization” 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

In any profession, the opportunity to grow can occur. The growth occurs more rapidly when we are connected to others, share ideas and learn with and from each other. Leadership best occurs in a community of people where there is a shared interest.

 If you think about leaders in education, all of us at one point were in our first year. It was challenging, demanding at times and probably lonely. If you are fortunate enough to have a mentor to share frustrations, seek wisdom/guidance then there is a greater fulfillment as you recognize you are not alone. In fact, having a mentor allows you to gain a sense of passion and togetherness that allows for continued growth. Likewise, if you are a leader in your role for several years with documented success, then you have a chance to help mentor other young leaders. This gives you the greatest gift as a leader – the opportunity to develop others.  This blog post shares the importance of why Mentors matter.

When you have others that you work closely with and together develop your leadership capacity, then you are creating a trusting team.  As John Maxwell  shares in his podcasts in reference to leadership “you are the average of the 5 people you spend your time with”.  As a leader, it is vital that you spend your time with those individuals that support you, have your best interest in mind, help you to grow and also expect you to support them.  You must find and surround yourself with other leaders so you can be your best version of yourself over time and strive for excellence.

How to be an effective mentor

• Have a Mindset of positivity, leading with vulnerability and continually seeking to improve.
• Give others who aspire to grow your time, effort and attention to their needs. 
• Use Reflection as a mechanism to seek feedback from others and thoughtfully examine if their work is producing desired results.  Share this reflection with others.
• Model passion for making a difference through helping others, lead by action more than words and “bring it” every day.
• Connect with others as you know the only way to truly help someone grow is to build trust and develop strong relationships.
• Share ideas and opportunities with others so you take a vested interest in their growth.
• Be Humble to recognize you don’t know it all so you can remain Hungry to learn and grow.
• Lead with Character so you listen to others, model integrity in decision making.

Why you need to also find mentors

• This allows you to share your vulnerability by admitting areas where you are challenged or struggling with. Seek advice on how failure has shaped them and apply that to your experiences.
• Learn what they did as a leader that helped propel their growth and influence that you should consider?
• Discover what is their passion or where they spent their time, effort learning so you are aware of different opportunities? It may not be applicable to your journey but it may create some new ideas.
• Share your desire to grow and ask them who did they learn from or connect with that you may consider learning from?
• How do they add value to others so you better understand how to support others?

Educators must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts – we must focus on continually growing and that includes helping others. In order to grow, we must connect with other leaders and learn from them and apply to our roles. Likewise, true leadership is influential so we must also find young leaders and provide opportunities to help guide and coach them in their journey.  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 “Why Mentors Matter” 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

.

The school year is in full swing and you are busy, extremely busy. All educators have the desire to do their best and be their best for others.  The days may seem long but the weeks go by so fast and before you know it the school year will be in October.  Leaders recognize that it is their daily habits and the consistency of their work that allows them to grow over time and to help those they serve grow as well. A significant part of this work is the focus to maximize the opportunities to make Moments Matter – simply meaning to take the time to have that 30 second conversation with a student and share praise, or to give feedback to a teacher after doing a walkthrough that fuels their passion. It is these moments how we extend gratitude towards others, maximize our impact and elevate others by building their confidence. Leadership matters and so do the contributions we can value in each individual. 

This blog post shares several reminders leaders can use to help recognize the importance of making moments matter and some practical examples of how to do this.

Remember your Purpose – If you can remember your “why” then you can elevate your impact through your job role (or your “what”).   Your core values help affirm your work and guide your decisions, even when you are stressed or simply have too much on your plate. Remembering your purpose allows an individual to play the “long game”; simply meaning to continually strive to get better and focus on supporting your growth and to help others.

Keep your Priorities – No matter your role, everyone has times within a year when your work plate gets too full. It is important to keep your priorities at the center of your work as that will allow you to do your job role with the most effective realm and decision making.

Lead with Passion – I hope every educator has a role that allows them to find joy, use their strengths and feel fulfilled. There is no perfect job and everyone has tough moments, but never bad days. We must remember that within your job you are responsible for the energy, attitudes and beliefs you demonstrate, so it is most important that you incorporate your passion or joy within your job role. People are always watching the leader and the saying is correct…..”how the leader goes……….the school will go.”

Your significance increases by lifting others – You cannot achieve anything worthwhile by yourself. It takes a team of people who are committed to developing the best school to drive continual change. When you take time to invest your time, energy and efforts into others then you are not only developing their excellence but you are modeling how you want others to be treated. When you create other strong leaders you are creating the foundations for a great team…….the best schools exist because of a team of committed people that begins with the leader focusing on developing others.

