Posts
In response to the post, “Who are We Letting In,” a reader writes:
“I have to say that I agree with at least 80-85% of LYS. Sometimes more, depending on the time of the year. I wish our district would bring you in but that would mean everyone above us would also have to focus on improvement.
I cheered when I saw your responses to the dress code issues and realized that you have mellowed somewhat in your stance. Always professional and always willing to listen and accept differences. I always knew where I stood with you whether we agreed, or agreed to disagree.
I love my LYS koozie. I may have used it too much recently to chew on to keep frustrations down. Better than chocolate (not really) and definitely less calories. It is a great tool also to throw against the wall on those days when I question why I do what I do (it keeps from chipping the paint). All I have to do is roam the halls and talk with the kids and teachers who are committed to kids and I re-center. I look forward to this school year for many reasons and will use many examples from your comments as well as other members of the LYS Nation to kick the year off.”
SC Response
I remember when I was in college and one of my professors contradicted the text book (which he wrote). When I asked him about it, he said, “Just because I wrote the book, doesn’t mean that I give up the right to change my mind when new facts emerge.”
I find it humorous when people believe that we all have to agree. Systemic group think easily stifles more creativity than it encourages. On the other hand, I do believe that it is critical that we agree on our mission, vision and goals. After that, let the best idea win. In fact, knowing your experience and skill set, the 15% that represents the areas where we don’t agree is where I believe our real innovative thinking will emerge.
You are right about the dress code. When I was younger, I wanted to “save” students. I saw dress code as a way to shift student expectations. Now I see dress code as a teaching tool. Use the tool appropriately if it supports the mission and vision of the school and the district. Quit using the tool if you lack the will to use it appropriately or it does not support the mission and vision of the school or district.
Good luck with the start of school and don’t fret about me not being there. Your daily actions and examples are much more powerful than a few hours of me talking.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A Reader Writes... (Advice for the First Year Principal - Part 4)
In response to the post, “Advice for the First Year Principal,” a reader writes:
“SC, if it wasn’t for you I would not have made it though my first year. I don’t say that lightly, there were other first year principals in my district that didn’t make it. Why doesn’t our district hire you to coach all of our first year principals? Don’t they care?
To all the new principals out there, get LYS to your campus, even if you have to pay for it out of your own budget like I did. The stakes are too high to just guess all the time.”
SC Response
Thanks, for the high praise. It’s not the districts don’t care. I’ve yet to come across a district that wants principals to fail. Principals are like fighter pilots, very expensive and hard to replace assets. But I do recognize that many districts do a poor job of new employee induction in general and new principal induction in particular. It has been my observation that there are three common reasons why this happens.
1. Money and time. It takes both to organize and operate a meaningful induction program. Unfortunately, I haven’t found many school districts that are flush with cash and have nothing to do during the day.
2. A faulty memory. Part of the human condition is that we minimize or forget hardship and remember the good times and experiences. If this wasn’t the case, we could never get past tragedy. But a by-product of this is by the time you are in a position to support a first year principal, you have forgotten the toll it actually took on you. The highs you remember (of which there are a lot) the lows you forget (which at the time felt devastating). When you don’t remember things being that tough, in a world of limited resources, induction programs go from being an “A” priority to a “B” priority.
3. An outdated experience base. Many of us in mentoring and development roles today, earned our experience during times of less rigorous accountability. We forget that during our first year the stakes were lower. We actually had the luxury of time (relatively speaking) to learn our craft. Therefore, what I might view as a luxury, based on my experience base, is now a necessity.
If your district has an induction program, embrace it. If it doesn’t, find somebody you can trust and talk to them a lot. Just the process of stating a problem out loud often makes it less ambiguous and easier to solve. During my first year as a principal I was very fortunate I had the advice and council of an internal coach (Dr. Richard Griffin) and external coach (Wayne Schaper) and a coach that I hired from my own budget (Harlan Yetter). Would I have survived without them? Probably. Would my career trajectory been as steep? Absolutely not. My coaches made me and my school successful. Since then, I have been conscious of the need to pay that forward. It is unfortunate that many in our field view the need for coaching as a sign of weakness (ironic, since we are supposed to be focused on continuous learning and improvement). Because the more potential you have, the more valuable timely coaching becomes.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
“SC, if it wasn’t for you I would not have made it though my first year. I don’t say that lightly, there were other first year principals in my district that didn’t make it. Why doesn’t our district hire you to coach all of our first year principals? Don’t they care?
