my version of transparent, collaborative leadership...with a Teamann twist

Swift Lessons in Leadership through Lyrics: The Fine Line Between Honesty and Cruelty”

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Listen. I fully appreciate the middle aged-ness of myself. Truly. However, this blog is about being TRANSPARENT as well, right? Not only am I a “seasoned” leader…I also might be have watched the “Eras” tour an OBNOXIOUS amount of times since it has come out.

It’s the perfect thing to have playing in the background while I cook, clean or… scroll. And if you know me, you know I’m not that great at cooking or cleaning. (I like to think it’s ok because at least I am cute and funny…but MT says I’m not that funny. Sigh.)

Anyhoo…I’ve noticed here lately that there are some powerful lyrics that keep getting stuck in my head from Ms. Swift. And the application from them to my leadership experiences just can’t be denied, even I wanted to pretend to not be all Swift’sessed. For those who associate her with pop sugar and bouncy are in for a treat.

First up…in “All Too Well”, we have this gem:

“And you call me up again just to break me like a promiseSo casually cruel in the name of being honestI’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here..”

Causally cruel. In the name of being honest.

We hear, frequently, that honesty and transparency in leadership is crucial. A necessary trait. Sometimes though, that honesty can be wielded like a sword. The person swinging that sword has the force field of being right, regardless of how deep it cuts.

Not seeing how it could apply?

I’ve written a lot about #thefirstyear, and all the things as a principal I’d gotten wrong and the adjustments I made thanks to the team around me. How though, did I know, how tragically terrible it was going?

I was on my way out to a meeting when I was pulled aside by members of my “team”.  They asked me to sit in one of their offices, while the two of them broke the news. They had finally been compelled “in the name of being honest” to share information I needed to know.

The staff was unhappy. They were looking to leave. The scores and culture on the campus I’d been honored enough to be asked to lead was falling apart, because of me. Because of my leadership.

I was devastated.

But I was also confused. I managed to maintain composure and ask. Who? Who wanted to leave? What? What exactly had I done?

Well…they couldn’t tell me that. Couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

I vividly remember asking, “So what I am hearing is that I am a terrible principal…but you have nothing to offer in how I can get better? Or to change what I am doing?” They didn’t.

I can’t even articulate how devastating it is to not only hear that you’re a failure, but also that there wasn’t anything you could do about it. From people you thought were also on your “team”.

It was a pivotal moment in my principal’ing experience. If you’ve read this from ASCD, you know it didn’t get better right away. But, it did get better. It actually got a lot better before I left 6 years later.

I never forgot, however, how cutting that conversation was, even in all its rightness.

Telling someone they are terrible doesn’t help them get any better.

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What is the goal in “brutal honesty”? Does it set the receiver up to improve? Isn’t that the purpose of feedback? Surely it’s not just for the satisfaction of the person giving it?

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I used to tell my staff to always remember when talking to parents about a concern to always remember that the student you are so worked up over, for whatever reason, is most likely the most important thing in someone else’s world. If you go guns in blazing, no matter how right you are, you aren’t going to be heard.

You can be right all day long and lose every relationship you have.

So today’s lesson is this…worry less about being so honest, and care more about the relationship. YOu can, believe it or not, do both.

Swift singing &

Videos to support leadership learning…and why you shouldn’t stop!

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Hiya stranger friends!

I’m working to build a repository of “leadership” supports for my team that meets all the varied modalities of learning that they may have. I love to read but maybe a podcast floats their boat…or maybe they want a one-pager to reference in moments of “uh oh”. Whatever it is, I’m starting with videos. Whether you’re a new principal, a seasoned district administrator, or somewhere in between, there are always lessons to absorb!

Authentic leaders never stop growing.

For those starting as campus leaders, Yale’s “Connected Leadership” offers research on aligning your actions with your values. As an administrator, it’s crucial to embody the traits you aim to instill in students and staff. I’ve found that leading by example and practicing what I preach as an educator builds trust and buy-in across the school community. You can also register for a FREE course from IUBM on “Developing Interpersonal Skills” if you want to hang up a gold star once you ace it, 😉

Every one of us has those inner critics who ask for more, better, and always!

