6 Things You Should Expect From Ed Leaders in 2014

I read an article in Forbes today that discussed what we should expect from business leaders in 2014. This made me think about what we should expect from educational leaders in 2014. Many of the overarching ideas align with the Forbes article, and yet the reasoning behind their application to ed leaders differs a bit.

1. An Identity You Can Count On

Expect we know who we are as leaders, our core values, and our influences. We should be able to look in the mirror every day and ask (+ answer):

• What do you believe? 
• Why do you believe that? 
• What's the most recent evidence that shows you believe these things?

2. Sense of Urgency

For educational leaders, lives of kids and families are at stake each day and we take this seriously. The "market" in which many of us exist is shifting. For example, in Washington State we're implementing Federal, State, and local initiatives related to teacher/principal evaluation, Common Core State Standards (CCSS), standards-based instruction/assessment/grading/curriculum, cultural competency, etc. On top of that, charter schools are becoming a reality. Our traditionally red ocean approaches to the educational arena are quickly shifting to be redefined within a blue ocean state. In 2014, we will strive to keep up with these changes, while forging ahead with a sense of urgency that leads to making a difference for each student.

3. Use the Best of What's Around

Educational leaders in 2014 will foster 21st century skills within our schools/districts/teams and break down human barriers for educators/leaders/students/families to use technology in classrooms, communication, collaboration, national/global connections, etc. The 21st century is nearly 13% complete. Almost all Pk-8 students have grown up in the 21st century. In light of this reality, educational leaders in 2014 will establish flexible systems within which innovation and creativity can flourish. We will invite innovative ideas to be shared so we can help negotiate terms that will allow for the fruition of such ideas.

4. Increased Collaboration

Collaboration is recognizing that leadership success comes most to those who are surrounded by people who want their success to continue (Llopis, 2013). Expect educational leaders to leverage Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) online and ongoing communication with fellow association members. It used to be we might connect with fellow leaders at meetings and annual conferences. Now, we're able to connect via tools like Twitter, Google Hangouts, and Facebook on a regular basis. I love that associations, like ASCD, are supporting this! They've coordinated monthly Hangouts for Emerging Leaders (and alumnus). Leaders who are connected will be more supported and inspired on a regular basis during 2014.

5. In-Depth Understanding of OD

Understanding and applying OD best practices is a necessity in today's shifting landscape of education. Change will not be forever, but it is expected to be constant for the foreseeable future (Anderson, 2012). You can expect educational leaders in 2014 to hear this statement then draw on OD knowledge and experiences to collaboratively lead a SWOT analysis that informs work, develop communication plans, assign project managers, mentor colleagues in regard to OD, and utilize progress monitoring tools (like dashboards). You can expect us to ask tough questions that challenge traditional thinking about educational systems and lend themselves to increased clarity in the long run.

6. Communication, communication, communication

For real estate, the important piece is location, location, location. In leadership, that translates to communication, communication, communication! This rings true as we move into 2014. You can expect educational leaders to be increasingly attentive to both internal and external communication strategies, leveraging many 21st century tools.

References:

Anderson, D. L. (2012). Organization development: The process of leading organizational change (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Llopis, G. (2013, 12 27). 7 things you should expect from your leaders in 2014. Retrieved from    http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/12/27/7-things-you-should-expect-from-yourleaders-in-2014/

Cross-posted: http://edge.ascd.org/_6-Things-You-Can-Expect-From-Ed-Leaders-in-2014/blog/6560688/127586.html by @HannahGbenro and
http://wssda.org/Portals/0/News/DirectNewsletter/2014/WSSDA%20Direct%20January%202014%20(web).pdf

Shaping my Leadership DNA

The other week I was at an event and I sat next to a doctor who specializes in genetics. The doctor shared with me that when a woman is pregnant with a baby boy, it literally changes her DNA and bone marrow. The woman no longer only has female chromosomes but carries both male and female chromosomes for the rest of her life. The woman, now a mother who carries unseen DNA from her child, is forever changed.

This made me wonder:

What experiences and relationships have shaped my Leadership DNA? What experiences and relationships have forever changed me as a leader?

I believe my Leadership DNA consists of my Definition of leadership, personal missioN, & core vAlues. My Leadership DNA impacts my daily decisions and actions.

I think of major projects that I currently lead or have worked on in the past. More than that, I consider everything goes into making my projects successful time and again. I think of the people who coached me along the way and taught me what it means to be a leader. I recall lessons people taught me when they probably weren't even trying to help me learn. I also think about lessons that seemed uniquely, purposefully crafted just for me. I am reminded of the patience people have shown me throughout my life.

