The Real Work of School Leadership: Top 5 Tweets

By -
What contribution will you make this year? What contribution will you make to your school, your team, your teachers, your community, and your students? Something to think about...more than just a job well done...what substantial impact?

Here are my top five tweets on the "Real Work of School Leadership" from this week. I didn't have to search long. Thanks to #satchat and some great educational leaders. 

Real Work of School Leadership

A quick walk over to Randy's blog and we'll quickly be reminded of the important work of leadership. That work which requires uninterrupted attention. Whereas the shallow work may be urgent, it doesn't rank high on those tasks that have real value for campus improvement.

Intentional effort is required to avoid the shallow work as much as possible. What can be delegated or automated? What technology can assist the job? Then prioritize calendar time around the meaningful work - the vision, the mission, the people. Those are the things that result in lasting success.

Standardized Distractions for Leadership

So true. The stories of testing inaccuracies, security breaches, and testing biases are common. It reaffirms what we already know deep inside. Testing is not our business.

Education is the people business. It is about whole individuals (students and teachers) who bring talents, experiences, and perspectives to a learning community. It is so tempting to become focused and distracted by a number. A number that distracts from real work.

That single digit that can separate us from our peer group. That single tenth of a percentage point can say, "You are better!" "You are lesser!" It is a distraction. It may be ego, politics, or job security. That number may be many things, but it is not the real work of leadership.

School Leaders Create Stories

The question itself is the heart of quality leadership. Even if you don't go to this great blog post, you can see that storytelling is not just for kindergarten classrooms. It is for leaders who wish to celebrate and point out progress. It is for leaders who seek to unify the school around a shared vision.

Principals can use stories to make the complex simple

Leaders that communicate vision, also know they have to forge the narrative. Teachers are at work in their classrooms. Students are rushing through halls. Parents are coming and going. All of the separate, yet conjoined, wheels and gears are turning to make the school work. Like a clock, so intricate and complex.

The leader must make the complex simple. Turn the hustle and bustle into a simple story that communicates where the school is going. The leader crafts stories to distinguish the trees from the forest. Stories paint the larger picture. They celebrate the beauty, the strength, and success along the way.

Effective School Leaders Involve


Over and over, principals and leadership teams solve problems. That's the essence of the job. Current problems. Future problems. How to grow? How to improve? Yet, effective leaders know their job is not to have the solutions.

Read this post on why leaders should not have all the ideas and answers.

Effective leaders don't seek to go into the office and find the solutions. No, they don't. Instead, they seek to involve others in finding the solutions. The real work of school leadership is to seek involvement, which creates commitment. If I solve the problems and make the decisions without your involvement, I will not have your commitment. Without your commitment, we will not have our success.

Perfect is Boring


We don't learn by playing it safe. Learning requires challenge. Sometimes it requires risk. Playing it safe is a gentle way of saying, "Avoiding failure."

This is not leadership. Avoiding failure is self-preservation. It is a defensive stance. The real work of school leadership requires an offensive stance. Pressing, moving, and progressing forward. Reaching, stretching, and growing constantly.

No one ever makes a movie about playing it safe. No one is inspired by playing it safe. Leaders know better. The real work requires better. It requires learning, stretching, and growing. Perfection requires none of those things. Growth does.
Avoiding failure is self-preservation, not leadership

It is not easy. But school leaders, we need you. We need leadership that can embrace the challenges, tackle the tough issues, and master the real work of school leadership!

Please read more details:
If you enjoy this post, please pin, tweet, share, or comment.

Comments

Post a Comment

What are your thoughts?

Popular posts from this blog

Accidental Diminishers, 6 Types for Self-Reflection

By -
Image
Multiplying results, multiplying your network, multiplying strength in others, multiplying your team's effective - these are all traits of multipliers (here's the amazing book by Liz Wiseman ). On the flipside, there are many actions that can diminish in spite of being spurred by good intentions. In this post, I'll share with you 6 types of accidental diminishers : The Optimist The Rapid Responder The Pace-Setter The Rescuer The Idea Guy Always On Marci Houseman shared the graphic below on Twitter, and I thought it would be perfect to share with you. The Wiseman Group " Being a multiplier means being aware of those times when we have a tendency to be an accidental diminisher. To build capacity we must provide others with the opportunity to learn and grow—even if something is done “differently” than we would have done it." - Marci Houseman The Optimist Being an optimist is a strength, and it's much needed. However, the strength
Read more

How Long Should Direct Instruction Be?

By -
Image
How Long Should Direct Instruction Be? Direct instruction is great, but how long should it be - based on brain research? This is a great reminder from Eric Jensen about the length that most students can cognitively engage (in direct instruction, that is). Thanks  @DavidJHuber , for sharing this as we go back to school. But what can be done in only 8-12 minutes? Here are 5 high-yielding strategies that fit perfectly in this short direct instruction window. 1. Expand Prior Knowledge in Direct Instruction Part of the challenge in teaching classes of students (instead of individual students) is the range of background knowledge. Each student comes to class at a different starting point. Direct instruction can very efficiently build prior knowledge for all students. Present visuals, videos, quick reads, or graphic organizers. Fill in prerequisite background knowledge and push the limits on enriching background knowledge. This will allow all students to make richer connectio
Read more

Learning is an Adventure

By -
Image
I'm spending time in the mountains this week and am confronted with the awesome beauty and strength of nature. So much to fear, to wonder, and to explore.  A couple days ago we climbed Flattop Mountain ...ugh, I'm still sore. But I came across so many moments of inspiration that made me reflect on learning and education. Really, I came to believe that Learning is an Adventure. Here are a few of those moments that I felt were inspiring. Do. Learn. Live. These three words have been a theme lately ( shared on facebook ), but it really hit me on the hike. The path is not the destination. It is where the living is. It is the path where we find learning. We may or may not arrive at the destination - enjoy the path. What are you passionate about? Do. Don't delay. You don't need to know how, where, or why - just do. You will learn along the way. In that learning, we live.  Learning is not about inert facts and details. Learning is about life. Empowering each othe
Read more