My sixth new voice is: Carolyn Foote. Carolyn is a librarian at a large public suburban high school in Austin, Texas. I discoverd her blog a while ago. I find that she gives me a different perspective at which to look at tools, discussing things from her perspective which is a bit different than my administrator one. Her blog Not So Distant Future has many interesting topics and, considering she has only been doing this for about six months, a wide variety of topics from international studies to web2.0 applications. Drop by and give one a read.
Time to Learn and share
Home of high tech
Search with a twist
Enjoy the reading!
Previously – Susan Funk , missprofe, Steven Michaluk, Jeff Boulton, Kimberly Moritz.
Yes! Cha-ching! We’re ready to roll. I’ve had a number of inquiries about the book club and how’s it is going. Well, we are off and running. The page can be found at readingpros where you can join the discussions. Right now, we are exploring various parts of the book. Dave has done a great job of setting up the different links and there is a good set of resources that have been posted referencing the interviews by Alan November. For all of you that have been waiting to dig in, we are ready to go. Now, I am going to add a discussion page and a suggestion page so that we can brainstorm ideas and mold the club to fit the members.
Enjoy the reading, learning and discussions. See you at the club.
Well, this past weekend was one crazy time. It began Saturday morning as we loaded up and headed out for a 2 hour drive to our basketball conference finals. Our first game was a real heart stopper. We won 79 – 78 in overtime. I think I aged ten years. With the win, we were guaranteed a birth in the Regional playoffs but winning our next game moved us up in the rankings.
What does this have to do with leading? Well, at the beginning of the season, I ended up getting too worked up in a game, received a technical and really didn’t do my team any good. However, after that episode, I did some reflecting on what I had done and decided that, although I could not change my actions, I could take some steps to make sure that this sort of things didn’t happen again. The first thing was to call the referee and appologize for my actions. It didn’t change what I had done but it did demonstrate that I had recognized that I had made the mistakes. It also didn’t matter if it changed the mind of the referee. But appologizing wasn’t enough. I had to come up with a way to avoid that from ever happening again.
Knowing that I needed to “do” something so that I didn’t get so uptight, I looked for a method that would allow me to relieve the stress while the game was going on. My solution. A ball of funtac. Yes, I use funtac. I roll, pull and basically work the “fun” out of the tac. I stay seated on the bench and focus on what the game is about, kids playing. I don’t blame the referees or the other team or any other outside sources.
We focus on what we are doing and what we need to change in order to be successful. We joke during the timeouts and try to remember that, at the end of the day, there needs to be a certain amount of fun mixed in with the seriousness of what we are doing. We discuss doing things better and focusing on how we can help the team to be successful. I remind individuals that they need to look around and be aware of what is happening around them at all times, even after scoring a basket. They just can’t blindly run back to defense. We work together to figure out what the other team is doing and then change our tactics to take advantage of areas where they are weakest. We don’t play any one style of offence or defense but have learned to adapt and change to what the other team is doing. We’ve become a successful team because we listen to one another and have moved past individuals needing to be in the limelight. Through it all, I’ve become a better coach and a better leader. Why? Because it has forced me to figure out how to get the best out of the 13 students who don’t necessarily get along all the time. We’ve learned that we need everyone.
As a school leader, I’ve realized many of the same things. The biggest thing that I have discovered is that people have to know that you are a human and you make mistakes. Dean Shareski asks some very important questions about making mistakes and being transparent.
Education doesn’t do a very good job of documenting or discussing failures.
He’s right. We don’t. As administrators, we also don’t take the time to admit that we make mistakes. Now some of them are small mistakes, the kinds that are made in the day-to-day living of life. However, during our career, there are times that we make big mistakes. My mistakes usually center around being stubborn/aggressive. Those mistakes that I have made usually come when I don’t remember the “team” part of what we are doing in school and I focus on the “I” part. Most of the time, I end up with a more serious problem. I have learned that when I do make one of those mistakes, I need to appologize and then set about making things right. I’ve had to demonstrate to the students that you can look a person in the eyes and admit you made a mistake and say that you are sorry. It won’t ruin you, isn’t a sign of weakness and demonstrates that you are responsible for what you do. In a time when many of our public leaders and public celebraties are not owning up to what they are doing, students need examples of adults who are willing to do the right thing.
This also means that when you feel that a right decision has been made, you don’t give in to the pressure that sometimes accompanies a difficult decision which isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it means not responding to criticism being directed at you from members of the public. Sometimes, it means giving the staff around you space to deal with the decision, which can be a rather lonely time. This is where it is important to develop connections and relationships with other members and sometimes that is difficult.
For me, I have a few administrator colleagues that I call when things are difficult but, due to space and their workload, it doesn’t always work. I have begun using the medium of the internet to connect and have begun to develop relationships with a few administrators online. I’ve found that these are as strong as those I have developed face-to-face. Sometimes, it is easier to talk with them and get a response because they are not in the same locale and are removed from the politics. Depending on the level of the relationship, they are very good at giving you honest feedback, which is what we need as administrators.
Leadership
Books have been written on the subject. The talk circuit is full of people trying to help others be good leaders. During this time of seemingly unending change, it might be even more difficult to identify an the qualities of a leader. For me, honesty, truthfulness, determination, clear vision and a sense of self and others are things that have become important. In our world of education that is being swarmed by “assessment”, “data driven decisions” and “accountability”, I want someone who is able to see past the immediate toward what is coming. They are not consumed by “the work” but have interests beyond education and encourage others to do the same. They realize this will not be solved in the immediate so plan for the future.
As a leader, sometimes it is hard not to be caught in the immediacy of a situation. However, I am learning that not reacting immediately allows me to look at the situation more clearly. I have also learned that I don’t have to be the one leading. I can allow others to use their strengths and lead by giving them support. I see that the day of the “great all-in-one” leader is over. To lead means that we must seek out the strengths of others and help them to do great things rather than trying to do it all ourselves, which sometimes turn into disasters.
In those moments when I think more about “I” than we and make a mistake, I have learned to admit it and seek solutions to the problem. It hasn’t always been easy. It doesn’t always mean that things are “good” and the world is always happy. It does mean that the people whom I lead know that I am human, make mistakes and will admit it. They know that it is okay to take a risk and they are willing to try it more and more. They know that I will back them if things don’t work out and try to find a solution. Students know that I work towards solutions. It doesn’t mean we don’t have consequences. However, we work toward finding solutions and bringing about change. Most of the time this works but sometimes students don’t buy in.
I want to be a good leader just like I want to be a good coach. I’ve learned that I can’t play the game for the students, they have to decide the outcome themselves but win or lose, I will be their coach and I can’t do things that will put the team at a disadvantage. If someone isn’t doing their job on the court and it’s causing us points, my job is to point it out and provide them with the skills and insights to help them be successful. Same in the school. I am the leader but I can’t do it all myself. I provide the support and the necessary environment for success. When individuals are having trouble, I talk with them and provide support and I encourage people to take risks and try new things. Life is learning and that is what we are all about.
