Colleagues,
MVP: Sometimes we don’t listen, even when people are telling us something important. My name is Frederick. I introduce myself as Frederick. My wife, children, and friends refer to me as Frederick. I sign everything with Frederick. My email is [email protected] My website is frederickbuskey.com Everything I have ever published is under either Frederick Buskey or Frederick C. Buskey. And yet… People consistently call me Fred. Why? Today’s intention: Think about the assumptions you make about others. Think critically about the conversations you have with them. Are they telling you something that you are not hearing? I did not answer the question, “why?” I am very interested to hear what you think the answer is. Feel free to reply here and let me know your thoughts. Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues, MVP: Today is what you have – be fully present in it. I saw a post on LinkedIn of a former graduate student who is an AP in the same school her son is attending. She posted a nice picture of them together and it made my heart smile. Embrace this moment. Embrace this day. Don’t look forward to tomorrow, it will come in its own time. Don’t pine for yesterday – it is gone. Today is what you have. Appreciate it. Mara does so much of the behind the scenes work here at Strategic Leadership Consulting. She and I have enjoyed many yesterdays, but we have also gotten very good at appreciating all the todays we get to share. Today’s intention: Focus on today, on this moment. It is the first essential step in being present, which itself is the first essential step in being a strategic leader.
Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: Great leadership follows a simple pattern. Read on… As a leader, it is all too easy for me to focus on what I know and what I think we need to do. I consistently advocate for us to be more present, to ask better questions, and to listen more intently. Despite this, I frequently miss the mark. But when I get it right… I’m working with a group of non-profit leaders (our 6th Now and Next cohort!) and in reflecting on what I had heard from them, I decided to add an activity about combatting imposter syndrome. It was powerful and productive. This is the cycle:
Being a strategic leader is that simple! Not easy – because all the external and internal forces are competing for our presence. But simple. Today’s intention: Just show up for one person. Be fully present, ask what’s going well, ask if anything needs to change. Listen. If something magical happens (it might), please consider replying to this message and sharing. I could use a bit of inspiration today 😉. Cheers! Frederick Colleagues, MVP: You may be a leader, but that makes you the chief borrower, not the owner. Today on The Assistant Principal Podcast, Mike Miller and I talk about captaining organizations. Mike uses the analogy of the harbor captain, who takes over somebody else’s ship to steer it through to clear waters, and then gives the ship back. In an era where leadership changes so frequently, I wonder if we are all harbor captains in some sense. There are people who have been in the organization long before we arrived and will be there long after. We are just passing through. We are just steering the ship for a brief moment in time. I think being mindful it is not our ship, and we are merely steering for a while can help us focus on making the consistent small course adjustments instead of trying to completely turn the ship around at the risk of running it aground. Admittedly, the analogy falls apart if the ship is headed towards an iceberg 🤣 Thanks again to IXL for sponsoring today’s episode. Cheers!
Frederick Colleagues, MVP: Small, even silly, steps can help us feel incrementally better. Last weekend I was moping around feeling sorry for myself and just wanting to hike. Instead of eating more ice cream, I did something silly. My mom used to make paper countdown chains with me for Christmas. Pam and I carried on the tradition with our kids. I like it because it was a way to be intentional about marking progress towards a positive outcome. So, last weekend I made a paper countdown chain to take me to September 17, when I get my boot off. I added little messages to myself for each day.
It is silly, but it is a positive step I could take and it is giving me a small lift each morning. And I was out of ice cream. Today’s intention: Think about small and silly indulgences that can brighten your mood. Cheers! Frederick |
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