There are so many things to do in leadership, so many people to check in with, so many schedules, so many deadlines, etc., etc., etc. However, all of these tasks and responsibilities can really take a toll on a person and invite stagnancy or overwhelm, if we are not careful. What I mean by that, is if I am so busy trying to do it all, then I tend to stick with what I know, stay in the comfort zone, and let the hardest things go. The hard things are usually the things that matter the most. Sometimes the hardest things consisted of taking care of myself or enhancing my own professional growth. I always put my own interests and passions to the end of the list. Except I never really ever got to the end of the list. It wasn’t until I enrolled in a course that I really wanted that I finally made time for my own growth. It was then that I realized that this time I spent on my own growth and development as a leader actually renewed me and gave me clarity to lead more effectively.
I decided that I needed to carve out some space and perhaps let other things go so that I could grow in my leadership and do a better job overall. I thought I would share four things that have helped me to grow in my leadership in this week’s blog post.
The first thing I do to enhance my own leadership is to find a community of like minded people. I find people who are passionate and purposeful about growing school cultures and leadership. I pay very close attention to what other people are doing. In fact, I study them! I watch different people for different reasons. I notice what they are experts in and I choose that one thing to analyze and take note of every time I have a conversation with them, watch them present, or observe how they actually implement what they are experts at. I also take notes and then set one action that I want to implement right away so that I can start to move the needle forward in that area.
So for me, some people I really watch closely are:
- A Superintendent – I have noticed he is an expert at speaking to his community through inspiration, deep knowledge , and story telling. An action that I have implemented is to insert more storytelling into the content of my messaging and to be more assertive and confident in my decision making.
- A principal – He is an expert at scheduling, administrative tasks, and being very honest, transparent, and effective in hard conversations. I watch how he maneuvers scheduling certain tasks and organizes them. I have taken step by step notes for certain areas, like timetabling for example, so that I can set up a system operating procedure for myself for that day where I have to do it on my own. I have also taken notes and have a running list of decisions he has had to make and conversations he has had. I wrote down the actions or sentence starters he used that were really effective. I now implement them in my own hard conversations.
- A Vice Principal – His ‘withitness’ is inspiring! He has an ability to think ahead like no other! I watch how he organizes his year and have started a month to month yearly dashboard so that I can start to remember those tasks and look ahead as well. He is also so good at building relationships through doing small but very powerful things. This is definitely an area that I study about him too!
- A Master Teacher – This teacher changed the way I taught and how I believed in myself because of walking into her room. I instantly took some of her mastery in engaging students in the lesson and applied it to my own teaching and even the way I lead teachers in adult learning.
- A Divisional Leader – I watch how she manages systemic leadership and how she leads professional development. Her ability to be visible to an entire division is also something that I admire and take note of. I instantly apply some of her techniques when I am leading professional development.
I also created my own community through a private facebook group called Principals and Leadership. If you haven’t joined, what are you waiting for! I found myself craving resources, conversations, ideas, etc. and so I set up a group and a forum where I could learn and rejuvenate. I also have a community of people that I work with and learn from through my digital course called School Administrator’s Academy. It is a 13 week course that I walk directly alongside principals to teach them a step by step system to inspire and motivate teachers to solve top priorities and enhance culture and student/adult learning. The doors open to enroll on June 14! Email me at jacealynh@gmail.com if you want to get on the wait list!
Noticing people who lift me up and challenge me to the core, are one of the biggest things I did for growth in my own leadership. But hold on….here is the thing you need to take away from this first idea. I’m very careful not to compare myself, because we both know that can really work against you. Instead, I study their strategy and make it my own. I learned this from Amy Porterfield and Tony Robbins. Tony Robbins talks about how the quickest and most effective way to be successful in anything is by modeling or finding someone who is the very best at something, learning what they do and how they do it, and then doing that same thing. (Porterfield, 2022)
The second thing I do is I walk the walk alongside teachers and get out of my comfort zone through modelling. I model everything that I expect teachers to do. The only difference is that I just model it through adult learning rather than student learning. For example, If I expect teachers to workshop their lessons to get the students doing more of the thinking and learning, then I also workshop our own professional learning communities. If I expect them to gather evidence of progress, I also do it. I write in front of them, I team teach alongside them to teach a specific strategy, I co-construct success criteria to name a few of the tasks and expectations that I model. The purpose of this is to walk the walk and set an example and also to grown my own leadership by implementing what I expect others to do. But the biggest growth area is not in the teaching strategies but through providing a venue to risk my own significance. I grow by putting myself up there in front of teachers modelling implementation and expectations vs. telling them. They see me nervous, frustrated, unclear, and awkward. That’s hard for me….But they also see me figure it out, find clarity in the next step, deal with students and strategies that they are also struggling with, and it puts me in a place where people trust me more and sometimes even root for me. I grow so much when I model because it is uncomfortable and vulnerable. I have learned not to shrink dreams anymore because it is scary and hard, but rather to expand my bravery. Modelling is the perfect place to expand bravery. Keep picking up and putting down heavy stuff, set your worth, do the work alongside, establish your boundaries, and go past your limit. The growth and feeling while doing it will surprise you!
