Are you a school leader concerned about teacher morale? If so, please listen to this 30 minute podcast by Jennifer Gonzalez at Cult of Pedagogy! I guarantee it will cause you to reflect and to improve life for your teachers. The apple podcast link is here, Spotify here, and the link to her webpage is here. Colleagues, This week we continue digging into ways for you to grow yourself as a leader. Today’s strategy builds on strategy 2, blocking reflection time. Strategy 3: Assess your strengths and weaknesses As a leader, the demands on you are varied and complex. Although you can’t improve on everything at once, it is very important to keep in mind both your strengths and weaknesses. By leveraging our strengths, we can be more effective. By either improving or compensating for our weaknesses, we can also be more effective. Think about the most important aspects of your work and the most important projects or responsibilities you have and list them out. For each one, identify what went well and what didn’t and then link the outcomes to specific leadership skills or knowledge. Here’s an example: The Assistant Principal Podcast
Knowledge, skills, and dispositions that impact the work:
Doing just one of these is helpful, but analyzing a couple other areas will start to show patterns and provide us with deeper understanding of both our strengths and weaknesses.
Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues,
Yesterday we looked at strategy 2, blocking reflection time. Today I’ll share two examples from my own experience. Back in the early 2000’s I was the special education coordinator for the Putnam County Educational Service Center. I had the great privilege of working for Superintendent Dr. Jan Osborn. So much of who I am today is a result of Jan’s patient but insistent mentoring, teaching, and friendship. On many occasions I would meet with Jan late on Friday afternoon, after most other people had left. He helped me unpack and learn from my week, but I was also a safe person for him to reflect with. We both grew from those times and I only wish that I had been better at making them a weekly pattern. Now, much of my work occurs in isolation. I try and book time Friday afternoon to reflect on the week and look ahead to what’s coming next. Mara and I also have a weekly call on Fridays and that facilitates the reflection process. As I write this email, I realize that Mara and I need to build in time for intentional reflection in that meeting. It would benefit both of us. Note that both these examples are imperfect and give yourself permission to be human. Happy coincidence - today is Friday! It is a perfect day for reflection. If you are finding this series of emails valuable, please consider letting me know what actions you have taken and/or what you have learned about yourself. Click here to reply. Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
Today we continue our series on growing your leadership, but first, think about what you’ve done this week in Quadrant 2. Strategy 2: Block reflection time – and use it! Without reflection, growth is a coincidence. Keys to reflection:
Ideally:
Alternate method:
Many readers begin their day with a cup of coffee and this email. It shouldn’t be your only growth strategy, but it is a minimally viable process (MVP). Take action now: Find a regular time to reflect. Block it off as a recurring event in your calendar. Start with a 15 to 30-minute block. Optional: schedule that time with a partner. Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
Yesterday we looked at the first strategy for growing your own leadership, focusing on Quadrant 2. If you followed the action step and posted the quadrant in your workspace, look at it now and take 30 seconds to reflect on what you did to invest in Quadrant 2 either yesterday or today. … … … Today I’ll expand on Quadrant 2 with my own leadership example. I am writing this week’s emails on the Sunday before they go out, so there is little margin for error, and I am feeling pressured. I don’t have time to reflect on or improve any of my ideas. I am working in Quadrant 1. The daily email is important, and finishing it now is urgent. I was originally going to write these the week before Christmas. I would have had time to put together something more polished, powerful, and that could be used again in the future. That would have been working in Quadrant 2, which gives us energy, boosts our creativity, and often yields lasting results that positively impact the future. Look back at that Eisenhower matrix you posted. What can you do today or tomorrow to work in Quadrant 2? Cheers! Frederick Colleagues, Yesterday I told you we would spend the next two weeks looking at strategies for growing your own leadership. As we work, consider:
That said, some of these strategies synergize well and I will point that out as we go. Strategy 1: Focus on Quadrant 2 If you have been a regular reader, then you are familiar with the Eisenhower Matrix. In a 1954 speech, then President Dwight Eisenhower quoted “a former college president” as saying "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important.” The idea has been popularized by Stephen Covey in his book, the Seven habits of Highly Effective People. The matrix consists of four quadrants formed by the intersections of urgent/not urgent and important/not important: Urgent leaders spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3. However, most strategic work takes place in quadrant two. Strategic leaders consistently invest in quadrant 2 activity.
Notice the verbs – we spend time in quadrants 1 and 3, but we invest time in quadrant 2. This is because quadrant 2 activities lead to lasting improvements that pay back dividends over time. Take action now: Print this email, cut out the matrix, and put it in a prominent space. Check it multiple times each day and ask, “Have I invested in Quadrant 2 today?” Cheers! Frederick |
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