Colleagues,

MVP: “When a good person is in a bad system, the system will always win.”
 
Two weeks ago, I shared a quote from Mary Hemphill, the Chief Academic Officer for the North Carolina Department of Instruction. In relistening to my podcast interview with her, I heard another quote that fits with the theme of the week:
 
“When a good person is in a bad system, the system will always win.”
 
Some implications:

• If you are in a bad system (organization), do one of these:
  • Leave
  • Apply for the top job!
  • Insulate yourself and your unit as much as possible
• If you are looking for a job, determine whether it is a bad system. Hint: interview the leader. Don’t take a job in a bad system!

 
Maybe this is too simplistic, but the real point is that your personal and professional qualities cannot fully mitigate the impacts of poor leadership. If you want to grow and become better at what you do, you need to be in a system that supports that.
 
Cheers!
 
Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: Support new people by building a strong relationship.
 
This afternoon’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast focuses on the needs of early career teachers. Essentially, it is these three things:

• Help with managing their classroom
• Help with managing the curriculum
• Strong relationships and support from their administrators

 
Let’s translate these three needs into more universal terms that might apply to anyone coming into a new job:

• Help with the primary skills for the job
• Help understanding and organizing the scope of the responsibilities and work
• Strong relationships and support from leaders

 
Leaders impact each one of these. When people struggle in an organization, it is a reflection on leadership. 
 
Do you have someone who is struggling?
 
Step 1: Build the relationship.
 
Cheers!
 
Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: Good leadership matters. Your leadership matters!
 
More than any other single thing, leadership matters. It can make everything better, or everything worse. There are six dimensions to organizations and leaders impact each one of them:

1. Leaders can bring clarity and focus to the organizational purpose.
2. Leaders create structures that make it easier for people to do the work that fulfills the organizational purpose.
3. Leaders distribute resources in ways that support priorities aligned with the organization’s purpose.
4. Leaders help people develop the skills they need to do the work that fulfills the organization’s purpose.
5. In doing the previous four things, leaders create positive forces (culture) within the organization.
6. Good leaders minimize the impact of negative external forces and maximize the benefit of positive external forces.

​Cheers!
 
Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: What do we do when we think we know where we are going but can’t see the destination?
 
Two weekends ago my son Collin and I hiked into one of my favorite places on earth, Black Balsam. Sitting like a crown on the Blue Ridge Mountains, Black Balsam offers stunning views. I never tire of this place and have come to know it well.

We hiked in about four miles, spent the night, and then began the hike out. I call these forays my 24-hour soul cleanse!
 
On our way out, the fog came in thick and heavy. 
 
The stunning views were replaced by an eerie quiet.
 
I know this area well, so there was no fear of getting lost and I knew what I could see behind the fog.

​I think we experience this as leaders too. We have to do something we know well. We know what the outcome will (or should?) look like, but everything is obscured.
 
It’s Friday, so let’s reflect:

• In low visibility, should we trust ourselves and keep moving forward?
• Or slow down and consult our maps?
• What is the danger in slowing down compared to the danger of moving forward without clarity?

 
Cheers!
 
Frederick

Colleagues,

MVP: When two important things conflict, it could be a sign of misalignment.
 
Last week we ran a series of quotes from our favorite podcast episodes. Today we’ll look at one of the other episodes that we couldn’t fit into the week.
 
This is from Episode 25: Parents and Community with Dr. Leigh Ann Alford-Keith.
 
“It is a both-and, not either-or. You don’t have to think of engaging families or supporting your teachers. You can think of ‘how will engaging families support my teachers.’”
 
When we view things in opposition to each other, we are missing the boat. Opposition and friction are signs of organizational misalignment. Schools need parents and teachers working together. A misalignment of mission, understanding of how parent and teacher roles complement each other, and even a lack of communication skills by either or both groups lead to a conflict that should not exist.
 
If you have a conflict in your organization, think about what might be causing it:

• Is everyone working towards the same purpose?
• Do organizational structures create tension or misunderstanding?
• Are groups competing with each other for resources?
• Do people have the skills they need to engage constructively?

Cheers!

​Frederick