Leadership Essentials

ALWAYS Make Sure That 

Your ACTIONS Match Your WORDS

CC licensed photo shared by Flickr user charlottel 

Making the Most of Mistakes

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

- Albert Einstein

Earlier this week I began writing about the second new year for leaders. You can read the introductory post for more background information here.  We have already admitted that the beginning of the school year has not been exactly perfect and mistakes have been made.  That brings me to the following question:

What do the best leaders do when they make a mistake?

• Run in a different direction
• Blame somebody else 
• Hide from anyone who knows the truth
• Ignore the mistake and it will go away

Unfortunately, none of these would be the correct answer.  Even worse, these are strategies employed by many leaders when they are facing their mistakes.  The best advice I ever received around making mistakes involves the quote that began this post.  As a leader you are striving to make your organization a better place.  This will invariably mean making quite a few mistakes along the way.  

If you aren't making mistakes along your path; you really aren't doing anything new or innovative.

What should a leader do with his or her mistakes?

1. Own the Mistake - The most important thing you can do is to own the error.  People want to follow someone who not only makes mistakes but is brave enough to own it.  This also encourages others to take risks and push the envelope without fear of repercussions or blame.

2.  Decide the Lessons Learned -  Failure is only beneficial if you learn something as a result of it.  Think about the following questions once you have owned the mistake.  Make sure you talk to other people and get their insights as well.

• Did you learn anything from your mistake?  
• Will it get you closer to the desired outcome?  
• What would you do differently the next time?  
• How will you use this information to propel your organization forward?

Failure is the key ingredient to success and innovation.  Your second new year will bring many more failures.  The power will be in how you handle each failure as a leader.

A Second New Year

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing."

 -Abraham Lincoln

January 1st brings about a unique opportunity for school leaders that often goes unnoticed.  School leaders actually have the benefit of celebrating two "New Years".  The initial New Year arrives on the first day that the staff assembles in the summer before students start back.  Everyone is excited about the possibilities that the new school year can bring.  Time is spent analyzing data, discussing new initiatives, and spending time in professional development opportunities.  The second New Year begins today (or whenever you return to school in January).  Each day this week I will write about how school leaders can make the most of their second “New Year” 

I am quite certain that the beginning part of your year has not been perfect.  I believe that failure is a great teacher and the lessons learned in failure are invaluable.  Failure has been a big part of the beginning of the school year for me.  Most of this failure is the result of spending far too much time "Managing the Present" instead of the work that I love which revolves around "Creating the Future".  This type of failure can be seen in an iPad2 administrator pilot, in various coaching roles, and even in a lack of writing (Full Disclosure: Last Post from me was on August 22nd).  

This type of failure is directly related to allowing my days to run away with me. I am quite sure that the business of "Managing the Present" has resulted in some of your meaningful work yielding less than stellar results.  Here are a few of the things that I am planning to do to make the most of the New Year, take back my day and create the future our students desperately need.

• Focus – Other people will typically have other plans for your day.  You could spend every day extremely busy without ever planning a thing.  Someone who needs something sometime always show up at your door sometime throughout the day.  That’s why my “Creating the Future” projects will be in front of me at all times.  I begin my day with my project list and the tasks that are assigned.  This is very different from a traditional "to do list". It is much more of a map that will get you to your desired outcome.  
• Short Term Goals - Many of these initiatives get lost in the fact that the timelines are so far off or there is no timeline at all.  What can you do this week that will make a difference in your project or initiative?
• Reflection - I end my day the same way it starts.  I focus on the project list/map and the progress that has been made.  This allows me the opportunity to get a jumpstart on tomorrow's "Creating the Future" work. 

The beauty of a 2nd new year is the opportunity to refocus the majority of my energy on "Creating the Future".   How will you begin to make the most of your 2nd new year?  

Removing Roadblocks

For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour. 

