Monday Moanin Thoughts #20, Great Leaders Grow – Part 1

Happy mid February Monday to all of you.  My last blog challenged all of us to read ten minutes a day. So, I have taken the challenge and I have been reading Great Leaders Grow by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller. I am half way through the book and I want to share some of my thoughts and takeaways from the initial chapters. This week I will share  ideas from the first letter of the acronym GROW. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #19 Read Ten Minutes A Day

A few years ago a colleague of mine suggested that I read a book Monday Morning Leadership by David Cottrell. In it Cottrell reflects on eight sessions he had with his mentor. It is a concise read , filled with sound ,insightful leadership principles. In one of the chapters, Cottrell was encouraged  to lead from something his mentor referred to as  the learning zone as opposed to leading from the comfort zone.I use this as a reminder to avoid complacency and to challenge myself  to take risks  without fear of failure. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #18 Does Your Organization Have A Healthy Tension?

There are many schools of thought on building culture and the amount of tension that an organization can handle. Many authors use the terminology healthy tension to describe a successful, productive culture. My interpretation of healthy tension is rooted in a collaborative culture. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #17, Check Your Bookcase

For the past several weeks I have had the pleasure to have monthly  coaching sessions with several building administrators. These outstanding people are doing great work with their communities. Several of my meetings are conducted in their offices.   Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #16, Keep Improving on the 5 C’s

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

Monday Moanin Thoughts #15 Be More Effective And Intentional

This is an archived  blog from January 2012.

Being a leader in today’s schools is a difficult challenge. There are mandates, shrinking resources, learning gaps, new supervisors,  micro managing school boards, and state legislatures to deal with. These challenges can cause you to act with caution and less confidence which could negatively impact you as a leader. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #14 Things Learners Appreciate About Teachers

Welcome to the first Monday morning  of 2012. I trust all of you had a wonderful break and are energized to welcome back your staff and students. Besides enjoying my family, I used the break to conduct many one question interviews with learners of all ages. I was interested in finding out what did  learners appreciate about their teachers. What made them successful as instructors?  Here are some of  the comments I received: Read more

Monday Moanin #13 10 Things I Appreciate About Principals

As we approach another Holiday break I wanted to write about what a great job Principals do in leading their buildings and how much I appreciate their efforts. Listed below are the 1o things I appreciate about them.

  • The way they provide recognition of students and staff.
  • How they support and encourage teachers with new ideas and strategies.
  • Their ability to understand good instruction.
  • How they visit classrooms and encourage students to do their best.
  • The passion they bring on a daily basis.
  • How they accept total responsibility for their buildings.
  • Their communication skills and how they use different vehicles to get the message out.
  • Their enjoyment of kids and how their decisions are made with the kids in mind.
  • How they lead with humility and treat everyone with respect.
  • Their ability to provide hope and humor for everyone in their school community.

I appreciate all that you do. You do it everyday with class and integrity. Thank you so much.

Have a great week and find the good stuff.

Monday Moanin Thoughts #12 Fight Complacency

Within the next couple of weeks, students and staff will be taking some much needed time off to celebrate the holidays with their families. For leaders of organizations this can be a tricky time. Should I relax and cancel my December staff meeting? Should I stop my one on one meetings with staff because of the  distractions this time of year? Should I not hold kids accountable for their behavior because we are almost to break? The answer is stay on task and LEAD with high expectations. Read more

Monday Moanin Thoughts #11, Fight Back, Tell Your Story

For the past several months public education across the country has been attacked and defined by several as failing and ineffective. In fact,  many state legislatures have passed laws increasing  the number of charter schools, reducing teacher pay, imposing an 80-20 health care provision on educators, and reducing the amount of state aid to schools. All of these pieces of legislation do little to help improve public education. In fact it is clear that politics is being played while support  is being given to privatizing many areas of education. Read more