Posts
"SC, I surely enjoyed your session today at the Rigor, Relevance and Relationships Conference. It was great seeing you again."
Unfortunately, a name didn't come with this post. But I have seen a lot of old friends at the conference, and even though I didn't get to talk to all of you, just being together again recharges my batteries.
Thank you all.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A Reader Writes... (Fear - Part 6)
In response to the posts on, “Fear,” a reader writes:
“As an additional thought on the two types of principals that we have discussed in the past, I want to add these thoughts about fear. Not only do leaders fall into one of the two camps that have been discussed, but the ‘fear’ in each camp is totally different. Let me explain.
The leader, who is afraid to do something for fear of being wrong, has a fear of personnel consequences, (i.e. to their career, reputation, future, etc.) It is a self-centered and paralyzing fear and is un-healthy for both the leader and the system.
On the other hand is the leader who is afraid to do nothing. Those are the leaders driven to do something, anything, and everything for the benefit of their students. This is a completely different type of fear. While this second type of leader may have the same fears as the first type, they have a greater fear, not for themselves, but for their students. They fear that their students might be shortchanged, or receive less than the best that they deserve. That fear is not self-centered, in fact it completely overcomes the self-centered fear and rather than paralyzing the leader, it frees the leader to take chances, to risk in order to provide the best leadership possible. It is an empowering fear, a healthy fear.
My advice to young leaders is to be aware of both types of fear. Fight the un-healthy fear or you become a coward and an embarrassment to our profession. Embrace the healthy fear. Use it, along with good judgment, and a healthy respect for the negative consequences of reckless or badly planned and poorly executed efforts, to provide your students with a superior education. It is the only way to truly make a difference.
Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘timid leader.’ If you are ‘timid,’ you are no ‘leader’ at all.”
SC Response
Home run! I agree point for point. You especially nail the “timid seat warmer” right between the eyes. Early in my role working for the Commissioner, I was tasked with working with the leadership of a district that was in the ditch. The leader of the “you just don’t know our kids” faction focused entirely on the go slow, don’t ruffle any feathers model of change (this is the modern day equivalent of Nero fiddling while Rome burns).
After having facts and reality knock the legs out of every excuse she had for doing nothing, she said, “Mr. Cain, in a race to Galveston, you may get there first, but I will eventually arrive.”
To which I responded, “Yes, and I will arrive with a bus load of students. You will be lucky to arrive with a car load.”
At the end of the semester, a different Principal was selected to run the race. And yes, the new Principal had to deal with uncomfortable and unhappy staff for a little while, but things did improve and staff did get happier.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“As an additional thought on the two types of principals that we have discussed in the past, I want to add these thoughts about fear. Not only do leaders fall into one of the two camps that have been discussed, but the ‘fear’ in each camp is totally different. Let me explain.
The leader, who is afraid to do something for fear of being wrong, has a fear of personnel consequences, (i.e. to their career, reputation, future, etc.) It is a self-centered and paralyzing fear and is un-healthy for both the leader and the system.
On the other hand is the leader who is afraid to do nothing. Those are the leaders driven to do something, anything, and everything for the benefit of their students. This is a completely different type of fear. While this second type of leader may have the same fears as the first type, they have a greater fear, not for themselves, but for their students. They fear that their students might be shortchanged, or receive less than the best that they deserve. That fear is not self-centered, in fact it completely overcomes the self-centered fear and rather than paralyzing the leader, it frees the leader to take chances, to risk in order to provide the best leadership possible. It is an empowering fear, a healthy fear.
My advice to young leaders is to be aware of both types of fear. Fight the un-healthy fear or you become a coward and an embarrassment to our profession. Embrace the healthy fear. Use it, along with good judgment, and a healthy respect for the negative consequences of reckless or badly planned and poorly executed efforts, to provide your students with a superior education. It is the only way to truly make a difference.
Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘timid leader.’ If you are ‘timid,’ you are no ‘leader’ at all.”
SC Response
Home run! I agree point for point. You especially nail the “timid seat warmer” right between the eyes. Early in my role working for the Commissioner, I was tasked with working with the leadership of a district that was in the ditch. The leader of the “you just don’t know our kids” faction focused entirely on the go slow, don’t ruffle any feathers model of change (this is the modern day equivalent of Nero fiddling while Rome burns).
