How to Communicate During Difficult Times
| Communication has never been more important than now, as we find ourselves still in the midst of a pandemic and navigating our staff and students being back in the school building. Let’s talk about getting started. It’s the hardest part of anything you do. Sometimes we put off tasks for days, weeks, or months that only take minutes. We even do this when we know the consequences could be disastrous if these tasks go unfinished. Why do we do this? Because we are creatures of habit. We cling to what we know. Fear of the uncertain, of the unknown, is the most basic and primitive fear that we experience – and it keeps us from getting started. And what happens if you never get started? Well, if you don’t start a car, how far does it take you? How quickly do you get where you want to go?... If you don’t get started, you go nowhere. You do nothing. But you don’t want to do nothing… you want... |
Control the Tongue and Control the Whole Body (Lessons from my Pop Pop)
I have read that the two most important days in a person’s life are the day they were born and the day they figure out why.
Today I celebrate my 45th birthday and I have extreme clarity on why I was born, to be the differencemaker in the leadership development of individuals and organizations.
I love waking up each day to serve our School Leadership Community which you are apart of. So even though we have probably never met. basically I wake up thinking about how can I best serve YOU!
Thank you for letting me live out my purpose.
As I reflect on the last 365 days, the challenges that so many faced, the loss of love ones and hate and anger shared, I cannot stop and be grateful for the extra hours, 100’s of extra hours, I got to spend with my family in quarantine. Great memories.
We did travel out of state once and visited my grandmother who had just turned 90! She was cleaning out her closets and handed me this folder that contained hundreds of sermons written by my...
Create an Open Ear Policy
I believe that something more important than an open door policy... Is an open ear policy.
An open door policy means that the people you serve have to trust you enough to come in the door.
An open door policy means that once they come into your office they believe you will listen to them and they will be heard.
You see, no one truly listens until they feel they have been heard.
So today, and for the rest of the week, year, and your career, listen to other with the same passion that you desire to be heard by others.
This means leading by walking around, asking questions, being curious.
In fact, if you are not sure what questions to ask here are three:
- How are you?
- What are your working on?
- is there any way I can help you?
Then just LISTEN. No interruptions, no added information, no “that happened to me too” just listen.
I guarantee you learn how to lead that person at a higher level and you will have earned credibility with them.
Keep making a...
Keep Communication Simple
Ever felt left out of a conversation filled with Education Jargon?
Especially all of those acronyms...
How did you handle not knowing?
How did you read the room and help others?
Did you just go with the flow? Or were you courageous enough to ask a questions?
As the facilitator or speaker, did you even notice that no one understood?
Be honest...
Personally, I’ve been on both sides.
When I was a Special Educator I would lead meetings and talk to teachers as though they all had a degree in special education and psychology. Many parents never spoke during the meetings, they just signed and thanked us.
SILENCE is NOT AGREEMENT.
It wasn’t until recently when I was the LEA at an IEP meeting, watching the body language of the parents through the virtual meeting did I realized how we were not going a good job of keeping the communication simple. The parents looked lost and concerned but they were not seeing anything.
I interrupted the teacher to ask if we could...
How to Listen So You Can Lead Others Effectively
I believe that those leaders who do not to listen to their people, will eventually be surrounded by no one who speaks.
Learning how to listen is a vital step in becoming an effective leader. According to research conducted by Personality Insights, the average executive spends two hours talking each day but eight hours listening.
Here is an example.
After spending two hours at home with my eight year old son, I estimate that the average stay-at-home parent spends 12 to 16 hours a day listening!!!
Well... at least one of the five levels of listening (more about this to come).
Whether we realize it or not, whether we are intentionally engaged or not, we are always listening. Sometimes we are listening to new ideas, listening to a story, to music, to the background noise of a television, or in a true conversation where we are sharing our thoughts and conveying important information. I don’t know about you, but after a day of listening and...
No Communication is Still Communication
| I believe that no communication is still communication. Here is an example of what I mean. I was coaching a principal and they were frustrated by their team's ability to identify and solve problems. I continued to ask questions to get a better understanding and identify the root cause of the problem. I asked, "Well, how long did it take you, in your journey as a school leader, to identify and figure out those problems? To see those fires before they accelerate?" They noted, "Four of five years but I do not have that time for them. I need them to be there now!" "I understand," I replied. "So when you point these issues out, what do they say? What action are they taking?" "I don't tell them," they noted. "No one told me and I figured it out." "Correct me if I am wrong but I thought I heard you say you needed their growth to accelerate? How will they know something is wrong or the results are not meeting your expectations if you do not communicate it?" I... |
Communication is the Oxygen for Execution
The one thing any school leader never wants to happen is a failure to communicate clearly.
When it comes to communicating the mission, vision, goals and values, and expectations, a leader must consistently communicate with clarity.
Here is the rule we start from: Once you’ve talked about your mission, vision, values and goals, a hundred times, the average employee has heard and understood it less than ten.
Shocking, right?
But it’s true.
One of the great failures of school leaders happens when they think everyone else ‘just gets it.’
They don’t.
That is assumptive leadership, and it is the most dangerous leadership style.
As a school principal, you may be passionate and inspired by your mission and vision. Compelled by your WHY! It's the reason you jump out of bed every day ready to change the world.
Here is a newsflash.
Most of your teachers and employees do not.
To bring them into the mission and vision you created, it must be...
Your Real Title As a Leader
Hold People Accountable Through Explicit Communication
Her name is Devyn, and on the 4th of July, not too long ago, my daughter and I ventured outside to watch the fireworks at a friends barbecue. We both hate loud noises (sparklers are more my speed), but did not want to miss the “people watching” opportunity.
We sat in the back of my truck as this mix of adults and teens lit bottle rockets in the middle of the street. The adults modeled and taught the teens how to properly light the fuse at the bottom of the rocket and get out of the way.
The crowd started to grow as a pick-up basketball game was started by the adults. Leaving the fireworks to a couple of teens.
I happened to notice one teenager was attempting to light a Roman Candle. A Roman Candle, if you do not know, is a rocket that you hold in your hand as it shoots fireballs into the air.
This teen, who learned how to light the bottle rocket safely from the bottom, was not aware that a Roman Candle lights at the top. But he had the rocket...
Escape Being the Best Kept Secret
Today, there is just one message I wanted to pass on to you dedicated readers.
Because leaders are readers and readers are leaders.
People need just one reason to start following you, but many reasons to keep following you.
Six years ago, when I was just starting Leaders Building Leaders, I hired a sales coach because let's be honest, in the world of education, words like sales and profit are dirty words.
Most educators do not see themselves as sales people, or like asking people for things, but they do it every day.
We were four or five sessions into our sales coaching sessions and my sessions were not productive.
My coach asked me one simple question.
"What is your story?"
I went on to share my experience as an exceptional children's teacher, principal, my doctorate in education leadership and time as a state wide consultant who developed many state wide initiatives to open and improve public charter schools. How on the last day in...