I reflect on the tough questions I have been - and am still - asked by mentors, students, families, supervisors, professors, and friends. I often hate these questions in the moment! However, I relish in them as time goes on. I even find myself looking in the mirror and asking these same tough questions in different contexts over time.

I am happy that my Leadership DNA is forever changed because of the people I've gotten to know and the experiences I've had throughout my personal and professional life! As I look toward 2014, I feel the weight of wonderment:
What experiences and relationships might shape my Leadership DNA in the new year? How will I make sure I am aware of my Leadership DNA in the new year? How will I communicate with actions, words, and more, what I believe? How will I provide insight about my Leadership DNA to those with whom I collaborate? How will I continue providing recent evidence that articulates what drives me? How will I be forever changed, and how will I forever change the lives of others?

I invite you to continue Learning & Leading alongside the WSASCD Emerging Leaders as we share what shapes our Leadership DNA in 2014. Thank you for joining in our journeys!

Cross-Posted: http://edge.ascd.org/_Shaping-my-Leadership-DNA/blog/6560512/127586.html

WILL #12

What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #12) by Dr. Josh Garcia
12/13/2013
“Resting with Optimism”

When I was growing up, I remembered that I dreamed almost every day and every night.  I remember that I dreamed in color and that I could even hear the pitch in the voices of my dreams.   I forgot when I stopped dreaming so vividly and so regularly.  Many nights, my head hits the pillow, my mind races until I am silenced with sleep.  I still have vivid dreams, yet often they have a haunting element.  “How could I have stopped that child from getting hurt?  How could I have gotten that student to graduate?  How could I have gotten that student to college?”  I do remember when I learned that my dreams could become goals and goals could become missions and missions could become a way of life.  All along my journey, I have been learning to wrestle with how I could still be an individual and a part of a movement at the same time.

As we slam into a new year, my dream remains the same – each child, every day - safe, healthy, supported, engaged and challenged.  A new year brings us all a symbolic opportunity to stay committed, to recommit and or to start over.  My “wish” is for you to not stop dreaming.  I want you to teach our students to turn their dreams into goals, their goals into missions and their missions into a way of life.  Happy New Year to each of you, I look forward to picking up the pace in 2014.  I look forward, knowing that we have not arrived and yet celebrating how far we have come.  As we close this calendar year, I sleep not with “peace” but I “rest” with relentless optimism.

Finally from George Washington Doane,
“Life Sculpture”

Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy
With his marble block before him,
And his eyes lit up with a smile of joy,
As an angel-dream passed o’er him.

He carved the dream on that shapeless stone,
With many a sharp incision;
With heaven’s own flight the sculpture shone,
He’d caught that angel-vision.

Children of life are we, as we stand
With our lives uncarved before us,
Waiting the hour when, at God’s command,
Our life-dream shall pass o’er us.

If we carve it then on the yielding stone,
With many a sharp incision,
Its heavenly beauty shall be our own,
Our lives, that angel-vision.

Cross-posted: http://edge.ascd.org/_What-I-Learned-Lately-WILL-1314-12/blog/6560066/127586.html

Everything I Needed to Know to be a Leader I Learned Bagging Groceries

The first job I ever had was working as a courtesy clerk at a grocery store. Working their, my main tasks were bagging groceries, gathering carts, and cleaning up messes. I was also instilled early on by my managers, that as a courtesy clerk, I was on the front lines of superior customer service. “People can shop anywhere for groceries,” I was once told, “we are all selling the same pack of Oreos. Customer service is what creates loyalty and commitment. Customer service is what separates good stores from great ones. Customer service makes the Oreos taste fresher.”

I recognize that my school is like most other schools. We are all selling the same Oreos. We all are offering our students a basic education, that will hopefully allow them to lead the lives that they desire. What separates the good schools from the great ones is a commitment to superior customer service. Great schools go above and beyond to deliver high quality service to their students, families and communities, even when they do not have to. Below are the rules of customer service that I learned in my days as a courtesy clerk and still serve as the foundation of beliefs about what great schools do.

1) Welcome Everyone in a Friendly Manner - Schools, like stores, are big intimidating places. When someone visits for the first time, the worry about being lost, not finding what they need, and just want to get in and out as quickly as possible. We want our students, families, and communities to feel like that the school is a place where they feel comfortable and want to return to again and again, not a place of anxiety and dread. Being welcoming and friendly can accomplish this. My manager told me to greet like I, “was running for office.” Now when I see someone new to the school, I ask their name, what they need and tell them to find me if they need anything. I want everyone who walks in the door, to feel like they are part of something special, and to come back again and again.