Gather energy from interactions with others – Leading can be draining both physically and emotionally.  Leaders who lead with humility and find ways to show gratitude when they interact with others get energy and strength from those individuals. In those interactions, they are strengthening the relationship which builds greater momentum in their work.

Examples of how to make moments matter

Here are some possible ways to embrace the moments and to help create experiences where students and staff will remember for long beyond the current school year.

1. Staff PD – How a leader builds and carries out Professional Development can either add excitement to a staff or it can diminish their passion.  Some examples of PD that we have used that incorporated staff voice and brought out their excitement to learn and grow includes:

• Genius Hour sessions incorporated over the course of the year where staff choose topics to learn about and incorporate into their role/work with kids. This could include PBL, Blended Learning, how to create Podcasts, Differentiated Pathways etc…
• Staff Ed Camp sessions where they choose topics to discuss and share ideas.  This has no pre planned ideas but rather focused on staff sharing insights and listening to others.
• Staff Leading assemblies and work with families that highlights student work but provides staff opportunities to be part of the endeavors.  This allows  staff to use some PD as ways to brainstorm how we can create experiences for kids that they have never had and that includes leading our assemblies or work with our families.

2. Connecting with others – Leaders must find ways for their staff to spend time with each other to learn, connect and find deeper meaning as educators. We have incorporated the following activities with our staff that connected them together for a shared purpose:

• Staff Gallery Walk of the building to determine the “hidden culture” that exists by our murals, paintings or slogans within our walls.  When we took time to really take a step back and see what we are about as a school it opened our eyes about what our students see within a day.  This gallery walk was also done as a team builder where groups then presented their findings to the whole staff, so we learned from each other. We also had each group share what their next step would be to improve the culture of our building so they were part of the solution.
• Staff Scavenger Hunt or team building activities that incorporate fun and teamwork.  
• Social outings that provide time for staff to connect as people first, educators second.

3. Staff Appreciation – Sometimes the most important things may be the smallest and easiest to do. These are things that brightens someone’s day or add value to their work and include:

• Treat Trolley Cart or Food for staff. A few good snacks can brighten someone’s day and when leaders go around delivering it to staff, it reminds students that we are all in this together.
• Notes of Gratitude to individual staff members where you celebrate their efforts.  It takes time to write notes but most often, a staff member may forget what you wrote over time but they will remember that you took time to thank them and help them feel valued.
• Share videos with staff made by students or families as a way to help staff remember the impact. 
• Visit with staff and listen to their Feedback that relates to your leadership and the work of the school.  
• Recognize teachers in front of students, like the “Tireless Teacher” award and share with students why their teacher was selected. Then share this with your school community as well by social media.

4. Empower staff to be the change – When we involve others as part of the change efforts they will not only buy into the purpose but be an important reason why success occurs. Here are some ways we have involved our staff to help create positive change.

• Staff Led Home Visits for incoming students
• Staff Led Parent Ed Camps 
• Parent Inclusivity Panels led by staff
• Student Panels led by staff
• Student Leadership work initiated by staff

Educators must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts – we must focus on making moments matter.  A new school year brings new opportunities for leaders.  Opportunities to make a difference in the lives of so many people. Leaders must recognize how important the start of the school year is and what can be done to help everyone find success and joy.  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 “Moments Matter ” as a leader and how the new year provides a great opportunity to create experiences for students and staff that they will remember far beyond this year.  Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

.

The school year is here for educators and with that comes different emotions and thoughts. For some, the new school year will bring excitement – excitement to lead in a new role or building. For others, it provides opportunities to build upon the work from the previous year. We also need to recognize that the new school year may also bring anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed.  For everyone, the new school year brings the unknown. However, I try to think of it as opportunities. These opportunities include how one may lead yourself in professional growth, how you lead others and how you lead your school community.

This blog post shares some strategies on what leaders can do to ensure they are forward thinking, collaborative and creating an environment where educators want to be and give their best for each other and the students.  

1. It starts with supporting others 

The most influential thing leaders can do is spend time with their staff, students and families. It is impossible to spend all your time with your school community, but when you have those moments make the most of the opportunity to listen-connect and build trust.  Some strategies to use include:

• 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. 
• 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.  
• Involve Staff – Consider how you can maximize the strengths of your staff 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. This could include things like Staff led PD sessions, Staff led parent events, Feedback loops with staff , School developed goals  and 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. 

2. 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.

3. Lead with Vulnerability

Leaders can connect with their staff by being honest, authentic and displaying vulnerability. No one single person can create and carry the momentum throughout the entire school year – it is a shared responsibility. Sharing with staff that you will need them to help and likewise, that you need to be there to help them, places a high value on collective efficacy. Leaders must admit that they don’t have all the answers, but “the smartest person in the room is the room”. In other words, leaders that involve others in their decision making process empowers everyone to be rowing the boat in the same direction. When leaders share this type of message with staff, it helps everyone to know that we will not only get through this but actually develop a stronger sense of culture as a result.