To all the new principals out there, get LYS to your campus, even if you have to pay for it out of your own budget like I did. The stakes are too high to just guess all the time.”
SC Response
Thanks, for the high praise. It’s not the districts don’t care. I’ve yet to come across a district that wants principals to fail. Principals are like fighter pilots, very expensive and hard to replace assets. But I do recognize that many districts do a poor job of new employee induction in general and new principal induction in particular. It has been my observation that there are three common reasons why this happens.
1. Money and time. It takes both to organize and operate a meaningful induction program. Unfortunately, I haven’t found many school districts that are flush with cash and have nothing to do during the day.
2. A faulty memory. Part of the human condition is that we minimize or forget hardship and remember the good times and experiences. If this wasn’t the case, we could never get past tragedy. But a by-product of this is by the time you are in a position to support a first year principal, you have forgotten the toll it actually took on you. The highs you remember (of which there are a lot) the lows you forget (which at the time felt devastating). When you don’t remember things being that tough, in a world of limited resources, induction programs go from being an “A” priority to a “B” priority.
3. An outdated experience base. Many of us in mentoring and development roles today, earned our experience during times of less rigorous accountability. We forget that during our first year the stakes were lower. We actually had the luxury of time (relatively speaking) to learn our craft. Therefore, what I might view as a luxury, based on my experience base, is now a necessity.
If your district has an induction program, embrace it. If it doesn’t, find somebody you can trust and talk to them a lot. Just the process of stating a problem out loud often makes it less ambiguous and easier to solve. During my first year as a principal I was very fortunate I had the advice and council of an internal coach (Dr. Richard Griffin) and external coach (Wayne Schaper) and a coach that I hired from my own budget (Harlan Yetter). Would I have survived without them? Probably. Would my career trajectory been as steep? Absolutely not. My coaches made me and my school successful. Since then, I have been conscious of the need to pay that forward. It is unfortunate that many in our field view the need for coaching as a sign of weakness (ironic, since we are supposed to be focused on continuous learning and improvement). Because the more potential you have, the more valuable timely coaching becomes.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Friday, August 6, 2010
I Got a Royal Flush!
Yesterday, I was playing cards with my buddies and I got a royal flush. You should be impressed, after all a royal flush is rare.
Except, we were playing with jokers, 2’s and 3’s wild. And I did use three wild cards. But still, a royal flush is a royal flush. Don’t you agree?
Now some numbers:
2624 / 1159
3153 / 2212
1456 / 3280
145 / 727
Those numbers are some results, with wild cards and without wild cards. Let me explain. Texas just released its school accountability rankings. It claims to have 2,624 exemplary campuses, 3,153 recognized campuses, 1,456 acceptable campuses and 145 unacceptable campuses. But that is when the state uses a slew of politically motivated wild cards. Take away exemptions, exceptions and the statistical smoke and mirrors game that is TPM and you actually have 1,159 Exemplary campuses, 2,212 Recognized campuses, 3,280 Acceptable campuses and 727 Unacceptable campuses.
That is the brutal truth and here is my advice / warning based on that truth.
1. If your campus received its rating based on a wild card, don’t give it back. After all, you didn’t make the rules.
2. If your campus received its rating based on a wild card, don’t go crazy with the celebrations, you and your campus still have some work left to do.
3. Regardless of how you received your rating, that was last year. We’re starting a brand new year and a brand new game. Focus on the present.
I was talking to a principal just last week, whose rating was based on more than one wild card. His comment was, “It’s going to be tough for us to keep this rating.”
My response was, “It will be tougher for us to actually earn it.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Except, we were playing with jokers, 2’s and 3’s wild. And I did use three wild cards. But still, a royal flush is a royal flush. Don’t you agree?