After having facts and reality knock the legs out of every excuse she had for doing nothing, she said, “Mr. Cain, in a race to Galveston, you may get there first, but I will eventually arrive.”
To which I responded, “Yes, and I will arrive with a bus load of students. You will be lucky to arrive with a car load.”
At the end of the semester, a different Principal was selected to run the race. And yes, the new Principal had to deal with uncomfortable and unhappy staff for a little while, but things did improve and staff did get happier.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
A Reader Writes... (Fear - Part 5)
In response to the posts on, “Fear,” a reader writes,
“Yes, I guess you could call me a psychopath; a psychopath for school improvement. :-)”
SC Response
I know this writer of this comment. He is aggressive, obsessive and just crazy enough to try anything once. And those are his good qualities. This is exactly why Brown and Brezina picked him out from the crowd early, as someone to watch and support. And he has made all of us proud, earning not one but three promotions in less than a year. From administrative intern, to middle school AP to high school AP.
And for the record, he absolutely frightens those dusty, retired on the job, central office types. This again, is another one of his good qualities.
Think Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“Yes, I guess you could call me a psychopath; a psychopath for school improvement. :-)”
SC Response
I know this writer of this comment. He is aggressive, obsessive and just crazy enough to try anything once. And those are his good qualities. This is exactly why Brown and Brezina picked him out from the crowd early, as someone to watch and support. And he has made all of us proud, earning not one but three promotions in less than a year. From administrative intern, to middle school AP to high school AP.
And for the record, he absolutely frightens those dusty, retired on the job, central office types. This again, is another one of his good qualities.
Think Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
State of the Blog - The Last 100 Posts (200 and Counting)
Good morning, Lead Your School readers. This is the 200th post to the column, so I think this is a good time to review our progress and preview some upcoming improvements.
First, the review:
The 1st post was on Monday, February 16, 2009.
The 100th post was on Tuesday, April 14, 2009.
The 200th post is today, June 10, 2009
It has taken 115 days to reach the 200 post milestone.
The 200 posts are more than 111 pages of single spaced text.
The Top 5 key words have been: Leadership (42); Hyper-monitoring (18); Book Recommendation (17); Data Use (15); E. Don Brown (15).
There have been 89 reader comments. Thank you, and keep it up. As this blog is becoming more of a dialogue, I think it is much more interesting for all of us.
There are 120 e-mail subscribers. Thank you!
There have been over 3,400 site hits.
All of this is incredibly exciting; especially when you consider that just 115 days ago, every number was 0.
Now for the preview of things that are coming soon:
Soon there will be a link to the Lead Your School campus support website. You can visit the site at http://www.leadyourschool.com/. The site is still in early development, but there are resources there (or will soon be there) that you may find helpful. These including my personal book study notes that I have shared with principals for years. I’ll post a couple each month to keep it fresh. I will also upload the audio files from presentations that I have conducted.
A Little Blatant Self Promotion:
First, if you like the site and you haven’t signed up for the e-mail subscription, please do. I find that it’s much easier to write to people than it is to write to web hits.
Second, if you like the site and find it useful, tell three other people. Again, this blog is much more interesting as a dialogue.
Finally,
Thank you so much for reading and responding. Who knows what we will discuss in the next 100 posts.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
First, the review:
The 1st post was on Monday, February 16, 2009.
The 100th post was on Tuesday, April 14, 2009.
The 200th post is today, June 10, 2009
It has taken 115 days to reach the 200 post milestone.
The 200 posts are more than 111 pages of single spaced text.
The Top 5 key words have been: Leadership (42); Hyper-monitoring (18); Book Recommendation (17); Data Use (15); E. Don Brown (15).
There have been 89 reader comments. Thank you, and keep it up. As this blog is becoming more of a dialogue, I think it is much more interesting for all of us.
There are 120 e-mail subscribers. Thank you!
There have been over 3,400 site hits.
All of this is incredibly exciting; especially when you consider that just 115 days ago, every number was 0.
Now for the preview of things that are coming soon:
Soon there will be a link to the Lead Your School campus support website. You can visit the site at http://www.leadyourschool.com/. The site is still in early development, but there are resources there (or will soon be there) that you may find helpful. These including my personal book study notes that I have shared with principals for years. I’ll post a couple each month to keep it fresh. I will also upload the audio files from presentations that I have conducted.
