After more than 25 years in education, I’ve started to see with great clarity instances where some practices don’t align with research. I’ve also started to question the ways we message what we do. I recently read an article about “systems thinking,” which is basically the art of being able to see how things connect …
Tag: leadership
Three Conditions to Inspire and Empower Your Team
Great leaders inspire and empower others. They inspire members of their team by nurturing curiosity and intrinsic motivation. They empower members of their team by giving them a voice, sharing in the decision-making process, and promoting the idea that there are often multiple “right” answers. The culture of the organization also plays an important part …
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Shift to “Get to”
I’ve been curious about what motivates people for a long time. As such, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out ways to establish the conditions by which team members are inspired. Incorporating opportunities for team members to link their purpose to their work, providing a degree of autonomy over how they work, and giving …
Embrace Imperfections
I’ve done some dumb things in my life. Like convincing a friend that we should swim down a local river so that we could collect all the jewelry and other precious things people had lost… …or when I challenged the same friend to kayak on Lake Michigan in March during a storm. …and I can’t …
Great Meetings
“I love meetings.” (Said no one ever.) But I do love to learn, I like a good plan, and it feels good to accomplish something. While my opening statement implies a note of cynicism, it is actually more of a goal statement. It’s what I want to feel when headed into a meeting, whether it …
Recognizing the Value of Instructional Leadership
Being a school administrator is complex and multi-faceted. There are parts of the job that involve managing tasks, making day-to-day decisions, and responding to any number of emergencies or difficult situations. There are also parts of the school principalship and superintendency that require strategic thinking, being visionary, motivating others, cultivating relationships, and focusing on specific, …
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Systemic Leadership
Most people who have led effective organizations know about the importance of leadership. It affects every aspect of an organization. It is necessary to drive improvement and adapt to change. However, far too often, what is overlooked is the importance of leadership development. That is, being deliberate and consistent about making it a priority. Most …
Cultivating Leadership
I’ve been thinking a lot about management and leadership lately–specifically the difference between the two, why some people in leadership positions manage and others lead, and the impact leaders who are not managing can have on the culture and effectiveness on an organization. According to the Oxford online dictionary, management is “to be in charge, …
A Culture of Directness
I’m usually a “glass half full” kind of guy. I’d much rather focus on the positive than be dragged down by the negative. That’s been helpful in keeping my blood pressure low and minimizing the stress lines on my forehead, but I am not sure it is the most effective way to lead. I learned …
Leadership Mindsets
A mindset is a way of thinking. It’s a place where our beliefs, thoughts and behaviors intersect to form attitudes and frame our actions. We all have mindsets. They influence the way we act, our ability to make decisions and, according to some psychologists, our potential. As I started in my first superintendent position, someone …
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