Now some numbers:
2624 / 1159
3153 / 2212
1456 / 3280
145 / 727
Those numbers are some results, with wild cards and without wild cards. Let me explain. Texas just released its school accountability rankings. It claims to have 2,624 exemplary campuses, 3,153 recognized campuses, 1,456 acceptable campuses and 145 unacceptable campuses. But that is when the state uses a slew of politically motivated wild cards. Take away exemptions, exceptions and the statistical smoke and mirrors game that is TPM and you actually have 1,159 Exemplary campuses, 2,212 Recognized campuses, 3,280 Acceptable campuses and 727 Unacceptable campuses.
That is the brutal truth and here is my advice / warning based on that truth.
1. If your campus received its rating based on a wild card, don’t give it back. After all, you didn’t make the rules.
2. If your campus received its rating based on a wild card, don’t go crazy with the celebrations, you and your campus still have some work left to do.
3. Regardless of how you received your rating, that was last year. We’re starting a brand new year and a brand new game. Focus on the present.
I was talking to a principal just last week, whose rating was based on more than one wild card. His comment was, “It’s going to be tough for us to keep this rating.”
My response was, “It will be tougher for us to actually earn it.”
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Thursday, August 5, 2010
A Reader Writes... (Advice for a First Year Principal - Part 3)
In response to the post, “Advice for the First Year Principal,” a reader writes:
“Thank you ~ especially for number 2.
I'm going to print this and post it on my desk. I told someone just the other day, "I'm not here for a personality contest."
In a nice way, of course.”
SC Response
Today I was talking to some up and coming AP’s about the reasons why I think the first year as a principal is so tough. I told them that a big reason for this is that the AP position limits the growth and refinement of their leadership skills.
First consider growth. Initially, in the role, there is a big growth spurt. For the first time, the AP is actually responsible for stuff and things and solving low to mid level problems. The problem is, on most campuses, that’s it. The structure is lacking when it comes to providing increased or complex responsibility for the typical AP. By year three you have seen it all; by year five you know it all.
Because the AP job has a ceiling when it comes to complexity, the typical AP can rely on their “go-to” strength to solve most problems. The autocrat can remain autocratic and generate acceptable results and the collaborator can focus on collaboration and generate acceptable results.
This creates a problem in the principal’s chair, your “go-to” strength will solve a lot of problems, but it will also create problems that you are ill prepared to deal with. The principalship requires a lot of situational leadership strategies. There are times when you have to make decision and tell people exactly what they will do, when to do it and how to do it. The autocrat does well in this situation, the collaborator less so. On the other hand there are times when consensus is the critical variable in solving the problem. The collaborator does great in this situation, the autocrat turns into the bull in the china cabinet.
In theory, or during an “in-basket” exercise, everyone gets this. But ramp up the stress, responsibility, accountability and time line, and theory goes out the window and people revert to their default behavior. It often takes getting your fingers burned or your hand slapped a couple of times to refine and add to your repertoire of leadership practices.
So my advice for the AP’s was look to expand their roles wherever possible, take ownership of both problems and the results of their solutions and recognize that they can learn as much from their failures as they do from their successes.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
“Thank you ~ especially for number 2.
I'm going to print this and post it on my desk. I told someone just the other day, "I'm not here for a personality contest."
In a nice way, of course.”
SC Response
Today I was talking to some up and coming AP’s about the reasons why I think the first year as a principal is so tough. I told them that a big reason for this is that the AP position limits the growth and refinement of their leadership skills.
First consider growth. Initially, in the role, there is a big growth spurt. For the first time, the AP is actually responsible for stuff and things and solving low to mid level problems. The problem is, on most campuses, that’s it. The structure is lacking when it comes to providing increased or complex responsibility for the typical AP. By year three you have seen it all; by year five you know it all.
Because the AP job has a ceiling when it comes to complexity, the typical AP can rely on their “go-to” strength to solve most problems. The autocrat can remain autocratic and generate acceptable results and the collaborator can focus on collaboration and generate acceptable results.