Mary Kay Ash

One of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to remove roadblocks so that people can innovate and move the mission forward.  Change is a difficult process without roadblocks in place.  Unfortunately, leaders often unknowingly put additional roadblocks in the way.  Here are a few of the roadblocks that I have seen put in place by leaders with great intentions.

1. FORMS - People are required to fill out a form for absolutely everything.  These forms could be filled out to document that a meeting took place, a meeting will take place, planning occurred, etc.  If you put a box on a piece of paper it will be filled out. That doesn't mean that anything different will ever take place.  Take a close look at what you are asking people to complete.  Does it match what you say you are about?  What would be different if nobody filled in a form?
2. COMMITTEES - It seems like there is a committee for absolutely everything these days.  That is not the true essence of shared leadership.  Always start with your priorities.  If it isn't a strategic priority, there shouldn't be a group of people meeting about it.  
3. MEETINGS - I successfully led a building without ever having a staff meeting.  It truly can be done.  Technology can be utilized to convey the messages of traditional staff meetings.  Your schedule tells people what is truly important to you.  Every time you gather a group of individuals, it has to be focused on the mission of the organization. How much time do you currently spend in meetings?  Is there a better, more effective and efficient way to accomplish the task?

These are just a few of the most common roadblocks disguised as organizational improvement structures.  I'm quite sure you can find more at your workplace.

As a leader, keep the following three questions in front of you as you embark on a new year?

What is preventing the necessary changes that need to take place?

How are you contributing to these roadblocks as a leader?

What roadblocks can you move out of the way for your stakeholders this year?  

Run Your Day

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
Friedrich Nietzsche 

You have two choices as you enter each day.  You can either "run your day" or "your day can run you".

Which will you choose?

Get a plan or someone will get one for you.  Do something and start running your day.

People Development is the Key to Organizational Improvement

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. 

Albert Einstein

Organizations will only improve as the people who work there improve their practices.  Much of what we currently do in terms of people development is isolated, ever-changing, and rarely related to organizational goals.


How can we begin changing the face of professional development?  


Effective professional development occurs at the intersection of meeting both organizational needs and individual needs.  How often does that typically happen in your workplace?  


Here are some ideas to begin moving towards more effective professional development in your workplace.


1. Differentiate - One size fits all doesn't meet the needs of your stakeholders  
2. Simplify - Choose one focus area the Development Plan
3. Recognize - Tap into individual strengths while raising the bar in other areas
3. Involve - Provide opportunities for individuals to be instrumental in developing their plan
4. Consistency - Avoid the temptation to constantly change your focus
5. Follow Up - Monitor the progress of individual plans through conversations and focused questions

Organizational improvement has ALWAYS been about people improvement.  Effective professional development will be the key to your organization's success in the new year.

Stop Waiting For A Map

"Please stop waiting for a map. 
We reward those who draw maps, 

not those who follow them."

- Seth Godin

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book Poke the Box (a definite must read for all individuals that breathe in and out).  

Leaders have a responsibility to initiate the drawing of maps that will move their organizations forward.  Unfortunately, these maps often appear in the form of lengthy, comprehensive improvement plans.  These plans are largely ineffective and stakeholders rarely get passed the first page.


I believe leaders should create a very different type of map.  Create a map that is similar to one that you would use in a GPS device.  These maps provide structure for reaching your destination but still offer you choice and flexibility.  They are relentless in getting you to your destination no matter how many times you fail.  They will reroute you no matter how many times you get lost in the journey.  Better yet, they typically fit on one page/screen. Leaders must take a GPS approach to moving organizations forward and exceeding goals.  


Put away the volumes of improvement plans that have done little to move organization forwards.  Instead begin creating a map for your organization by...

• Involving stakeholders in creating a map that will move your organization forward
• Including checkpoints to make sure that you are on the right track
• Honoring that all of your stakeholders at different starting points
• Differentiating development opportunities 
• Embracing failure that will eventually get you closer to your destination

There are many other factors involved in the creating maps.  What would you add?