The View

Consider different points of view

I hope you are young when you read this because if you are old, this concept will take longer to develop. The approach you take to getting something changed will make a big difference. Always consider someone else’s “point of view” especially when it doesn’t agree with yours. Other “points of view” should be valued because that is someone’s reality. Good advice though, “Do not expect anyone to look through your eyes even when you look through their eyes.” You can refer back to unconditional love. Don’t expect anything in return. If only I considered and valued everyone’s point of view from an early age, my success in certain areas would have been met in a timelier manner. It takes practice, so start now.

Learn

When you stop learning you stop leading. I have met numerous individuals that put “so called” experts around them. This can be a wonderful concept if you understand what they are talking about, and you gain knowledge you can consolidate into a meaningful outcome. When you designate, you must be sure accomplishments are made in a positive direction. Never ask anyone to do something you would not do.

A continual review of the literature is essential in every aspect of a professional career. Add your own research to this review. I found that my own research in my organizations did not always follow the concepts I found in other people’s research. You must take your knowledge and match it to the situation. People are unique in some ways and alike in so many other ways. Do not be insulted when your opinion does not match the literature or your research. Be a learner and a leader. Then and only then can you stay on the Leader-Ship in the long-term.

We have a plethora of knowledge at the end of your fingertips. I mean this literally. You can look up anything on your smartphone then disseminate that information to your entire organization seamlessly. Sometimes it helps significantly to triangulate your data to make an informative decision. I think that is where a lot of  people get hung up. They rely of partial information.

If you really want to learn a lot about life, observe children. They are born without boundaries, and they offer terrific insight. Only after they are influenced by adults, do they become less free about their opinions. Instead of telling you what you want to hear, they tell you the truth. The truth always works in the long run even if there are consequences to your opinion.

Problem-solving

“The best way to solve a problem is not to have one.” –Rudnesky

The first step with problem solving is to identify the problem. After you identify the problem, eliminate yourself as the problem. For instance, some people have problems because they create them in their own minds. They look at threats and weaknesses without considering the opportunities and strengths. This eliminates educated solutions to the problem. With every conflict, there comes opportunity.

If you still have a problem, then you can proceed. What is the problem? Is it definitive? If it is definitive, then state the problem. Now let’s do an analysis. List the opportunities (outside your organization or you), and the strengths (inside your organization and you). Now you must list the threats (outside your organization or you), and the weaknesses (inside your organization and you). Compare the two sides.

What are your solutions? There may be more than one. There should be more than one. Which one is the most feasible? Now come up with a plan. This plan will be important. Your strengths will be the team’s strengths. The same with the rest of your team. Likewise, use your strengths to devour the weaknesses. Your available resources and monetary situation will have an effect on your plan of action.

Attitude

Change one person's attitude and you can change the world! I often tell students and my daughters to keep a positive attitude. I found this in my archives. Enjoy!

Tip of the Week

Attitude

“The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude to me is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money.

Than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say, or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.

It will make or break a company…a church…a school.. a home…a person.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day

Regarding the attitude we will embrace that day.

We cannot change our past…

We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable,

The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have,

And it is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me

And 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you,,,

We are in charge of our attitudes.”

-Charles Swindoll

Treat People Better than You Want to be Treated

#9 Treat People Better than You Want to be Treated.” From 50 Great Things Leaders Do: Let’s Get Fired Up!

It always works, and it worked again yesterday. It can work in any organization. We always look for ways to inspire our workforce (staffulty) prior to the new school year. We have done a lot of research, trial and error, and just asked people.

When I was a teacher, there was a lot of complacency. It wasn’t acceptable then and it certainly isn’t now. Our future depends on commitment, hard work, and fun. The start of each year begins with some old traditions and some new events. After an opening “state of the district” address, we stand in front of the oldest part of our building for a team photo (below).

We start each year with a theme and service learning platform. Our theme this year: You Are A+ Star. There will be a lot of Hollywood types of events. For instance, each employee had a star with their name on it hung on the wall. We rolled out the red carpet in the front of the building. Paparazzi were snapping photos all day.

Many people, over the years, have expressed their boredom on opening day activities. And I know that we are required by state law to cover certain items, however, inspiration must come in many forms. It did yesterday. We had a four hour block that included an opening, inspiring video, barbeque, and leadership Olympics. The Olympics consisted of a number of team building and problem-solving competitions.

