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Colleagues,
MVP: Asking “what surprised you?” can yield surprising results. Lately I have found myself asking one question a lot: What surprised you? In the past week or so I have asked these people that question:
In each case the person spent several seconds reflecting before they answered the question. The question itself is a surprise, because how often do people ask it? Because it is a surprise, it causes us to examine events from a different perspective. That is where the magic happens. Asking “what surprised you?” is so simple and takes very little time. It isn’t a panacea, but it is good medicine! On next Tuesday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, I will do a deep dive into five-minute coaching, from which the surprise question is drawn. I hope you’ll tune in. Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues,
MVP: A little less can make a big difference Last spring Pam and I began a through hike of the 77-mile Foothills Trail. We began, but we didn’t finish. We faced multiple challenges, but one of the most consequential was the knee pain that Pam developed in the second day. Later that year she began getting plantar fasciitis, and I have been having hip pain. Since then, we have both worked hard to decrease the weight of our packs. During last week’s hike in the Smokys, we had no problems, even on the days we had long steep climbs. Our efforts have made a dramatic difference in our ability to do a long hike. Here’s the thing… we only cut a few pounds off our pack weights. Pam’s base weight went from about 20 pounds to 12. How can eight pounds make such a huge difference? Today’s intention: Think about what you ask of your people, especially things that are new or changing. What is the “weight” of each of these things? At what point is it too much weight? What might be left out of the pack? Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: Make decisions based on your best people, not the ones who struggle. Todd Whitaker talked about this in yesterday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast. We recorded the episode several weeks ago and I have been thinking about it ever since. It sounds simple enough – when y9ou make decisions, have your best people in mind. Yet, it is a paradigm shift. It moves me from asking “what’s the problem?” to “how can I help you?” The first question is about the outcome I want, but the second is about the outcome you want. There is lot more we could dig into, but let’s keep it simple for today 😉 Today’s intention: Think about your best performers. What is something you could do to make their jobs easier? What barriers could you remove? What resources could you share? Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: Everyone is different, and that is a good thing. In last Friday’s Five for Friday episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, I talked about what waterfalls can teach us about leading change. It was a fun 12-minute episode, and you can listen to it here. A waterfall is only possible when many little rivulets of water come together into something larger, but each of those rivulets joins the larger body in its own way. Some come from far away, other begin nearby. Some drop quickly downhill while others move slowly around many obstacles. People are similar. They come to a common understanding at different paces over various differences. This is why putting people before purpose is essential. When we understand the person, we can help create a path that works for them. Today’s intention: Watch and reflect on individuals you work with. Notice how each of them moves through the day differently. Try and suspend judgement and replace it with the wonder of how different we all are. Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
MVP: Assume that things will not go as planned. Pam and I spent most of last week backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park here in Western North Carolina (WNC). On Tuesday we made a 3,000 foot, five-mile ascent to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park and on the Appalachian Trail. It was a challenging but glorious hike. Our campsite was still eight miles away, but it was a steady downhill trail that we thought would be easy based on the map. You already know where this is going. About a mile of the trail was under water and we hopped from stone to stone, trying to keep our feet dry. For another couple of miles, the trail was barely a foot wide and roots and rocks hid under a bed of dry fall leaves. It was a grueling hike, both physically and mentally. It was made worse by the fact that we hadn’t accounted for the difficulty of the trail and that is where the leadership lesson is. Like implementation plans, maps can be deceiving. Just because things look like they should be easy doesn’t mean they will be. In any change initiative, count on things going wrong because they probably will. And when they do, you will need to slow down. Today’s intention: Think about the big plans you had in the fall and where things are now. What surprises did you encounter? If there have been challenges, have you been able to adjust and adapt, or have you just slogged on? Cheers! Frederick |
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