4. The Little things matter most

A leader has many tasks and responsibilities leading a school district or school. While the job may vary from one level to another, the overall work remains the same for leaders. It is how well does someone do the little things daily that truly add up over time to make a significant impact and difference for others. Consider these items:

• Extra Effort – I believe all educators work hard, care and do their best. Over time  I have learned the extra effort must be spent in the right way.  I must have a daily goal of “not focusing so much on doing things right as much as focusing on doing the right things.”  Focus on people – not programs or numbers as people make the difference.
• Extra Time – Great leadership is developed over time as you take risks, reflect and learn along the way.  
• Extra Help – Leaders must ask others for help and seek their guidance as often as needed. That is hard for me, it’s hard for most leaders.  I remind myself that asking for help is actually a sign of strength, not weakness, as it models the importance of collective efficacy.  I must be ok with being vulnerable and admitting at times that I need support, help or just plain encouragement too.
• Extra Care – People have many emotions as we start another school year. Leaders must provide the care and empathy that our teachers and students need. 
• Communication – This may be the most important asset to a leader – how we communicate and what we communicate matters.  Be clear, positive and focused on your district’s/school vision. 

Educators must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts.  A new school year brings new opportunities for leaders.  Opportunities to make a difference in the lives of so many people. Leaders must recognize how important the start of the school year is and what can be done to help everyone find success and joy.  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 “New Year…..New Opportunities” as a leader and how the new year provides great opportunity for growth.  Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

Summer is here and for educators it provides a much needed rest time and break.  This sacred time is most important for recharge, getting away and reconnecting that maybe isn’t possible during the school year.  Summer also affords itself more time for leaders, where there are less interruptions, to have more dedicated time for learning and reflective thoughts where ideas can be evaluated. I like to think of summer as providing the opportunity to use the Power of Windows and Mirrors where we look back (mirrors) and reflect to help us learn, adjust and plan a vision to look forward (windows).

Leaders recognize that their ultimate purpose is to help others grow and develop, but they must first grow themselves. Summer is a great opportunity to spend time on the “mirrors” – reflecting on past years experiences, mistakes, learning from failures so it can be applied moving forward to your professional and positional growth.  This reflection can be done individually but like all learning, when we learn with and from others the collaboration impact deepens the learning experience.  Leaders may want to consider how to involve their teams or other like minded individuals in this practice to “reflect-adjust-grow”.  Here are some examples of prompts or ideas I have used to reflect upon the previous work in the year.

Mirrors (reflecting upon past experiences)

Here are questions I use with others that I serve so they can provide me feedback.

• What do I do well leading our school improvement efforts?
• What are areas of this work that need to be improved to support you?
• How can my communication strategies be improved to better inform you?
• What are areas where I have challenged the status quo that have resulted in improved efforts within our school and student learning?
• What are areas that I have blind spots where I am not aware that it is detracting from our efforts?

Learning from my staff, students and parents this late spring with feedback has allowed me to understand what others say I do well, what I do that has a productive return for my school community and what can I do that I can keep getting better at to help others.

I firmly believe as a leader that it is essential to have other like minded educators to learn from and to push my thinking.  If you are part of a professional learning network or have other leaders to collaborate with, consider the following:

• What should I learn from you?
• How has failure shaped you?
• Where do you spend your time and effort to grow as a leader?

Windows (what practices will I put in place moving forward to strive for continuous improvement)

The opportunity to learn from others about my work and for me to reflect upon my own work has allowed me to further develop my core beliefs. This feedback served as “windows” or things that I must continue to implement as part of my work moving forwards. This includes importance of the following skills:

• Importance of humility and vulnerability when working with others
• Inspire a shared effort 
• Model character in decision making and day to day interactions.
• Communication is essential to success

These affirmations allow me to set goals for myself and involve our building leadership team to set school improvement goals for our school. To help clarify and be intentional with efforts even more, I developed a 30 day x 60 day x 90 day plan for my own growth as a leader and also a plan for leading our school. I highly encourage all leaders to set this type of timeframe as it allows you to be intentional with your time and efforts and have a daily focus on your work. 

