Colleagues,
 
MVP: Relationships are critical because they help us to better serve others
 
In yesterday’s episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, I explored how we can be better at supporting the growth of veteran teachers. Briefly…
 

• It begins by trusting them
• We need to learn their aspirations
• And their fears
• And the personal and professional demands they face

 
This builds directly on yesterday’s assertion that the heart of relationships at work is understanding how work and home intersect and overlap in people’s lives.
 
The podcast illustrates why relationships are so important: without strong relationships, it is much harder to support people and to help them grow.
 
Here’s the big aha: Relationships are critical because they help us to better serve others. It isn’t about growing our influence over someone. The relationship helps us understand and make better choices about how we care for those whom we oversee and serve.
 
Today’s intention: Think of someone who you know needs to grow. What do you know about them that helps you understand how and in which direction they want to grow themselves?

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,
 
MVP: If you know how a person’s work and home lives influence each other, then you probably have a strong relationship with them.
 
Relationships at work will generally have two components: personal and professional.
 
The personal stuff is about a person’s life outside of work and the professional part is related to their life at work.
 
Of course, it isn’t that simple because work spills into life and life spills into work, blurring the lines between what is personal and what is professional.
 
And therein lies the golden heart of relationships. As a leader, if I understand how your personal and professional lives are intersecting and overlapping, then I probably have a good relationship with you.
 
Today’s intention: Think about what you know about the intersection of home and work lives of your colleagues. What does it say about how well you know them?

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,
 
MVP: Relationships are a foundation of leadership, but what constitutes a good relationship?
 
I’ll be posting on the theme of relationships this week.
 
At the end of each episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast, I ask guests if there is one thing they want listeners to take away from the episode. No matter what the episode was about, “It’s all about relationships” is a common response.
 
But what does this even mean?
 
What defines a relationship?
 
Why are relationships so important?
 
I queried ChatGPT about the importance of relationships, and here is the bot’s closing thought:
 
Relationships are the foundation upon which effective leadership is built. Leaders who invest in building meaningful connections with their team members and stakeholders create an environment conducive to growth, productivity, and success.
 
Nice, but it doesn’t answer my question about what we mean when we use the term “relationships.”
 
What do you think?
 
Today’s intention: Pay attention to the work relationships you have with others. Think about what distinguishes a “good” relationship from a “poor” one.

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,
 
MVP: Simple strategies, oft repeated, help build relationships.
 
Is it fair to have yet another daily email that basically says: It is all about relationships?
 
It is such a cliché, but it is so essential.
 
And how do we build relationships?
 
If you were reading carefully this week, you might have picked up on some of these ideas:

• Find commonalities
• Be vulnerable
• Learn about people’s desires, hopes, and fears
• Listen, listen, listen!
• Use names and ask the second question
• Communicate that people matter

 
Sometimes I worry that the daily email repeats itself, but when I think about how often I miss opportunities to build relationships by using some of these strategies, I remember that we need consistent reminders. I am often too task driven, and I need as many reminders as I can get.
 
Today’s intention: Choose one strategy and execute it as many times as possible today.

Cheers!

Frederick

Colleagues,
 
MVP: Transitioning from work to home is critical.
 
In my conversation with Helen Kelly on episode 141 of The Assistant Principal Podcast, she emphasized how critical it was to be able to disconnect from work. 
 
This is something I have struggled with throughout my career, but here two things you can do to help transition from work to home:

• Use travel time to transition your brain out of work mode. Instead of listening to another GREAT episode of The Assistant Principal Podcast (🤣), listen to something that preps you for being home – music and an entertainment podcast or audio book.
• Give your body senses cues when you get home:
  • Change your clothes.
  • Have a special drink with a specific flavor.
  • Sit in a specific place.
  • Listen to a specific sound (music, birds in the garden).

 
This isn’t perfect but it is a start.
 
Today’s intention: Evaluate what you do at the end of your workday through the point when you get home. Are you helping yourself make the transition?
 
The work to home transition is one of the four essentials for new leaders. The first essential is the support network. Downloading our support network checklist will also get you access to our free mini-course on the other three essentials. Checklist link is here.

Cheers!

Frederick