Tom Waters

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...

These are the top back to school posts for school leaders and school culture shapers. I hope you enjoy finding these great reads for the first time or rereading them and finding golden nuggets all over again. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 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) and 5 tips to get the most from direct instruction. Read more >>>  Originally Published August 9, 2017, by @mafost Pin Me! Boost Staff Morale, 23 Tips Here are 23 easy-to-use, and mostly free, tips that any principal can do this week to boost morale and make some morale magic happen! Read more >>...

I was listening to the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast this week and came across a great episode on grant opportunities, building relationships in the community, and creating business partnerships. I'd like to share a few key points from the podcast that you might find helpful as a school leader. Make A Million with Grants This episode is literally about how David Kincade generated a million+ dollars for organizations. The premise, and catch, to getting grants is understanding where they are and why they are given.  And of course, the fact that they are called everything but "grants" is an important first understanding. Grant Money is Everywhere! Grants are everywhere just waiting for schools to ask for it. Money for furniture, for technology, for agriculture, and more is just waiting for principals to apply for it! Three Areas for Education Grants The Rotary Club Corporations Specific Project Grants "Grant" Money, Rotary C...

It's more than just to-do lists, meetings, memos, and walk-throughs. Great principals know this. You know this. The job of a great principal is larger than the job description. That's why networks are crucial. The networks you build, not just your own network, but also the networks you help others build, create influence. And influence is more powerful to effect change than policy, than union agreements, than legislation, and great ideas. Influence is more powerful to effect change than policy, legislation, and great ideas. Networks are not built overnight - they slowly grow like oak trees that last decades. They require careful attention and nurturing. Professional networks are really about relationships. They are about people . Networks begin with a deep-seated belief in the value of humans - a belief in goodness and diversity. Networks are not for political maneuvering. They are not for manipulation. In a case study from ASCD , principals who developed ne...

Mission statements don't matter unless you want to be a great leader - that's the title of a recent article that reviews successful cases of organizational leadership. For school leadership, I'd take it a step further. Mission statements don't matter unless you want to simply be mediocre, at best. Schools rely on a core sense of purpose - a unique selling proposition - because the service we provide is about changing lives. A mission statement removes the fog of daily work and gives purpose to something larger. When you clarify your school's mission, you provide: Unique identity that defines what you do. Core purpose to ignite why you do what you do. A filter through which all goals and strategic decision are passed. Language that unifies teams. If you're lucky to have a community that's academically advantaged, you can get by without a mission statement.  You'll be average or slightly above average, but turnover will be a prob...

Here's an early reflection for educational leaders in 2018...from educational leaders this year. With popular articles, blogs, and Twitter chats already blowing up 2018, I wanted to share with you my top inspirations from educational leaders so far this year. Without further ado, let's jump to it. On Leading Teams We must mine for excellence in every teacher and find ways for them to lead in building our Excellence Support System.  @JohnWink90 Schools rise and fall, not on test scores, but on leadership.  @heffrey Championship teams don’t sit in the locker room. They get on the court and demand excellence. They push each other to high levels of performance.  @mafost Principals, who you hire today determines the culture for tomorrow.  @nalang1 Behaviors that create trust & inspiration in a learning community team often begin w/ someone being vulnerable, baring a bit more of who they are and what they believe w/ the group. Trust often begins when...

  Your Vision and School Culture "When we think we need to solve problems all the time, we forget to focus on and celebrate what's already working!" From  @Jennifer_Hogan "The problem with passion...I was too invested in the process...prohibiting me from seeing things through the teacher's eyes." From  @matthew_arend "I believe it's the duty of the educator to prepare students to maneuver in the world regardless of the world's obstacles. Ss determine their position in this world, and this begins with a school's culture." From  @calewis1975 Professional Learning and Relationships "When a campus culture lives and breathes professional growth, the principal must clear paths for the teachers that work to improve themselves and their teams." From  @GlennWilly   "Reflection is a state of mind. It’s a mental habit. It’s a necessity for outlier teachers." From  @mafost "If you want s...

You do it and great leaders do it. Context switching. Not every scenario, team, or individual should be approached exactly the same. There are unique forms, functions, and frames of mind required of school leadership throughout the day. Great leaders understand this. Good leaders do it. And...well, we've all worked for someone who made mistakes with this...or was unable to execute the context switch. And yes, it's easier to see in your boss than in the mirror (oh, the power of reflective practice). In this post, I will show: How three different school leaders do or don't context switch. The positive and negative effects of each leader. Steps to effectively context switch and lead your school to greater learning outcomes! The Promoted Manager The context for this school leader is managing up. They intuitively know relationships above in the chain of command are vital. This leader places an imbalanced effort in managing up. The efforts in this context ofte...

