Weekend Reflection

There was a ton of information received throughout the weekend, but I am going to focus on the session on effective team meetings. Dt. Hauser had many great tips for when we run meetings. I feel my principal does a pretty good job keeping meetings on task, though they do go a little long sometimes. People tend to get a little sidetracked and side conversation then occurs. The agendas have a list of the items we are going to cover, but they do not go into too much detail. There were a couple of ideas that stood out to me.

First, I love the idea of having a "parking lot" poster in the room. If someone brings up an issue that is not on the agenda, it is to be written on the "parking lot" poster. This means it will be discussed at a later time. This keeps the staff meeting on task and keeps it from running long and people getting frustrated.

I also liked that agendas are to be more detailed. Breaking down the minutes. allows people an idea of how long the meeting will be. If certain topics are going long, the agenda can be used to focus people back on topic. I feel these two ideas will help save a lot of frustration and wasted time at meetings.

Trust

The book suggests many great ways to build trust in a school or work environment. I really love the part that walks about not gossipping. How often do we go into the lunch room or work room and listen to someone complaining. First of all, it makes a negative environment. Secondly, if word gets out that you were a part of the conversation, people are going to lose respect for you.

We need to make a conscious effort to not partake in gossip. We lose trust when we are associated with gossip. As a leader, you need to promote positive relationships. Negative comments and conversation will just deflate the morale on campus. We need to lead by example at all times!

Continuous Renewal

As a leader, one is overwhelmed with the amount of work. If you are not working on you own projects, you are usually helping someone else. I have learned over the past couple of years, from my principal and personal experience, that it is impossible to do your job well if you are burned out. In order to not get burned out, you need to pick your battles.

In the book, Leadership Connectors, the authors mention picking your battles as an administrator or teacher. If you knitpick every single thing, it is nearly impossible to stay positive and renewed throughout the entire school year. Many battles can be avoided just by being a good listener. Many parents that come complain just want someone to listen to them. Lending an ear may be the best way sometimes to keep from a confrontation.

Also, an a teacher or administrator, you need to keep a healthy balance between work and personal life. It is difficult to not get too caught up in the job, but that will also lead to burn out. It is important to keep yourself and your family as a focus. Many things can wait until the following day, however, there are nights that you will be working late on things that need to be dealt with right away. The key is to make sure you give yourself time to refocus and re-energize.

Sometimes the keys to being an effective leader are challenging to follow. Sitting back and listening is not always the easiest tactic. Making sure to take time to focus on yourself and your family seems impossible with the work load. It is important to do these things to make sure you can do the best job possible everyday.

Competence

As an administrator, there are many ways you must be competent in order to be successful. Communication skills, self-reflection, humility, and organization are just a few of the characteristics a good administrator should have. I am going to focus on organization, though.

As I have been going through this administrative cohort, I have learned that organization is crucial. I have always been pretty organized with my teaching, but nothing compared to what I need to be as a administrator. I notice that my principal is constantly going from meeting to meeting. She is also called on at anytime to help with a situation or give advice to someone on campus. This leads her to have to multi-task. She leaves one task and sometime has to begin another before finishing the one at hand. Organization keeps my principal from falling behind or forgetting what she was previously doing. Organization allows my principal to perform her job at a higher level. I realize that I need to strive to be much more organized as I move into administration.