Leadership — Page 15

What I’m doing NOW to prepare for 15-16! #cpchat

June 27, 2015 by Amber 8 Comments

This clip from Armageddon may best describe how I feel as I transition this summer from AP to Principal. Packing was surreal…but sitting in this big’ol office…having my note pads and posit its where they go…it means thisisreallyhappening.
I am walking into a dream position. The campus is beautiful. The scores are phenomenal. The staff has been lauded by all. The parents I’ve met have been beyond friendly and approachable. Most importantly, the systems that are in place are amazing. They are in a good place (nah, a great place) with PLCs, with logistics, with morale.

What am I going to do all summer then??

1. Get to know the office staff. These team of ladies has the potential to be my front line at any given moment. I want them to KNOW me, know my heart and to genuinely know who I am. I want to make sure they know my vision, my big picture plans, to help make it easier for them to see why I do the things I do, or make the decisions I make.

2. Meet with my “groups”. There are a myriad of “groups” within a school, and school district. I have a “Tea with Teamann” for the PTA board already planned. We’re meeting team leaders and PLC leaders for a leadership day. I’m thinking about a “grill & chill” for families. I met with my superintendent and assistant supts to talk about what expectations they had for me for my first year. (Not surprisingly, their answer was relationships!) I want to meet all my SHAREholders, 🙂

3. Dig in. The outgoing principal was a data junkie. I am SO fortunate to be able to see longitudinal data on each student before we ever sit down to talk within our PLCs. I’m going to dive deeper into last years test scores, know my percentages, my areas of focus, and my initial thoughts where we can achieve even higher. I. can’t. wait.

4. Breathe. I am going to enjoy this year. I am not going to be worried and stressed over everything. I am not going to think I need to know everything. I am going to focus on being me, knowing that that was what allowed me to be chosen for this position.

I am going to leverage my PLN, which is chock full of incredible educators, to help make this the very best first year in the history of the world.

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5. *bonus* ( I wrote this post Thursday afternoon and it timed out and LOST the whole things. As I’m rewriting, I’m adding a bonus #5. You’re welcome!;))

That last paragraph? I used the word “I” a ton. One of my goals this year is to excise that word from my vocabulary. I never want to be the kind of leader who is “I” focused…this is a team, a family. WE will accomplish great things, together. It is SO defeating to be with someone who Unless something has gone wrong and I am taking responsibility, then the word I will use is WE.

I want to remember that using the “I” word alienates those around you…

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#dontbethatleader #wontbethatleader

It may be summer, but my wolf wheels won’t stop spinning. Any other pointers/advice you can share? PLEASE do!

Wolf ready,

Amber

Be more you!

June 4, 2015 by Amber 4 Comments

Advice is easy to give. It’s usually given with the greatest of intentions. Sometimes it can be questionable…but this isn’t that kinda post! 🙂

Our superintendent, Dr. Vinson, gave a closing speech at a banquet a couple of weeks ago where he reflected on the things people told him when he came to this district. Things like “We’re almost as big as such & such district, our scores are as good as so & so’s district.”, and how that gave him pause. He decided that he didn’t want to be more like those places…he just wanted us to be more Wylie. 5 years later we’re an anomaly in the state when it comes to testing data and you have people lined up to get hired. We’re proud of who we are are, and the Wylie Way defines our priorities. The good test scores are a byproduct of the phenomenal educators we have here.

That comment of his reminded me of a conversation we had at the beginning of the year. He mentioned in passing that he wanted to learn more about Twitter, that he’d heard I was a “pro”, and I shrugged him off (as gracefully as one can shrug off your big new boss!!) and said oh, I’m trying to get away from being “that” technology girl, but sure. His response was “Why? Be who you are,Teamann, you gotta own that…”

That stuck in my mind and after completing my 13th year in education, being named principal next year, and finding out I was named a 2015 ASCD Emergent Leader…I can say that advice was heart affirming.

I’m in a place that wants me to be more ME.

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Not who they think I should be, but more of the me I am.

Our students are encouraged to embrace their individual gifts and we highlight their strengths…don’t forget as an adult you should do the same thing.

