Colleagues,
MVP: Providing third-party examples of good leadership can facilitate leadership growth within an organization. I received several questions last week from readers along a similar theme. Here’s one: “I would love to know your thoughts about how you try to lead an organization strategically when your superiors are not leading with the same mindset. I'm currently struggling to get my manager to see the need to train and listen to feedback from our employees instead of just harping on them for ‘not doing their job.’” In an upcoming podcast, Dr. Ryan Donlan will talk about leading “up, down, and around.” Leadership is not a hierarchical activity; leadership is a human activity! Here one strategy and example for leading up: Find a written, audio, or video example of what you are talking about, forward it to your superior, and say “I found this really interesting. Can we talk about this?” For example, in last week and this week’s episodes of The Assistant Principal Podcast, I interview Dr. Sam Sircey, the principal at Owen High School in Fletcher, North Carolina. In both Part 1 and Part 2 (link), Sam gives several examples of how listening to her teachers helped her take actions that empowered them to grow and how this built a positive school culture. Our reader could forward that podcast to their boss and say something like, “I’m really intrigued about how this principal handled working with a new group of people.” This allows for a conversation about what someone else is doing, so it is not threatening or judgmental. Today’s intention: Think about the idea of leading up. What are some things that you would like to be able to discuss with people “above” you? What resources or stories have you encountered recently that might facilitate such a conversation? Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues,
MVP: Don’t waste time fixating on decisions that don’t matter This morning I was making some oatmeal as Pam and I needed a hearty breakfast before setting off on a 10-mile hike. I pulled out two pots of slightly different sizes. I wasn’t sure which to use. I spent at least 30 seconds of time and concentration evaluating which pot would be best. Guess what? It didn’t matter! Either pot would have held the contents and helped cook the oatmeal. Two things:
Today’s intention: Be mindful of what you invest your mental focus on. Are you wasting it making decisions about things that aren’t very important? Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: We can use a single word to help us maintain focus on our growth. One challenge with setting resolutions and goals is that we lose track of them as we get caught up in the urgency of the day. One way to add a layer of accountability for what we want to achieve is to use a single word to capture the theme of our needs. From June through October of this year I was struggling. Everything felt like a grind, and nothing felt rewarding. At the beginning of November, I embraced one word: Enjoy! Yes, I included the exclamation point 🤣 This month, as I attempt to bring my book, podcasts, and emails into alignment, my word is coherence. One word can be more powerful than a bunch of words. So, what’s your word this month? Today’s intention: Think about what you need, what your aspirations are, and how you want to feel. Capture these things in one word. Bonus: Reply to this email and share you one word with me! I would love to hear it! Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: If we care and trust, we let people take the lead in their own growth. I may care about you, but does that mean that I trust you? If I trust you, do I listen well enough to help you lead your own growth? In his incredible 1971 treatise, On Caring, Milton Mayeroff said that if we really care about someone, we help them grow in the ways in which they determine. We take their lead in the process, in contrast to us trying to remake them in our image or turn them into what we want them to be. When we listen closely, people will tell us what they need and what they are ready for. They may not do it consciously and they may be unaware of it themselves, but in being present and listening, leaders gain insight into the needs of those they serve. Today’s intention: Ask one person: “If you could snap your fingers and magically be better at doing one thing, what would it be?” Listen and reflect. Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: Put people first Each morning when Bill arrived at the office, he would check in with each person. He would stop at their desk or pop into their office, say good morning, ask how they were doing, and then ask about a family member or event that he had heard them talk about previously. He did this every day. Was it a strategy to increase worker performance or satisfaction? No. In fact, Bill wasn’t in the leadership hierarchy. However, Bill understood something that every leader needs to embrace. People before purpose. Not so we can improve performance or outcomes, but because… People are the purpose. Today’s intention: When you interact with people, ask yourself these three questions:
Bonus: If you don’t know, ask them. Getting to know people is a great way to increase how much we care about them, and that makes it easier to put them first. Cheers! Frederick |
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