Leadership is hot topic. Visit any bookstore or website and you will find several models and opinions of how to improve your organization and enhance your skills. After reviewing several authors in preparation for the blog, I have decided to simplify this complex subject. As a school leader, focus on a few of these areas and your performance will improve and be enhanced. Be intentional on the 5 C’s. Read more
Being a leader in todays schools is a difficult challenge. There are mandates, shrinking resources, learning gaps, new supervisors, and active school boards and state legislatures to deal with. These challenges can cause you to lose confidence which could negatively impact your role as a leader. I want to share with you some strategies to use that may be helpful in keeping you on track and focused on improving your skills as a leader. Read more
Monday moanin thoughts this morning is especially challenging because today signals an end of summer for many. Today, also is Labor Day when we celebrate working people across America. There are many challenges across our country with high unemployment, growing poverty, and a movement towards privatization of services that have cost several of our colleagues their jobs and benefits. It would be easy to write about these challenges and make this blog a commentary on political issues that impact our profession. Instead, lets take the time to reflect on your work and careers. Hopefully it will help you grow and improve as you begin a new year. To help you with this process, listed below are some questions for you to answer and think about. Read more
Happy early Monday moanin to all of you this fine Thursday night. For many of you, your opening staff meeting is right around the corner. I thought it would be helpful to share a protocol that I used often with my staff. Below is the prompt that I used to introduce or reintroduce myself to the staff. It provided me with the necessary structure to keep me on message and stay organized in my thoughts. Please consider using this as a guide in your preparation for your opening remarks and message. Read more
Happy Monday moanin to all of you. Many of you have already started the new school year and the rest of you are probably busy planning your opening. I was out running this morning thinking about what to write and it became clear I needed to remind readers about something we are not very good at. As you begin a new year, focus on your strengths. Read more
Happy Monday everybody. As we are all preparing for a new school year, I kept thinking about , what is going to be different about my work ? Am I going to change ? Will the people I work with notice a difference in my performance? Finally, will I grow during 2012-2013? Check out the following questions, thoughts, and ideas listed below. Consider focusing on two of the areas and be intentional in your practice. The goal is to grow in 2012-13. Lets get to work. Read more
Hello everyone. We have reached August and now the real timely and critical planning begins for the 2012-13 school year. During this past week many educators began to do just that. Fifty-two instructional leaders from nine districts, twenty two schools, made up of superintendents, curriculum directors, principals, assistant principals, and teacher leaders attended the Hickey Leadership Group planning summit at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan. Read more
I just spent the weekend at PJ Hoffmaster State Park campground near Grand Haven, Michigan and couldn’t help but notice love, support, collaboration, and teamwork in action. For the past decade my wife and her two college roommates and families get together to camp. It is hard to believe that we have taken all of these trips. We are all older and our children now have have significant others, some are still in school and we also have grandchildren in the mix. Wow, what a gift!! Read more
Happy Fathers Day! My dad passed away in 1991 and I miss him very much. I think of him everyday and as I get older his influence continues to grow on me. An area that I never focused on until this morning ,was his influence on me as a leader. My dad was a great initiator with many outstanding qualities. He modeled and taught me these critical elements of leadership. Read more
Today’s Monday Moanin thoughts will be an interview with John Bernia. John is principal at Oakview Middle School in Lake Orion Michigan. He is a Twitter Rock Star and will share his thoughts in this short interview. Read more