2) Anticipate Need and Escort to Item - At my store, we could never just tell a customer where the eggs were, we had to show them. Along the way we would have a conversation and the customer felt like they were getting the personal attention they may not get other places. At my school, if I see a parent in the hallway, I stop and ask them if I can help them. If they are looking for an office, or a teacher, I walk with them. I find that it allows me to have a few more seconds of personal connection. I find that many times, parents do not feel like the get special attention, and often times feel in the way. With every interaction, I try to show them how special they and that they have a welcome place inside our school

3) Handle Special Requests Promptly - I am a firm believer in dealing with problems at the lowest possible levels. In the classroom, I try to deal with everything with the student first, before I involve anyone else. The more people that are involved, often the further we get from a desirable solution. In the school if I am asked about a problem, or just a general question, I try to answer it right there. While schedules, or athletics eligibility, or bus schedules are not a normal routine, if I can find the answer I do. If I do not have an answer, I make sure I explain how I will find the answer or take them to the person who can. In my experience people often want to see that their questions are valued. The answer is important, but how the questions are handled expresses more than the answer ever can.

With a great customer service, everything about the school becomes better. It builds deep connections with those inside and outside of the school. It builds loyalty and commitment. It separates the school where you run in, get what you need and run out from the one where you feel welcome and return often. If a great school is one in which students feel welcome, parents feel respected, and communities feel engaged, then they can be achieved with a focus on customer service. I feel like this is a secret to school success and all I had to do was bag groceries in high school to figure it out

WILL #11

What I Learned Lately (WILL 13/14 #11) by by Dr. Josh Garcia @Garciaj9Josh
12/6/2013
“A time of peace.”

The more I explore a topic and subject it to the mental scrutiny of reflection, the more I come to understand the iceberg that it truly is.  The term “peace” has captured me in recent days.  Like many others, I have seen and/or heard the word “peace” almost everywhere I go.  “Peace” is personalized in the most heartfelt moments and commercialized by the season.  This week, after the loss of one of our students, I found myself using the word in my silent prayer for the family.  Almost immediately, I was paralyzed by the reality of how hard peace is to come by and what a gift it truly is.  Peace: freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.

In the complexity of investigating and defining a topic like peace, one comes to understand that peace is not only the daily interactions with others but also one’s interactions with self.  The absence from disturbance of emotional and physical pain and suffering is extremely difficult to come by.  The freedom that silence and tranquility bring to the human spirit may be the greatest gift.  In life it is impossible to eschew disturbance completely.  Our culture is in a constant state of “becoming”, it is not finished and this change will often cause a disturbance for some.  However, my personal optimism rests on my belief in the individuals’ infinite possibility to develop peace within in themselves.  You see, I have come to realize, peace cannot be bought, sold, or even an appeal to the brain.  Rather it must be cultivated by the heart.  In our daily work, for our students, for our society, we must relentlessly seek to find other caring individuals that understand our work.  We must teach them that it is not only our job to cultivate learning but also cultivate peace, a quiet and tranquil heart among those we serve.  In a time when gifts are exchanged to show our appreciation for each other, may peace be with you, those who you live for, and those who you serve by and with.

Finally from The Dalai Lama,
May the poor find wealth,
Those weak with sorrow find joy.
May the forlorn find hope,
Constant happiness and prosperity.
 
May the frightened cease to be afraid,
And those bound be free.
May the weak find power,
And may their hearts join in friendship.

Cross-posted: http://edge.ascd.org/_What-I-Learned-Lately-WILL-1314-11/blog/6559594/127586.html

Being thankful...

As I began pursuing my first administrative position, many people warned me "be careful what you wish for" and that being a principal was a "thankless job."  As many aspiring building leaders know, once you have set your eyes on leading a school, very little can distract you from achieving that goal.  However, as many new principals can tell you, once you land your first principalship, you quickly learn that it can be a lonely position and you are oftentimes the last person to be patted on the back for a job well done.

Each year as the holidays approach, I'm reminded of the many things that I should be thankful for as a building leader: support from other administrators, teachers who give their all each day for students, teachers who inspire, the custodians who help create a clean, safe, and healthy environment, the para-educators who oftentimes care for our most challenged students, the recess supervisors who brave the rain, snow, and sleet so students can get fresh air, the parents who fight daily to provide what they can for their children, and the students who are their best each day despite whatever challenges and obstacles they face.  Finally, I'm thankful for the reminder that, despite the principalship being a somewhat thankless job, that it's really not about me.

I'm thankful that the "pats on the back" that principals do get come from ensuring a quality teacher in front of each child, improving student achievement, guaranteeing that each child feels a connection with at least one adult, making families feel welcome and a part of their child's education, and helping everyone feel a part of something bigger than themselves.