Colleagues,
4. Seek to add value As I have grown my business, I have realized that an essential approach is to create value for people. I have become somewhat obsessed with it. Whether it is a training, an email, a video, a podcast, or a dinner with a friend, my goal is always to add value – to give something away that the person or people I’m with will leave richer and feeling better than before our interaction. This isn’t as hard as it seems. The simple act of being 100% present is often valuable enough. Asking good questions and listening to the answer also gets the job done. However, there are times I need to take – I need someone to add value to me. I have a few people that I can count on for that, but I don’t know if I could consistently give to others without those few people who consistently give to me. Maybe there is another lesson there? Intention: In each interaction today, provide value to others, and don’t underestimate the value of being fully present. Cheers! Frederick
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Colleagues,
3. LISTEN and ask the right question If you embrace numbers one and two, this starts to get easier because you’ve begun to realize that it really isn’t about you. As you grow in respecting and desiring to serve others, you begin to actually listen to them. Listening is how you find what they need. As powerful as listening is, learning how to ask the right question can be transformative. People need to sort things out for themselves, but you can ask the question that helps them look at something a bit differently and gain new insight. Intention: Try this. Try listening without thinking about how you will respond. Just listen. Our annual summer tradition is to share the most important things I’ve learned from other people. This summer we have 20 lessons that you will receive throughout the next few weeks. If you feel particularly moved and want to share a reaction, please reply! -- The Assistant Principal Podcast is continuing to grow, and we want to take the show to the next level of quality. If you are a regular listener, please use this link to reply with what you like best about the podcast (so we keep it in) and what ways we could improve the podcast (so we can fix it). Thanks! Cheers! Frederick Colleagues,
2. Everyone is doing the best they can, and your job is to help them do better This builds on number one. Again, it is not our position to judge. When I was younger (not that long ago), I thought the world would be so much better if everyone thought just like me, so I bent my leadership skills towards trying to make people be like me. Thankfully, I had an incredible mentor who helped me to see my own arrogance, and to begin to understand what servant leadership was. Real leaders honor others by supporting them in their own journeys, not by trying to take others on the leader’s journey. Intention: Pay attention to where people are now, not where they were, or where you want them to be. The Assistant Principal Podcast is continuing to grow, and we want to take the show to the next level of quality. If you are a regular listener, please use this link to reply with what you like best about the podcast (so we keep it in) and what ways we could improve the podcast (so we can fix it). Thanks! -- Our annual summer tradition is to share the most important things I’ve learned from other people. This summer we have 20 lessons that you will receive throughout the next few weeks. If you feel particularly moved and want to share a reaction, please reply! Cheers! Frederick Colleagues, Yesterday’s podcast guest, Jim Carlough, tells an incredible story of raising morale in a dire situation. He did three critical things:
It’s an inspiring story and you should definitely give it a listen. I’m happy to acknowledge Kaleidoscope Adventures as a sponsor of yesterday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast! I appreciate their support and encourage you to connect with them if you are thinking about planning a school trip! Cheers!
Frederick Colleagues, MVP: Focusing on people will improve the numbers. Numbers are tidy and clean, and they give a sense of confidence and accuracy. Numbers can also be tyrannical sources of pressure as they tend to focus us on tasks instead of people. This doesn’t mean the numbers are irrelevant (think test scores or sales), but when we focus on people, the numbers will usually take care of themselves. I explore this more deeply with my guest Jim Carlough in today’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast. Thanks again to IXL for sponsoring today’s episode. Cheers!
Frederick |
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