The third thing I do for growth is find a coach or a mentor. I mean a human being who has walked the path before you, not just a book or pd. Although learning through books and professional development sessions light me up too. I will get to that in a moment. But seriously….nothing beats a human who has been through what you are going through and can help to guide you along the way. I have multiple coaches that I tap into. Some, I have become very good friends with, some I watch from afar and know through having the bravery to ask questions and continuously committing to staying connected (even if they don’t want to lol), and others are virtual. Any of these options are great resources to further your growth and also light you up. Every single time I connect and learn from my mentors or coaches, I am always rejuvenated and have clarity. Some of my mentors include a few ladies from board office (Cheryl, Pat, Bonnie, Mariette, and Lindsay) who are fearless female leaders in the division. The way they lead sessions, build relationships, cheer other female leaders on and have passion and purpose for student and adult learning inspire me every time I am in the room with them. I also try to stay connected to giants in the field like Sandra Herbst and Anne Davies who are brilliant in systemic and school leadership. Amy Porterfield and Michael Hyatt teach me all about setting up systems in business and life. My best friend Laurel teaches me about organizing my life and is the best at pushing me to do hard things. I could not do it without having mentors to model, push, and cheer me on along the way. If you don’t have a mentor and a coach, I would even go as far to say to invest in one virtually or in person to help to guide you. It is that important. I have invested in many courses from Amy, Michael, Sandra, and Anne and it gives me immediate access to their minds and helps me to build relationships with them. Like I mentioned earlier, I also have a course that helps school administrators set up systems to help teachers solve top priorities to improve adult and student learning and build a growth minded culture. This is a great place to start to build your coaching and mentor table. The doors open to enroll June 14, 2022. Email me at jacealynh@gmail.com to get on the wait list! I would be honored to walk alongside you.
The fourth area that I have tapped into for growth is through reading, podcasts, and online courses. I walk and run a lot so I always have a podcast or audible book in my ear so I can learn and be inspired as I move my body. On a daily basis, I am always reading or listening to a professional resource and it always gives me clarity on my next step. Some of the books I am reading are Nerve which is all about females in leadership and recommended to me by my mentors in division office. I am also currently taking an online course called the Leadership Roundtable by Sandra Herbst and Anne Davies. So you can see how coaches and mentors are directly related to the finding of incredible resources that do not waste your time and help you to get into motion through implementing step by step systems.
That’s it! These are the four things that I do to continue growing. They might be a little different than you might have thought they were, but they actually are really important to me. You may have different things that help you to grow but the point of this blog post is to get you intentionally thinking about which areas do help you grow and not waste your time. Maybe this will spark some ideas and ignite some action to help to rejuvenate you and give you clarity. Because that is exactly what these four things do for me! Remember, as a leader, you should always be growing. If that is not happening for you right now and all you feel you are doing is putting out fires…well….maybe that’s the problem…Just saying…If you are not growing, your school will not either. It take you to show up as well and that is why it is so important to make time for growth and know where the best use of your time is.
Ok, here are your action items. Write down 3-4 things that you think will help you to grow and start to implement them. Find a group to keep you accountable. When you do these four things, pay attention to how you feel when doing each of them. Are you learning one thing that you can implement? Does it motivate you? Do you have a clear next step? Does it get your creative juices flowing? Is this a good use of your time? If it is, you will feel alive again, focused, and waaaay more clear. However, as always…commitment and consistency are key.
I have a free guide that gives you some tips on how to Reframe How You Show Up For Yourself that you can download here. Don’t forget to join our private facebook group called Principals and Leadership and follow me at my handle @evenifyoumiss1 or my facebook page. Here’s to your own growth!
Porterfield, Amy. “4 Ways To Make Sure You Are Growing Along With Your Business.” Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast, edited by Amy Porterfield, 10 May 2022.
Even If You Miss..... 