This is my second blog on summer reflection and your leadership.
Effective leaders look in the mirror and sometimes they do not like what they see. But great leaders can be honest with themselves and work to make a change.
How congruent are you with what you say and what you do? In this blog, I will present several obstacles that have come my way over the years. I am sure these obstacles or similar version come to you, too.
When you look in the mirror at night or in the morning you should feel good about the work you do and the decisions you make. Do you model what you speak about? Or, is there a contradiction between what you say and your actions? Do you put students first in all of your decisions? I can guarantee it is easier to look in the mirror when you do.
Here are five challenges that came my way during my career:
Retention: There is no evidence in our field that retention works. But often we encounter educated adults who cling to the one time they think it worked for a student. Do you agree with them? Or do you tacitly agree by saying nothing when others speak about it? Have you challenged staff to find research to support retention?
Compromising: A general statement about what you are willing to agree to in order to not shake a relationship. Relationships founded on falsehoods or compromises of what you believe are not true relationships. Many times I have seen administrators try to build alliances by agreeing with others who were not in alignment with what they really believed. What changes might you make to not compromise your beliefs?
The Countdown: Ah, the staff member who says on day one we have 179 days left. Do you agree or say nothing? What does your response say about you? This has come my way many times over the years. When it does I like to say, “ I don’t want to hear about the countdown, but I am interested in talking about how each day can be amazing for our students.” This statement either helps a person change or it lets them know that you have no interest in hearing it. Both can be positive.
The Bribe: I will stay in your school if you do this for me. This can range from a course assignment to certain pieces of technology. How do you handle this? My suggestion is to see this as an opportunity to have a discussion of your leadership with a staff member. Relationships need to be more than if you do this I still support you. If they are not, you never had a strong relationship.
Ridiculous Assignments: What do you do when staff gives silly assignments such as writing sentences, word finds or crossword puzzles? Do you tell them to stop? Do you agree with them? Or, say nothing. As a leader, we need to advocate for students. Some assignments that staff may cling too or we experienced are simply no good or harmful. My challenge to you is not to beat yourself up for what was in the past but make a commitment to handling such situations differently. Tell staff to stop. If they insist on continuing, I suggest that I’m willing to engage staff in a discussion if they can bring any research to the meeting that supports such practice. I have offered many invites over the years, never had a taker.
The summer is a great time to reflect on decisions you have made, how you have handled situations and the congruency of what you say and what you do. Leadership is hard work. Compromising is part of leadership but compromising what you believe ultimately undermines your leadership. Take time this summer to reflect, refine what you believe and how you will develop alignment between your words and actions.
Check out my interview with Dr. Alise Cotez on her show Working on Purpose! Evan Robb Interview
Also my book, The Principal’s Leadership Sourcebook