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I hope that you are in a place where you can embrace who you are, and and are appreciated for the strengths you bring. Every team member plays a role, but the strongest teams balance each others gifts. Never deny your strengths. Find a place where they can SHINE!!

celebrating YOU,

Amber

Have you been appreciative today? A reminder and help…

May 12, 2015 by Amber 2 Comments

It’s the little things…

a teacher completing lesson plans for her partner who was in an accident.
a thank you note for a “stress free” testing season.
a gift card to your favorite daily drink stop from a team that loves you.
an acknowledgement of your strengths from someone who notices.
a parent who says “good job”.
a vox from friends who miss you, who make you laugh.
a friend you can trust.
a student who says they love you.
a facebook comment that reminds you that someone is invested in YOU.
a student who ducks and smiles when he sees you.
an administrator who respects you.
a bright and cheery good morning.

Sometimes its the little things that we forget to appreciate from others. What if it was YOUR little thing that made someone smile? What if that was the only smile they had that day? What if the only acknowledgment of their efforts, or just being, came from you?

From staff to students, there are people fighting struggles…home struggles, parent struggles, wellness struggles. Maybe their marriage is failing, maybe their child is sick…you just never know.

Never miss an opportunity to be someone’s little thing.

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And yet it can be the little things that make a day tolerable enough to think you can do it all over again tomorrow.

Are there people who you could do a “little thing” for? Let me help you with these happy notes, 🙂

little thing grateful,

Amber

Expecting vs extending grace…

May 6, 2015 by Amber 1 Comment

Have you ever been pulled over? This may surprise you, cough cough, but my driving style is a lot like the way I talk…and write. Fast and furious, always trying to get somewhere. Last weekend, with an unexpected afternoon of sunshine, I was out running errands, and inadvertently didn’t pay enough attention to a new posted neighborhood speed. My first immediate thought was, “Ohhhhhhh, MT is going to kill me!’ The second was, “Ohhhhhhh, please don’t give me a ticket! Just a warning, just a warning!”

Luckily, I did just get a warning that day. As I was driving away, I thought how ironic it was that as administrator, working with both adults and students, I am a big rules/policies girl. I like to know the parameters of an environment/situation and think that they are in place for a reason. I’m quick to want accountability and feel that individuals should be held responsible.

But when I get pulled over, my first instinct is to want grace. I want to explain, to rationalize, to make sure you understand the circumstances.

I was so much more cognizant of my speed this week. I was appreciative of the chance to do better. I was respectful of the officer’s power of a punitive action, but that he chose to give me the benefit of a learning experience. Had I gotten a ticket, would I have reflected on it so objectively? Or would I have been bitter and resentful? Been annoyed as I watched others fly by, getting away with their hurried pace, while I sat as the “one who got caught”… been focused on more of the consequence, than the actions that I had done to get myself there?

I don’t know for sure.

It was a very poignant reminder that as a leader,

I have the opportunity to give grace, and that more can actually be accomplished by doing so.

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Reminded,

Amber

Lead…like a dog?

April 27, 2015 by Amber 2 Comments

First, please note that this post is 100% based on zero facts. I have no scientific research that would support these claims, except that I taught used to teach science. It should also be noted…I don’t like cats. 🙂

There are many leadership styles. While watching my black lab run this weekend, I was reminded of a brief roommate I had in college who could never understand why I couldn’t stand her cat. We just never meshed, he and I. (the cat.) I feel like he KNEW that too, and took advantage of my annoyance with him, to show up on my room, or ergh, in my closet. Maybe that is where my true dislike began. Which leadership style can you most relate too?

Don’t be aloof, be a people person.

Cats will turn their tail to you, and walk away. Dogs will lick your face. Enough said.

Don’t be too independent, be a team player!

Cats are fiercely independent. They are picky about who they will snuggle and social with. They are often invisible during the day, seeming only to appear in the evening, especially if that is when they are fed. Dogs will sniff up up to anyone. They want to play, they just need a willing participant.

Be the boss who plays too. Remind people why they should work so hard for you.

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Dogs are companionable, they hang out, they like to be with you, they like your company, whereas cats like it for as long as they want it, and then they’re off.

It’s not about you, it’s about what’s happening around you.

Cats are notoriously nosy (um, hello curiosity!). They want to be the center of attention, make everything about them, and know everything that is going on around them. Dogs? They just want to be out & about. Or chasing a squirrel. Or a ball. Or swimming in a pond. Or digging up a garden. Or rolling around in the grass.

Leaders need to be above making themselves the hub of everything that happens.

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Dogs travel in packs! Surround yourself with an inspirational, supportive, creative team. Student success should be your goal, not winning a popularity cat test, I mean, contest.

Be more dog, people. Be more dog.

I like my new goal…to lead like a dog. Can you think of any other leadership parallels?

woof-ly,

Amber