Monday Moanin Thoughts #62 Are You Leading With Courage?

I wish all of you a happy April Monday Moanin. Noted University of Pennsylvania psychologist , author  and researcher Martin Seligman defines a courageous person” as someone who doesn’t  shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty , or pain.” For many educators and leaders it is a challenge to act with courage given the scrutiny  and  negative attention on public education. It is common for some leaders to become less confident and act with caution. The goal is to fight through the caution and lead others with courage. However, do all courageous decisions have to be high profile or monumental like a non-renewal or a  staff discipline issue?  My answer is no. Everyday decisions need to be made that do not  need the school district’s legal council to be consulted.

Take some  time to reflect on the practices and action that you choose daily. To help with the reflection, lets focus on one  question regarding a topic that you may be facing now:

Is your organization stuck in it’s progress toward some implementation, program , or goal?

In any organization dealing with a similar issue, it will take a leader with courage to help guide the stakeholders toward reaching the goal. The questions below serve as a prompt for your reflection on your effectiveness as a leader dealing with this challenge.

How are you supporting  the staff? Are you avoiding conversations with staff that are resistant to the new program? Do you understand the innovation well enough to be hands on and help individual staff members?  Do you only seek out those staff members that are on board with the innovation for feedback? Do you have the courage to ask the tough questions about why your organization is stuck? 

This week meet your challenges head on. Courage is needed everyday!

Quote of the week:

My capacity  to learn determines my capacity to lead. If I stop learning, I stop leading.” Ken Blanchard