“A culture is simply a shared vision of what it is you want to do to get to where it is you want to go…It’s up to the coach to create the philosophy.”
Pat Reilly
The culture in your organization is defined by what you tolerate and expect each day. It sets the foundation for your team, and we know the foundation is the most crucial of the beginning pieces.
The best teams? They build a culture rooted in trust, connection, and accountability. Kinda like Pat Reilly’s teams. His culture can be seen through their behaviors, purpose, values, and attitudes.
5 Things to think about when you plan for back to school for your campus:
- Vision
Vision provides a unified direction and helps set expectations for everyone. This collective sense of purpose drives motivation and also helps everyone understand the reasons behind their actions. Even if anyone on your team disagrees, it helps when they know where or why a decision was made. We don’t have to tell everyone there isn’t a Santa, but we want to make sure they know they’re getting gifts, right? Consistently bringing everyone back to your vision helps keep the right things, the right things. - Accountability
Exceptional teams establish high standards and hold everyone to them. Making accountability a core part of the culture helps ensure these standards are consistently met. Holding people accountable creates an environment where excellence becomes the default. We know success takes us all, but that all means all. From vision to accountability, you need all your people on the same page. We each have to be able to do what it takes, even if it means having hard conversations. - Communication
When communication is lacking, people make their own assumptions. What does Joe Sanfelippo say? When people don’t know what you do, they make up what you do. And when they make up what you do, it may not have anything to do with what you actually do! (He says something like that anyway!;)) Clear is kind. Clarity precedes competence. Can your team members clearly articulate the expectations and attitude of your campus? Effective communication prevents misunderstandings and builds a culture of transparency and responsibility. Handle communication now or handle the chaos later. - Ownership
Ownership gives individuals a sense of responsibility and investment in their work. When people feel they have ownership over their tasks, they are more motivated and empowered. This leads to a more competent and confident team because they understand what they are responsible for. Hard to drill holes in the boat if you’re busy helping paddle! - Connection
Strong teams cultivate relationships and a culture of trust and respect. You can’t rush relationships. It takes time to build connections with one another and begin to genuinely care for each other. People want to feel valued and supported and as a leader, this is your chance to help facilitate those actions. This in turn will drive collaboration, unity, and mutual support within the team…all good things!
Simon Sinek says, “A culture is not invented. A culture constantly evolves…which is why it must be nurtured.” If you leave culture building or staff appreciation for when you have free time….you may find that you never actually have any!
How are you fostering your team’s culture? #leadership #teamculture #growth
I hope your beginning is the best one one yet!
Missing campus kickoff’s &
Well, folks, we’ve been on quite the leadership journey together, diving deep into some of my favorite Taylor Swift lyrics to unearth some golden nuggets of leadership wisdom. As we wrap up this series, here are your cliff notes of what we’ve hummed along to…
April is flying by, which brings us closer to the “end” of the 23-24 school year. This is where most administrators are already thinking about next year, partly, hopefully, because at this point in the year…life feels easier.
This is week two of “Leadership Lessons from Lyrics…did you see last week’s post? Loved the comments on 