A Little Blatant Self Promotion:
First, if you like the site and you haven’t signed up for the e-mail subscription, please do. I find that it’s much easier to write to people than it is to write to web hits.
Second, if you like the site and find it useful, tell three other people. Again, this blog is much more interesting as a dialogue.
Finally,
Thank you so much for reading and responding. Who knows what we will discuss in the next 100 posts.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
A Reader Writes... (Brezina & Fear Part 4)
In response to the posts addressing “Fear,” and specifically, Brezina’s comment, a reader writes:
“Well said. Fear is always a negative reaction to something. The only positive way it is used is to defend yourself such as installing a home security system because I fear having my house broke into, or I had better shoot the enemy first out of fear that I will be shot. However, in the education world, ‘prudence, determination, will power, and the drive to be successful and achieve’ have little to do with fear and more to do with accomplishment and rewards.”
SC Response
I like your comment, but I don’t always see fear as a negative. For me personally, fear spurs growth. I often do things that invoke fear because that is where I find I grow the most. I ski the diamond slopes to push me past the brink of my abilities, to force myself to be mentally and physically tough, and to make me a better skier.
When Brezina hired me for my first principalship, I was way too young and way too inexperienced. I was the second youngest adult on the campus and for the first semester, on the inside, I was scared everyday. That forced me to over work, over read, over prepare and over think everything I did. And that made me a better principal and better leader.
If you don’t experience a little fear every once in a while, that probably means that you are playing it a little too safe, or you never went to a Brezina budget meeting.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
“Well said. Fear is always a negative reaction to something. The only positive way it is used is to defend yourself such as installing a home security system because I fear having my house broke into, or I had better shoot the enemy first out of fear that I will be shot. However, in the education world, ‘prudence, determination, will power, and the drive to be successful and achieve’ have little to do with fear and more to do with accomplishment and rewards.”
SC Response
I like your comment, but I don’t always see fear as a negative. For me personally, fear spurs growth. I often do things that invoke fear because that is where I find I grow the most. I ski the diamond slopes to push me past the brink of my abilities, to force myself to be mentally and physically tough, and to make me a better skier.
When Brezina hired me for my first principalship, I was way too young and way too inexperienced. I was the second youngest adult on the campus and for the first semester, on the inside, I was scared everyday. That forced me to over work, over read, over prepare and over think everything I did. And that made me a better principal and better leader.
If you don’t experience a little fear every once in a while, that probably means that you are playing it a little too safe, or you never went to a Brezina budget meeting.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Monday, June 8, 2009
A Reader Writes... (Fear - Part 3)
In response to the post, “Fear,” a reader writes:
“I simply don’t trust anyone who is not afraid. The person who is claims to be not afraid is either not truthful, is a psychopath, or has not experienced enough real, tough situations to have enough sense to be afraid. All three of those scenarios make the person dangerous to be around. Fear is what keeps us sharp, keeps us caring, and keeps us moving.
I have served in a variety of uniforms over the years and I never met anyone in those intense situations who was not afraid. The trick is either you can let the fear consume you and distract you from your mission or you can harness that fear as it will make you more intense and methodical. As Cain said, focus your fear. Be afraid that maybe you are not doing enough. Let that focus you to re-examine data and systems to verify you are doing the best you can for your kids. Keep preparing, planning, re-examining, and modifying as needed. And remember, the very best plans never survive first contact with the real world situations.”
SC Response:
Spot on. And your close is almost identical to the close I’m using in one of my current presentations, “You must adapt your plan and plan to adapt, because the World plays defense.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
“I simply don’t trust anyone who is not afraid. The person who is claims to be not afraid is either not truthful, is a psychopath, or has not experienced enough real, tough situations to have enough sense to be afraid. All three of those scenarios make the person dangerous to be around. Fear is what keeps us sharp, keeps us caring, and keeps us moving.