This creates a problem in the principal’s chair, your “go-to” strength will solve a lot of problems, but it will also create problems that you are ill prepared to deal with. The principalship requires a lot of situational leadership strategies. There are times when you have to make decision and tell people exactly what they will do, when to do it and how to do it. The autocrat does well in this situation, the collaborator less so. On the other hand there are times when consensus is the critical variable in solving the problem. The collaborator does great in this situation, the autocrat turns into the bull in the china cabinet.
In theory, or during an “in-basket” exercise, everyone gets this. But ramp up the stress, responsibility, accountability and time line, and theory goes out the window and people revert to their default behavior. It often takes getting your fingers burned or your hand slapped a couple of times to refine and add to your repertoire of leadership practices.
So my advice for the AP’s was look to expand their roles wherever possible, take ownership of both problems and the results of their solutions and recognize that they can learn as much from their failures as they do from their successes.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
A Reader Writes... (Advice for the First Year Principal - Part 2)
In response to the post, “Advice for the First Year Principal,” a reader writes:
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was a first year principal last school year, and you have just affirmed all I found out...the hard way! By the way, I have 2 dogs!
Great things! Keep it coming!"
SC Response
I was talking to an LYS principal the other day and she said, “Before the blog, I used to think I was the only crazy one. No one wants to change and everyone wants to blame our failures on the things we can’t control. I may still be crazy, but at least now I know that I’m not alone.”
Running a high stakes, people-centric operation is complex, stressful and non-linear work. The learning curve of the principalship is the steepest that any educator faces in her career. One of the reasons why it is so steep is that you have to quickly let go of all your preconceived notions of how easy it must be to lead people. After all, just tell your people what you expect them to do, treat them fair and get out of their way. How hard can that be? Harder than you can ever know until you actually live through it. There is nothing like the principalship. It always remains a daily learning experience. It teaches the novice how to survive in a hostile setting; it teaches the technician how to wield raw power; and it teaches the artist how to leverage influence. So wrap yourself in the experience and the position and remember the following four rules:
The Brezina Rule: If it’s not right for students, it’s wrong.
The Brown Rule: The principal is the only one in the system who is a pure advocate for students.
The Richardson Rule: You can be frequently wrong, but never in doubt.
The Cain Rule: When all else fails, just outwork them.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was a first year principal last school year, and you have just affirmed all I found out...the hard way! By the way, I have 2 dogs!
Great things! Keep it coming!"
SC Response
I was talking to an LYS principal the other day and she said, “Before the blog, I used to think I was the only crazy one. No one wants to change and everyone wants to blame our failures on the things we can’t control. I may still be crazy, but at least now I know that I’m not alone.”
Running a high stakes, people-centric operation is complex, stressful and non-linear work. The learning curve of the principalship is the steepest that any educator faces in her career. One of the reasons why it is so steep is that you have to quickly let go of all your preconceived notions of how easy it must be to lead people. After all, just tell your people what you expect them to do, treat them fair and get out of their way. How hard can that be? Harder than you can ever know until you actually live through it. There is nothing like the principalship. It always remains a daily learning experience. It teaches the novice how to survive in a hostile setting; it teaches the technician how to wield raw power; and it teaches the artist how to leverage influence. So wrap yourself in the experience and the position and remember the following four rules:
The Brezina Rule: If it’s not right for students, it’s wrong.
The Brown Rule: The principal is the only one in the system who is a pure advocate for students.
The Richardson Rule: You can be frequently wrong, but never in doubt.
The Cain Rule: When all else fails, just outwork them.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Your turn...
Monday, August 2, 2010
Blog and E-mail Updates: A Review of Functions
Some of you have seen a version of this post before, but since I wrote it, we have added over 100 new members to the LYS Nation. Therefore, I thought a refresher might be in order. The following is my attempt to explain the features that are embedded in the blog site and the e-mail updates.
Note: This section relates to the blog site (not the e-mail updates).
On the left side of the page: If you enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box, you will get a daily e-mail update of all the postings within the last 24 hours, after you respond to the confirmation e-mail (a spam preventative).
On the left side of the page, under the e-mail subscription area: Links to the PowerWalks site and the Lead Your School campus support site.
On the left side of the page, under the Lead Your School Resource area: Current School News. Click on any of the four key words and the most current news stories that relate to that key word will be displayed.