Educators must remember that creating positive change requires that we must be intentional with our efforts.  Furthermore, leaders need to meet the needs of the people by learning their strengths and help coach your staff so they can stretch and grow as leaders too.  For your building or organization, leaders must continually identify how to see the current reality and prioritize how to be efficient but yet effective.  In many cases, this means you must go outside your comfort zone as a leader and try new strategies to learn and grow.  Combining this with the continued effort of connecting with others at deeper levels to develop trusting relationships provides a focus on positive culture and learning.  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 “The Power of Windows and Mirrors” as a leader and how summer provides a great opportunity for growth.  Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve

Each school year inevitably gets very busy and this causes educators to lose track of their purpose and impacts their effectiveness. April and May might be the busiest months for educators.  There is much on a leader’s shoulders as we work on finishing the current year and plan for the upcoming year. Time is always in short supply.  There are many tasks but the most important work such as building relationships and culture, supporting staff and encouraging students in their efforts needs to remain the focus. This is the real work and one that leaders cannot lose sight of.  With everything happening,  the question becomes “how do we make it through the busiest times” as both internal and external forces are putting too many demands upon an already busy schedule. This blog post focuses on how leaders can be both efficient with time and effective in leading others.

This starts with a“focus on the things that you can control”.  As a leader, we must prioritize our work and know what must be done now and what can wait (and what may not get done and that is ok).  This prioritization allows leaders to focus on things they can control and truly focus on things that can make a difference in school…..supporting its people.  

When we think of “focusing on things we can control” that specifically includes using the following strategies:

1. Importance of your daily routine.

Leaders must take care of themselves in order that they are at their best for staff and students.  They must also be efficient with their time and effective in how they use their time. 

• Leaders must first recognize the importance of self care and how that allows them to be their best to care for others.  How leaders start their mornings allows them to further learn through reading, listening to podcasts or exercising. This allows them to clear their mind and get ready for the day.  Each person is different but they must have a consistent way to clear their mind and stay sharp in their focus on their work prior to arriving at work each day.
• How leaders organize their time and calendar is very important too.  What can be delegated to trusted staff, what timely tasks need to be tackled first and then prioritize what will give you the greatest return of your time are important strategies to consider.  The more leaders can find ways to  build up staff so they feel valued which in turn allows them to be their best for students is also most important. Leaders must recognize what work must happen when everyone is at school and what can be done after school.   Leaders must prioritize time by determining tasks into the following categories:
  • Important and Urgent
  • Important but not Urgent
  • Not Important but Urgent
  • Not Important and not Urgent 

2. Lead with your feet by being visible.

 It is very easy to get caught up in your office by responding to phone calls and emails.  Some of this is needed, especially on matters that are time sensitive or need privacy to visit with someone. However, leaders can help by being proactive by being visible in the building as this allows conversations to happen with staff, eliminate potential problems and you can model the calm, positive mindset that staff and students need to see.  This is showing your school community that you put others first and your focus is on people – not email.

• This is most effective when leaders are authentic and find ways to make the feedback to staff that is timely, specific, and public.  It is more important to “catch your staff” doing great things than it is to catch them making little mistakes on managerial tasks that don’t impact people or the structures that exist within the school.
• The best way to connect with others is by listening.  In order to listen you must be present in the classrooms and hallways so the dialogue can happen.  You can connect with others by listening, asking questions and seeing what can be applied to your role to help lead your school.

3. Keep a strong and healthy school culture.

       Leading a school is a great responsibility but also brings great joy. However, we must remember it is not our school – we are there to help empower others to help make it “our school.”  This can be achieved by:

• Empower others to help make a difference and help develop solutions to problems.
• Celebrate the successes of our work and embrace our failures.
• Trust the people you work with – you hired them for a good reason and they are leaders too.
• Share your appreciation for the efforts of your staff
  •  An authentic message, email or handwritten card mailed to a staff member can help lift their spirits. 
  • Work with your students to find ways to help thank your staff for their efforts.
  • Leaders set the tone of their building. When you lead with gratitude then others will follow.  A simple “thank you” goes a long way to helping others feel valued.

4. Communication must be adapted to meet the needs of others.

  This means the info you share with students, staff and families can be adapted to each group to meet their needs. Everyone needs proactive communication but also clear and consistent messaging.  Leaders must be purposeful with their communication, and timely in their delivery. If people are busy but yet we want them to read our communication, then consider making your communication:

• Concise 
• Connect back to the work of the school 
• Provide platforms for feedback 

Educators must remember that creating positive change must be intentional efforts incorporated in ways that meet the needs of the people at specific points in the school year.  This is most essential when things are busy and that is when leadership is needed the most for students and staff.  The leadership provides the groundwork for others to provide greater focus to their work moving forward and keeps everyone “rowing the boat in the same direction”. Leaders must continually identify how to see the current reality and prioritize how to be efficient but yet effective.  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 make it through the busiest of times” as a leader by considering the 4 strategies mentioned above. Comment below or reach out to me at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com

Learn

Engage

Adapt

Delegate

Empower

Reflect

Serve