I have served in a variety of uniforms over the years and I never met anyone in those intense situations who was not afraid. The trick is either you can let the fear consume you and distract you from your mission or you can harness that fear as it will make you more intense and methodical. As Cain said, focus your fear. Be afraid that maybe you are not doing enough. Let that focus you to re-examine data and systems to verify you are doing the best you can for your kids. Keep preparing, planning, re-examining, and modifying as needed. And remember, the very best plans never survive first contact with the real world situations.”
SC Response:
Spot on. And your close is almost identical to the close I’m using in one of my current presentations, “You must adapt your plan and plan to adapt, because the World plays defense.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
A Reader Writes... (Fear - Part 2)
In response to the post, “Fear,” a reader writes:
“I couldn't agree more! Douglas Reeves recently authored a book called, Leading Change in Your School. In the book, he discusses something related to this topic with regards to the implementation process.
There are times when tough decisions need to be made for the benefit of students and their learning. These changes may even involve systematic alterations that can positively impact the overall instructional quality of a school's program. Some principals may hesitate in taking action out of fear that their staff will reject the change or push back in a negative way.
The reality is that principals who are imprisoned by this type of fear will never be able to reach the levels of high student achievement that are possible. We know that success breeds success. Rather than fearing staff response, teachers need to be part of the decision-making process and their input should be solicited and seriously considered. They also need and deserve to understand the changes and how the changes will impact the organization in a positive way.
However, waiting out of fear to ensure that ALL teachers "buy in" prior to implementation, will often result in the change never being implemented. Reeves encourages principals to take the plunge and implement. The positive results that will be generated from the changes will actually create the deep level of "buy in" sought for and it will then be deep enough to facilitate the sustainability needed to impact student achievement.
Educators want to win. When something works for kids, we use it. By not allowing fear to tie your hands and by being committed to action that is student centered, you as a principal are in the position to impact academic achievement in a positive way.”
SC Response
Overall, an excellent and well reasoned comment. There are three quick points that I want to add.
First, as a leader, you have the ability to metaphorically step on either the gas or the brake. Depending on the situation, either response could be correct. However, as Brezina wrote, just make sure that if you find your foot on the brakes, it is a prudent action, not a fearful one. As a quick aside, with many high performance machines, speed actually creates a safer operating environment. For example, the faster you drive a Formula One race car, the safer it becomes. The rookie driver that still instinctively slows down when faced with difficultly, actually increases the danger to him and other drivers.
Second, if you are waiting for the masses to sing “Kumbayah” and demand that you let them change for the better, you should use the wait time to polish up your resume. Initial change requires LEADership, not WAITership.
Third, there is a world of difference between wanting to win and working to win. Everybody wants to win; few are willing to work at it. Even fewer are willing to do that work, completely on their own. The job of leadership is to create a system where we don’t have the option of not working everyday to win. That is the bleeding edge of change and where the conflict starts. Most people want the option of defining “work” and “win” for themselves and most organizations let them. With great leaders and great organizations these definitions are concrete and non-negotiable. In the attempted evolution from ordinary to great, those who don’t want these definitions defined, fight, pout, and sabotage. They will lose and eventually leave, or they will win and stop the evolution. Realize, if they win, your students lose. Viva la Evolution!
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“I couldn't agree more! Douglas Reeves recently authored a book called, Leading Change in Your School. In the book, he discusses something related to this topic with regards to the implementation process.
There are times when tough decisions need to be made for the benefit of students and their learning. These changes may even involve systematic alterations that can positively impact the overall instructional quality of a school's program. Some principals may hesitate in taking action out of fear that their staff will reject the change or push back in a negative way.
The reality is that principals who are imprisoned by this type of fear will never be able to reach the levels of high student achievement that are possible. We know that success breeds success. Rather than fearing staff response, teachers need to be part of the decision-making process and their input should be solicited and seriously considered. They also need and deserve to understand the changes and how the changes will impact the organization in a positive way.
However, waiting out of fear to ensure that ALL teachers "buy in" prior to implementation, will often result in the change never being implemented. Reeves encourages principals to take the plunge and implement. The positive results that will be generated from the changes will actually create the deep level of "buy in" sought for and it will then be deep enough to facilitate the sustainability needed to impact student achievement.
Educators want to win. When something works for kids, we use it. By not allowing fear to tie your hands and by being committed to action that is student centered, you as a principal are in the position to impact academic achievement in a positive way.”