On the left side of the page, under Current School News: RSS Feeds. I don't have a clue. The tech guys just said it needed to be there. Can anyone out there explain it?
On the left side of the page, under RSS Feeds: Followers. Again, no clue (just following tech guy instructions). Some of you do this, care to explain it to the rest of us?
At the bottom of the blog page, under the last post of the week: Blog Archives. Click on a week, and all the posts from that week will be displayed.
Note: This section relates to the actual posts (on the blog site).
If you click on a post title, it will pull up a comment box at the end of the post. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
At the bottom of each post, click "comment" and you can leave a comment or read comments others have left. However, the majority of the comments, I post under the heading, "A Reader Writes."
At the bottom of each post, click the envelope if you want to e-mail that post to another person.
At the bottom of each post, if you click a "Label" work, it will pull up all the other posts that have the same label words.
At the bottom of the post, there are reaction boxes. You get to rate the post.
Note: This section relates to the E-mail updates.
If you click on "Lead Your School", it will take you to the blog site.If you click on a post title, it will take you to the post and there will be a comment box at the bottom of the screen. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
Note: This section relates to Reader Comments.
This is how all comments are handled:
Your comments, opinions and question are welcomed and encouraged. Keep them coming.
All comments opinions and questions are reviewed by me.
Comments, opinions and questions, where it is asked that the information not be shared, receive a private response from me.
One liners and comments that do not require a response are just posted as a comment.
Comments, opinions and questions of merit are posted as, “A Reader Writes…” They are posted in a first come, first serve fashion. So sometimes it takes a while to get to yours.
I don’t know if it is proper blog etiquette or not, but I spell and grammar check comments before I post them.
Post format:
Text in italics is the comment of the reader.
Your turn… This is your invitation to weigh in and join the conversation.
Think. Work. Achieve.
Note: This section relates to the blog site (not the e-mail updates).
On the left side of the page: If you enter your e-mail address in the subscribe box, you will get a daily e-mail update of all the postings within the last 24 hours, after you respond to the confirmation e-mail (a spam preventative).
On the left side of the page, under the e-mail subscription area: Links to the PowerWalks site and the Lead Your School campus support site.
On the left side of the page, under the Lead Your School Resource area: Current School News. Click on any of the four key words and the most current news stories that relate to that key word will be displayed.
On the left side of the page, under Current School News: RSS Feeds. I don't have a clue. The tech guys just said it needed to be there. Can anyone out there explain it?
On the left side of the page, under RSS Feeds: Followers. Again, no clue (just following tech guy instructions). Some of you do this, care to explain it to the rest of us?
At the bottom of the blog page, under the last post of the week: Blog Archives. Click on a week, and all the posts from that week will be displayed.
Note: This section relates to the actual posts (on the blog site).
If you click on a post title, it will pull up a comment box at the end of the post. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
At the bottom of each post, click "comment" and you can leave a comment or read comments others have left. However, the majority of the comments, I post under the heading, "A Reader Writes."
At the bottom of each post, click the envelope if you want to e-mail that post to another person.
At the bottom of each post, if you click a "Label" work, it will pull up all the other posts that have the same label words.
At the bottom of the post, there are reaction boxes. You get to rate the post.
Note: This section relates to the E-mail updates.
If you click on "Lead Your School", it will take you to the blog site.If you click on a post title, it will take you to the post and there will be a comment box at the bottom of the screen. Just type in your comment and click the "post comment" button.
Note: This section relates to Reader Comments.
This is how all comments are handled:
Your comments, opinions and question are welcomed and encouraged. Keep them coming.
All comments opinions and questions are reviewed by me.
Comments, opinions and questions, where it is asked that the information not be shared, receive a private response from me.
One liners and comments that do not require a response are just posted as a comment.
Comments, opinions and questions of merit are posted as, “A Reader Writes…” They are posted in a first come, first serve fashion. So sometimes it takes a while to get to yours.
I don’t know if it is proper blog etiquette or not, but I spell and grammar check comments before I post them.
Post format:
Text in italics is the comment of the reader.
Your turn… This is your invitation to weigh in and join the conversation.
Think. Work. Achieve.
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