Tom Waters

The most powerful learners take ownership. They are passionate about an idea or topic. They pursue it with single-minded attention. They have no excuse to stop them. They are emotionally invested. They take the lead in their own learning. The same could be said for leaders of learning. They take on leadership like it is learning. Every interaction is a chance to learn about their organization. They use learning as the fuel that drives improvement. They have focus - almost to a fault. Their passion is contagious. They make their work their own. They make it a masterpiece. They take the lead in learning. Here are 17 actions for lead learners: 1. Enjoy the journey.  Processes are more important than products because processes involve people. Enjoy the processes. 2. See challenges in 3-D.  Challenges are to be solved. But behind each challenge,there is also a dimension that belies some area for growth in your organization. 3. Listen.  Probably the most powerful ...

What are thought leaders saying about school leadership during this back to school season? Visibility, decision-making, building capacity, being a lead learner, and retaining strong teachers are among the top ideas.  The leadership and school improvement discussions have been great at the start of this school year. Here are four of the top school leadership tweets from the last four weeks. Visibility and Decision-Making Presence w/in Higher-leadership & school sites--when not visible in trenches but make decisions, a us vs. them is established #satchatwc — Diana (@Dianalamaestra) September 3, 2016 The importance of culture is clearly stated here. Decision-making couched in the right culture is invaluable. EdLeaders can either establish or destroy a healthy culture. This is one area with no middle ground. It is as simple as presence or absence. Mere absence can have a significantly negative impact. Leadership can undermine the organizational culture by being...