In my office, I have had the LEAD NOW framework written on a dry erase board for about 9 years. I just can't bring myself to erase it. When I bought the board, I intended to use it to write reminders, brainstorm plans and keep important dates. But, the first thing I wrote on it 9 years ago still remains there. It's never been erased and I don't think it ever will.
You may be wondering why I'm sharing this with you. Well, I'm going to tell you. Over the last few months, I've experienced the people who lead me in a very different light than I have in the past. I have noticed a lack of clarity and even worse a change in character. Tim Kight defines character as the "cornerstone of trust". He shares that "Talent is a gift. Character is a choice." He goes on to explain that " Character is who you are based on the habits you build into your life. The word 'character' is Greek for 'to stamp or engrave'. Over time, through repeated action, you engrave certain habits into your life." I pride myself on living my personal values (which are also written on my dry erase board). The values are : BE A COACH and be coachable; BE GRATEFUL; RELENTLESSLY PURSUE EXCELLENCE. And, I hope more than anything that the way you experience me is consistent and you see me as SERVANT LEADER. I hope that as a leader you see me as humble. I hope that you see me as a leader who would not ask you to do anything that I wouldn't also do myself. I hope that when my character as a leader is tested you see that I respond with courage. We are all leaders within our own 20 square feet. I ask you, too, to reflect on your own leadership. How do others experience you? Are you consistent in the way you behave? Remember, especially when other leaders let us down, we have a commitment to be an example of what great leadership is.
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Conference night is always full of surprises and last night was no different. I didn’t have a lot of conferences to attend but I did have the pleasure of walking around the school and checking in on many of you. I could feel the positive energy throughout the building and that was so invigorating! Thank you for your hard work and for going above and beyond for each and every conference.
A few of you had stressful moments and as usual, your colleagues rose to the occasion to support you. I walked out of the building with a full heart after seeing so many of you check on each other and help each other. This is truly a special place and no one works as hard as you. Thank you for being you. Most of you know that I love WORDS! I find myself collecting words and quotes that inspire me and I just had to share this one with you.
"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." This quote reminded me of our TEAM and our ONE WORD (TEAM)! I have been in several classrooms for OTES this week and many of you have participated in JW Grows this week, too! And, as always, when I give myself time to take a step back and observe all that goes on here, I am amazed at everything you do! JW Grows always reminds me how willing we all are to be vulnerable with one another and share the great things happening in our classrooms. At JW, it's not about being the best individual teacher, it's about working hard and lifting others up! What an amazing place this is. I had a GREAT meeting this morning at CO. We are really being pushed this year to look at our work as leaders and get better. Our Commitment Plans are actually being used to ground this work and are being revisited frequently. I am getting feedback on my work and our work! If you know me, you know I love to grow and be pushed and to feel uncomfortable. In the past few years, COVID has really halted our rigorous work and thrust us into survival mode. With a renewed focus on our real work this year, I am feeling SO energized!
Today, we were asked to think about the quote at the top of this post. I want you to think about it as well. I have typed it below and added some of my thoughts and questions to push your thinking. "Our brains are trained to skip right over what we haven't taught them to look for, what doesn't confirm what we already know, and what we don't want to admit is there...it's remarkably easy to find alternative explanations for outcomes we don't like an to interpret any discrepancies between fact and rationalization in our favor" This makes me wonder what I'm missing in my work each day-what am I NOT recognizing or noticing that is right in front of me? What am I rationalizing away so I don't have to deal with it? I am going to work to be more honest with myself about the reality that is in front of me and let myself take time to "SEE" it instead of rationalizing it away. This is going to be hard, but I'm going to hold myself accountable. I hope you can take some time to think about things you may rationalize to your favor. Why do you do that? Is it easier to pretend that everything is perfect or make excuses for outcomes we don't like? How can you change your behavior and catch yourself the next time you do this? I'm going to keep thinking about this quote and I hope you do to! |
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