For my middle-of-the-pack people, Brené Brown’s “Daring Leadership” is a must-watch. With her signature blend of research and storytelling, Brown advocates for a paradigm shift from armored to daring leadership. Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of people. Her talk is a great reminder to stay grounded in authenticity and vulnerability even as our responsibilities grow. Want that gold star? You can pick up concrete engagement strategies from the University of Michigan’s “Leading People and Teams short course. Their segments on thoughtful feedback models have strengthened my ability to motivate faculty and tease out opportunities for talent development. Practicing active listening, asking coaching questions, and setting clear expectations with those around me have led to increased collaboration and job satisfaction. (on both our parts!)

It’s YOUR job to develop psychologically safe spaces for a foundation of efficient teamwork.

Finally, all the ones who have been doing this thing we call leadership for longer than we thought we ever could, the Open University’s talk on “Leadership: External Context and Culture” provides some hard-won wisdom. Having navigated major organizational changes, the speakers share how to drive complex initiatives by understanding your unique institutional history and landscape. Their advice has me reflecting on how to better frame change narratives (both within and without out of our control!) to unify stakeholders in our district. John Maxwell’s video “The 5 Levels of Leadership.” is another great one. Maxwell draws on his decades of leadership consulting to outline his framework moving from Position, to Permission, to Production, to People Development, and finally to Pinnacle. Regardless of your years of experience, his seasoned insights will have you reflecting on ways to guide your team to the next level.

 

As we know, trying to lead in the challenging educational system hasn’t gotten any easier. We’re also smart enough to know it never will. There are no silver bullets, and if it were simple, everyone would do it. In any given moment we can decide how to perceive our reality. And depending on our choice and attitude, we are more or less likely to overcome challenges and be successful. When you feel overwhelmed, remember we all struggle to get it all done. Keep leaning on your teams, focus on your “why,” and lead with the heart that made ya want to do it in the first place… Our students and schools need us now more than ever!

 

Learning while leading &

Leadership and the summer: How to ensure your 23-24 success by planning ahead NOW

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Summer is an exciting time for educators, but it can also be a challenging one. Planning feels like the last thing you wanna do…summer is when we get to reset, reflect, and renew our commitment to the reasons we do this job in the first place. My June was always spent in reflection mode. What went well? What didn’t go well? Where did we go off plan? The new year was too far off to really plan for, but this month of closing it all down was crucial. An autopsy of our school year allowed us, through hindsight, to see what we’d missed and how it had happened. Then we’d get a lil’break and coming back in July meant it was time to start thinking ahead.

 

Best Practices for Summer Leadership and Planning

To overcome the challenges of summer and ensure team success, leaders must be proactive in their planning and communication. Here are some best practices to follow:

Set Clear Expectations

At the start of the summer season, it’s essential to communicate clearly with your team about what is expected of them. I made meeting calendars and developed any “new” protocols. Establishing a skeleton of a timeline meant as my team started coming back, we had an outline to start with.  By setting clear outlines and directions, you can help prevent misunderstandings and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Plan Ahead

Obviously, there are calendrical things we know are going to happen. I’m also a big believer in that if you can predict it, you can prevent it. BTS chaos? Traffic flow pushback? Make a plan to address thoroughly on the front end. In “Lead With Appreciation” we talk about how to work ahead for the big events/days and who can support you in all the many capacities. (Budgets, plans, snacks, etc.) If you’re a theme person, (and really, shouldn’t you be?) you can start divvying out tasks and responsibilities to prepare for what you have planned. This also helped with budget allocation and knowing where we were heading as a leadership team.

Pre-Train Your Team

Leadership meetings, retreats, and refreshes are all opportunities for you to expose those who you see as leaders on your campus to the campus vision and a recommitment to the values that are crucial for a culture of achievement.

Utilize Technology

Technology can be a valuable tool for summer leadership and planning. Consider using video, texts, zooms, shared calendars, etc.,  to track progress and ensure that everyone is on the same page. A closed FB page is a great place to share summer memories or future plans with your team. We used to schedule Facebook posts to connect with our families as well. Keep up that page traffic!

Don’t forget…you need a step-away break as well.

Effective leadership and planning are crucial for ensuring team success but

if a leader is stressed and unable to have some downtime during the summer, even the most efficient of leaders will eventually break

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Take time for naps, lunches with friends, and read some nonacademic, potentially simplistic novels. (I share all mine on the IG, if you’re interested!)

More summer planning resources:

Summer ways to make your leadership life easier!