I once heard the book titled something like,  Feed Your Teachers or They'll Eat the Students . The gist of it was this: build a healthy work environment , and teachers will get the most learning out of the students. To do this, teachers need: Support Affirmation Professional learning Positive feedback Coaching feedback Listening I think you'll agree, these are the basics for a healthy school culture. You'll also agree the same is true at the leadership level. Feed Your Principals, or They'll Eat Your Teachers Your principals want the same as teachers - to  be successful ! Wait a second, that's the same desire held by district leaders and community members. So why do principals often act in ways that reveal detrimental dispositions? Dispositions and actions that undermine success. Such as: Fear of being judged harshly. Insecurity about their success. Need for control. Reaction to unforeseen problems. The answer is... ...they...

Almost no teacher. Very few. Practically none. They don't just quit teaching. But they do quit something. (And Burnout is Real ) Almost all educators who entered the profession did so because they love growth. Teachers love to see children grow. Teachers love to see students learn. School leaders love to watch teachers grow. District and regional leaders love helping people and organizations grow. With all this love, it's illogical that any teacher every quits teaching. Well, they don't. Teachers don't quit teaching, they quit their principals. Here are 4 ways to keep your star teachers from quitting you: Use words to encourage, affirm, and recognize individually and in group settings. There's no cost to words. There's no bank where they run out. Don't be stingy with good words. Visit them often and find the good. If you can't find the good, then it's likely that your lenses need cleaning. You provide great training and support, so...

Assumptions are the short-cuts to random results in relationships. Sometimes they work, sometimes they fail. Candor is the direct path to results in crucial conversations. Candor produces clear communication and understanding in relationships. If you believe in your relationships, you can afford candor. If your relationships are superficial, candor may just be what is needed. Conversations just aren't at optimum quality without it. This is a follow-up to our previous post How to Navigate Crucial Conversations . What is Candor and Why do School Leaders need it? Consider the following potential conflicts: Someone didn't complete a task.  A teacher didn't fulfill your expectation.  A parent is suddenly upset and calls the school board.  Your leadership team is quieter than normal at your three previous meetings. Your assistant superintendent seems to have stopped visiting your campus, and you're not sure why.  The worst response is to make ...

There's that nagging friction deep inside that let's you know that you need to have a conversation with someone. You've put it off for days, maybe even weeks because you know it will be a difficult conversation. But you also know it is a crucial conversation to have. Can you think of it? That person and conversation? Okay. Let's look at 4 strategies that will help you. Also, here's more on " Candor in Crucial Conversations " First, there are plenty of resources on holding difficult, crucial, challenging, and complex conversations. The books and articles are out there because we all recognize the cost. The cost of not holding the conversation is greater than the potential conflict that could occur in the discussion. There are mindsets, approaches, and ideas for minimizing any conflict that could occur from a tough talk. But, does it really have to be a tough talk ? Conversation Can Create a Win-Win Usually there's a problem, perceive...

Principals, you have so many management tasks to do every day - on-site meetings, communication, data-monitoring, conflict resolution, off-site meetings, fundraisers, etc... With the right mindsets and intentional strategies, each of these tasks can be more than a management role. Every interaction is an opportunity for transformational leadership. Here are three lessons shared in the past few weeks from thought leaders on twitter. You Will Be Wrong Embrace the fact that if you are going to lead people to grow, you are going to be wrong. It's ok #txeduchat   — Aaron Hogan (@aaron_hogan) October 8, 2016  It's okay. No, it's preferred. No one likes perfection. Even worse, no one likes someone who pretends to be perfect. The emotional intelligence lesson for leaders is, be intentionally vulnerable. Vulnerable people are likeable. They are easier to follow. They are human. If you want to lead, be open about being wrong. Be easy to follow. Do You Lead with Che...

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...

Great educators can be disempowered when a principal is insecure, afraid, or lacks vision. How does this happen? How can we turn it around? A Culture of Disempowerment How are teacher leaders shut down? How are passionate educators closed out? How do improvement and innovation come to a halt? Decision-making without culture building. It creates us vs. them. It makes strong teachers and strong leaders feel disempowered. It's a downward spiral for the culture from here. The work of the school is on the path to becoming a job. The leadership circle is a safety net. Instead of empowering leaders. Meetings are information sharing. Leaders are chosen to be a part of this circle based on personality, compliance, or status quo. Keeping your distance fuels your security. It also undermines your ability to build trust, engage your staff, and really know how your vision meets reality. Could these be a lack of vision? Let's turn this leadership scenario around. Three points of ...