One of the funniest events of the day included a fashion show. Before lunch we divided the teams by movies. Each person received a card with a movie character. All of characters from the same movie found each other and formed a team.

The culminating event was a fashion show down the red carpet. Each team received a trash bag, aluminum foil, and tape. They chose a model and dressed him or her in three minutes. The models paraded down the red carpet, and they were judged (below). Tomorrow it’s back to a full day of teacher evaluation training but we started on an inspirational, fun day.

Lights, Camera, Action

People keep asking me how my summer is going. I tell them I’m waiting for it to start. As principal of a middle school, I work all year. Don’t get me wrong, I spend a lot more time with family and friends than during the school year; however, there is a lot of work to get done. It was time well spent. 

This just out: the governor called, “Do more with less. I don’t mean just money but time as well.” We will get it done in a timely, exemplary fashion but it can be done in a much more efficient way if I were the commissioner of education. I’ll save that topic for another blog post. Educators will never get their “just desserts” and that’s a shame because great teachers should be the most revered people on earth.

Back to the topic, we are ready to break out our new theme. Each year since 2005, we have started the new school year with a school-wide theme. This year’s theme: (drum roll please)  “You Are A+ Star.” We will have a Hollywood type of atmosphere with our students and staffulty starring in hard work, commitment, great character, leadership, and participation by involving students, staffulty, parents, and the community in sharing the fun and passion for excellence in education. 

We are looking for a service learning platform to accompany our school-wide theme. Hopefully, we can lay it out shortly. We will juice up the kids this week when they come in for leadership camp then our staffulty next week. Creating a place where everyone wants to be will enable all stakeholders to take an active role in their success. 

During the year, we will have themed events starting with a red carpet event next week. Our paparazzi will be everywhere taking pictures when are teachers arrive. The students will be greeted with similar fanfare and enthusiasm. Our traditional “Happy New Year” always gets the kids excited. I know we can make a difference in our students this year, and we will make a positive difference. Passion beats data every time.

It’s all quiet now as I walk down the halls but I cannot wait to open the doors on a new school year! There is always something to be said by the smiles I will see in a few weeks, and that is how I will measure our success. Peace in the new school year.

Celebrate

Celebrate

“We don’t need a herd of chickens. We need a team of eagles.” Rudnesky

Celebration is an essential component of any organization. As a society, we Americans celebrate just about anything. So, why not celebrate success and collegiality within our organizations? Whether it’s school, workplace, a team, or a community group, celebrate when you achieve your goals. In our organization, we celebrate being together among other things. We celebrate a strong start to the New Year. We also celebrate a strong finish at the end of the year. We have a half-left celebration midway through the year. Don’t keep the great things happening in your organization a secret.

We celebrate each other. Most celebrations become traditions. If your celebrations become traditions please do not forget to fine-tune the quality to appeal to different stakeholders and different types of colleagues. We have a team picture each year along with a team huddle each month. The year is started with a staffulty field trip. We have a leadership summit. Leadership Olympics occur towards the end of the year.

A lot of times what makes you feel great makes other people feel great as well. How did you celebrate today? We do a plethora of celebrations. No one has ever come up to me and said, “Hey, stop celebrating so much.”  What are you going to celebrate today? Self-communicate a celebration then spread the fun.

Significance can occur in some of the strangest situations.  We hosted a leadership conference that included over fifty organizations. There was an abundance of breakout sessions, an opening and closing, and just fun in general. Here is an email from one of our staffulty members:

“I woke up Friday not feeling well, but knowing we were hosting the (leadership) conference gave me the strength to come into work. The pep rally was one of the best I have ever seen!  The energy in the room was awesome.  I was sitting near Charley and watching the smile on his face was priceless.  Both the kids and adults all seem to enjoy every second of it.  Throughout the day I heard people saying such great things about our school and our students that it almost brought tears to my eyes I was so proud.  Even in the bathroom there were teachers taking pictures (we have murals and quotes) to share with their schools when they returned.  I found myself last night thinking again how truly fortunate I am to be a part of such a great school.  I know it was a team effort, but none of it would have been possible without you.  You are truly an inspiration to so many teachers and students.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”