5 things a principal can do this summer

PD Bingo

 

May this May find you winding down, wrapping up, and getting ready for summer. You’re almost across that finish line!

 

Cheeringly and

Leadership book tasting…any book, any role! Build capacity with a book study…

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Educators are tired. Our plates are full and our brains are fried. Providing a book study for professional development doesn’t have to be boring. What if you engage and built leadership capacity via a book study…one that doesn’t look like it usually does?

Knowing this, I still wanted to offer/facilitate an opportunity for leaders in our district to grow, even if it doesn’t look like it has in the past.  A book study is typically an effective form of professional learning because new learning can be immediately applied.  Educators are involved in multiple sessions where there is continuous discussion around a relevant topic that has arisen from school data. Remember, the goal of any professional learning is to have a positive impact on student learning. But finding a book that makes everyone happy? Paying for hardcover books that I may never see again? Ugh. The central office role I serve in now makes it even more important to recognize that one book choice isn’t going to meet all the needs of all our learners.

As a principal, we hosted several out-of-the-box growth opportunities. One year we partnered with Greenwood Elementary in Minnesota and scheduled virtual talks with Brad Gustafson and his team. Then there was the year we did a private Facebook group with George Couros on “Innovators Mindset”. Twitter also was a tool of choice when we read “Teach Like a Pirate”. All that to say…I’m a big believer in professional growth.

Staying still is no longer an option. But growing because “I told you so” is a terrible leadership strategy.

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Enter the CISD Leadership Book Tasting of 2022!

  • open to all leaders in CISD
  • five choices, a leadership variety
  • made available digitally, on a district-provided iPad
  • slow, asynchronous style
  • designed to meet the needs of any role, and can apply to any book

 

Here’s our initial flyer.

Here are our activities.

 

Here’s to a summer of self-paced, self-driven professional development!

 

Readingly yours,

Amber

Set your goals and be happy! the 30 day happy administrator challenge! (and a Ted Lasso give away!)

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If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie

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Goals without plans are just fancy wishes. Achieving our goals brings a sense of accomplishment and makes us feel more positive about the future. (Who wouldn’t want that?) Science shows that optimistic people tend to be happier, healthier, and cope better in tough times. We all know January is the month where we all commit to being the very best versions of ourselves, isn’t it? Our administrator roles make it that much more important to set and share our goals. I know I’ve documented these challenges each year (ish!) and while I’m still a sucker for a good planner, a pretty pen, and the opportunity to better myself, writing these goals clarifies and solidifies my commitment.

Studies have revealed that when you write down your goals, the motivation to achieve them increases substantially. Subconsciously, you would feel committed to the objectives you’ve written down and as such, take the necessary steps to achieve them. Writing down your goals is just like giving yourself a subconscious command.

Things I’ve written down and now, obviously, HAVE to accomplish:

  • It feels like a year where we should revive the 30 admin challenge! It was several years ago that I worked on this with admin friends and it only needed a couple of tweaks to make it feel fresh and accomplishable. Feel free to download and share! I plan on working through this challenge several times this year. I’ll print and simply mark off each day that I complete. Any 30-day chunk will do!

 

 

  • Read 125 books this year! I met last year’s goal of 120 books (!!!) which I tracked through Goodreads. I loved the accountability. You can also reference the books you’ve completed by using the Goodreads app. It offered me suggestions based on what I had read and allowed me to scan in potential books I wanted to read when I came across a suggestion in a blog or Target aisle. Follow me and let’s share books!

 

  • Focus on long-term goals, instead of short-term successes. This year I have a couple of big projects that aren’t accomplishable in just one sitting. If you know me, you know how patient I can be, wink wink, this goal, in particular, will require remembering the long game. Even just writing that down gives me hope. Hope is as essential of a factor as the time it’s going to ultimately take.I like being a hopeful gal!

 

While having fewer goals this year, this all still pretty much hit all that makes me happy and what will move me forward as a mom, as a wife, and as an administrator in 2022. I challenge you to not just think about what you would like to see the year 2022 bring, actually write it down…take steps to achieve it…& make it happen! May your 2022 be brighter and find you accomplishing #allthethings!

 

(If you didn’t click on the “better yourself” link above, you missed the TED LASSO stickers I am obsessed with…leave a comment below with one of YOUR 2022 goals to win a set for yourself!)

 

Optimistically &