SC Response
Overall, an excellent and well reasoned comment. There are three quick points that I want to add.
First, as a leader, you have the ability to metaphorically step on either the gas or the brake. Depending on the situation, either response could be correct. However, as Brezina wrote, just make sure that if you find your foot on the brakes, it is a prudent action, not a fearful one. As a quick aside, with many high performance machines, speed actually creates a safer operating environment. For example, the faster you drive a Formula One race car, the safer it becomes. The rookie driver that still instinctively slows down when faced with difficultly, actually increases the danger to him and other drivers.
Second, if you are waiting for the masses to sing “Kumbayah” and demand that you let them change for the better, you should use the wait time to polish up your resume. Initial change requires LEADership, not WAITership.
Third, there is a world of difference between wanting to win and working to win. Everybody wants to win; few are willing to work at it. Even fewer are willing to do that work, completely on their own. The job of leadership is to create a system where we don’t have the option of not working everyday to win. That is the bleeding edge of change and where the conflict starts. Most people want the option of defining “work” and “win” for themselves and most organizations let them. With great leaders and great organizations these definitions are concrete and non-negotiable. In the attempted evolution from ordinary to great, those who don’t want these definitions defined, fight, pout, and sabotage. They will lose and eventually leave, or they will win and stop the evolution. Realize, if they win, your students lose. Viva la Evolution!
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Brezina Writes... (Fear)
In response to the posts that address, “Fear,” Brezina writes,
“Well said in response to fear, but make sure you can distinguish between fear and prudence.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
“Well said in response to fear, but make sure you can distinguish between fear and prudence.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn…
Koozie Give Away Update
Last Sunday I promised to mail either a Lead Your School can koozie or coffee cup insulator (your choice) to the first 25 e-mail subscribers that sent me their mailing address. So far I have received 14 requests and have mailed 14 koozies. It's not too late for you to get one of the last eleven. As one reader writes,
"Thanks for the koozie, it's makes me feel like I'm in a secret club"
SC Response
Dear Secret Club member:
The first rule of the Secret Club is - Don't talk about the Secret Club :-)
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
"Thanks for the koozie, it's makes me feel like I'm in a secret club"
SC Response
Dear Secret Club member:
The first rule of the Secret Club is - Don't talk about the Secret Club :-)
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Readers Advice - "Next Day"
In general, Sunday is advice day. The posts relate a piece of advice that for good or bad, made an impact. Last week, I invited you, the Lead Your School reader, to join in; to expand the collective memory and mine the nuggets of wisdom that that help guide our decision making when faced with novel or difficult situations. The invitation remains open. And, if I use your piece of advice, and you include a mailing address, I’ll send you a Lead Your School can koozie or coffee cup insulator. Here is the first Lead Your School guest advice columnist.
“The year before I became a principal, I went to work for a principal that could be best described as a "hands off, old-school" type of administrator. At first, I was not impressed and thought it would be a year in which I probably would not learn much about leadership. I was wrong. Even though our styles were very different, the principal was very wise and gave me lots of subtle, but sound advice over that year.
The piece of advice I have revisited in my mind many times is this:
“Sometimes when you need to have a ‘fierce conversation’ with a staff member, it works best to let that person know that you would like to meet with him or her the next day to discuss something of importance.”
This gives the person a chance to think about, or sweat about, what the conversation will be. The wait gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and have a more purposeful, professional, and authentic conversation. This approach is not called for in many situations, but in those rare cases, it is a good and effective plan.”
B. Fine
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
“The year before I became a principal, I went to work for a principal that could be best described as a "hands off, old-school" type of administrator. At first, I was not impressed and thought it would be a year in which I probably would not learn much about leadership. I was wrong. Even though our styles were very different, the principal was very wise and gave me lots of subtle, but sound advice over that year.
The piece of advice I have revisited in my mind many times is this:
“Sometimes when you need to have a ‘fierce conversation’ with a staff member, it works best to let that person know that you would like to meet with him or her the next day to discuss something of importance.”
This gives the person a chance to think about, or sweat about, what the conversation will be. The wait gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and have a more purposeful, professional, and authentic conversation. This approach is not called for in many situations, but in those rare cases, it is a good and effective plan.”
B. Fine
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
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