Month: April 2024

Better Together Leadership

It doesn’t matter how smart you are; you can’t lead alone

Leadership lessons from childhood stick with us. Some are etched in our memory in stone, while others build a foundation day after day.  For me, the trumpet helped develop my leadership style.  My favorite group was a full orchestra with a complete complement of instruments.  A great conductor awakens individual musicians’ skills to coalesce into an effective whole.   Playing Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite with a group of peers from across New England was magical.  

Being a leader in today’s political, hypersensitive, social media, and divisive world is difficult. Everyone has an opinion and can instantly share it with the masses. Truth and facts seem to have little consequence, and a myopic view of the world is commonplace. Leading teams today is much like conducting an orchestra.  The maestro can’t make music himself – it takes coalescing the skills of many to achieve collective music.

Without question, successful leadership is both a mindset and a skillset. Leaders who move organizations in a positive direction and inspire others to higher performance are positive and optimistic. Those who lead with a positive, hopeful mindset inspire others to create a better future. History shows that inspirational, positive leaders change the world at any scale and organization. This is the power of collaborative leadership, and it’s within your reach.

Leadership is also a skill that must be constantly cultivated and improved. Leaders create the culture that drives the organization and empower other leaders to perform at higher levels.

We have a leadership crisis. Today’s environment and culture often force leaders to assume the mantle of leadership alone. But here’s the thing: you have the power to change this. You can make a significant difference by investing the time to build a strong team – invest in that team and create a Better Together leadership culture.

Humans are social creatures; we function best in groups built on trust, connection, and relationships.  These connections aren’t developed via email or on video conference calls.  These connections are authentic, cultivated over time through real interactions, and built on a foundation of trust.  When leaders invest the time and energy in their teams, the pressures of today’s world are spread among a team.  

As leaders, we increase the organization’s capacity by investing in our team and building their capacity. When we invest in others, 1+1 doesn’t equal 2—it is greater than 2.  With trust and collaboration, the team develops a deeper understanding of the organization as a whole, and the decision-making process becomes more effective and efficient.  The silos are eliminated, complex problems are solved with more innovative solutions, and outcomes improve.

Collaborative leadership teams are healthier and happier for many reasons. First and foremost, no one wants to work for an authoritarian, low-trust leader, and skilled leaders don’t want to seek permission for every decision.  A leader focused on trust, who builds collaborative relationships, creates a healthier work environment.  The environment includes the leader the individual at the very top of the organization.   When a leadership team has high trust and tells truth-to-power, better decisions are made, and greater support within the team improves the whole organization.

While it may seem noble to adopt a take responsibility approach to every decision, it is counterproductive to your health and the entire team’s success. Build a strong team with trusted partners who will share the load with you. Trust those on the team to make decisions without running everything past you. Coach the team to collaborate and work together, leading to a stronger culture, better behavior, and the desired outcome.  Just like a conductor, you can’t play all the instruments.  The magic happens when talented, skilled professionals come together to make music.

Authentic Optimism

It’s Time for a Mindset Shift

For the past two years, educational leaders have consistently reverberated with the following theme: ” Our jobs are difficult, things have changed, and I can’t wait to retire.”

Articles are written, conference agendas are created, and groups are convened lamenting America’s current state of education.

Leaders perseverate about who to blame and how we arrived at our current condition.

We complain about policymakers and legislators; we grumble about the political environment.

We defend our feelings; we yearn for the pre-pandemic past and a bygone era.

My friend and mentor, Tim Kight, Founder and President of Focus 3, addresses our current mindset cycle.  When we focus on the negative events we can’t control, our feelings drive our actions, and our cycle is counterproductive.

When our mindset cycle, our own self-talk, is reinforced by others in our professional sphere, it becomes a doom-loop.  Our blaming, complaining, and defending (BCD) is amplified.  We focus on emotions and less on solutions.  The group lamentation becomes a false truth in our minds.  Since everyone feels like I feel, it must be true.

As school leaders, it’s time to regain control of our mindset cycle. When we ask, “What is required of us?” the answer is clear – it’s time to step up and make a difference. It’s time to take control and respond to each challenge with skill and purpose.

As leaders, we cultivate the culture and behavior of our schools.  We get to set the tone for everyone we serve.  When we lead with hope and optimism, when we collaborate and empower our teams to create solutions, our students benefit.  When we provide clarity of expectations, support necessary to achieve goals, and accountability to measure progress, the mindset cycle begins to shift.  We build trust through our repeated interactions with those in our organization. 

Yes, our jobs have changed, and we get to redefine the future.  We get to engage with legislators, advocate in support of public education, and seek consensus about preparing our students for the workforce of tomorrow.  We get to collaborate with parents to create personal pathways for each student.  

I love my job and the community I serve.  Our jobs demand that we lead with purpose and skill.  We are better leaders when we are intentional in our actions – when we understand our emotions and rise above what’s out of our control.  Now, more than ever, having an “I get to” attitude is critical.  When we lead our school communities with authentic optimism, others will follow, and students will benefit.  

When we operate on default, when we leave our mindset to chance, we abdicate control.  When we have focused leadership, when we are disciplined in our approach to our work, we seize the moment.

Let’s do the work-