What (or who) are you advocating for?

Colleagues, 

​MVP: Your advocate focuses on you, not your work.

On May 26th I wrote about the four types of support (boss, peer, advocate, and mentor). A long-time reader (and friend) asked to elaborate on “the differences between the advocate and the mentor.”

The advocate’s primary purpose is to:

• Hold you true to your values
• Help you take care of yourself

My advocate is the person who is willing to say “we need to talk” when I’m working 60 hours a week, eating poorly, not exercising, and complaining about the people around me. My advocate helps me reflect on my values and calls me out when I’m not living up to them. My advocate helps me consider my whole self, not just my work.

We’ll look at the mentor tomorrow.

Are you a middle school leader in North Carolina?

• If “no,” skip this box 😭
• If “yes,” click this link 😃

The link takes you to details for the MIDDLE GROUND: LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE NETWORK, a year-long support program with NCMLE, my good friend Darrin Peppard, and yours truly. 

The price includes two virtual conferences, winter f-t-f conference, NCMLE’s amazing annual conference in March, and extra stuff from Darrin and I – all for under $2k! Feel free to email me with questions.

Cheers!

Frederick