This text has allowed us to take a close look at 6 leadership connectors: communication, support, safety, competence, continuous renewal, and trust. It showed us different aspects for each connector and allowed us to see the importance as each one as an individual unit and more importantly, the significance for the need of all six connectors to be intertwined together to help us be more effective leaders.
Although all of the connectors are important for us as educators and leaders, I found that they are also important for us outside of work as well. Learning to focus on some of these aspects and balancing our lives can make a difference in who we are at work and in our personal lives.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Reflection 7
Leadership Connector, Trust
"Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great" Ralph Waldo Emerson
Trust is an important foundation for any relationship. It is something that we need to build with family, friends, and peers; and it is definitely something we need to develop as leaders.
We have discussed trust in many ways throughout this program. Reading The Speed of Trust in a previous class gave us insight into the different facets of trust. We also heard an important message about trust from various Sanger leaders who came to our classes. Most of them emphasized how crucial it was to trust your staff and your peers.
In this chapter, I really enjoyed the section about building a caring environment. There was a great list of ways to build that caring environment that will also help to build trust. The ideas are simple things that we can easily implement in our daily routine, but that can make a huge impact.
"Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great" Ralph Waldo Emerson
Trust is an important foundation for any relationship. It is something that we need to build with family, friends, and peers; and it is definitely something we need to develop as leaders.
We have discussed trust in many ways throughout this program. Reading The Speed of Trust in a previous class gave us insight into the different facets of trust. We also heard an important message about trust from various Sanger leaders who came to our classes. Most of them emphasized how crucial it was to trust your staff and your peers.
In this chapter, I really enjoyed the section about building a caring environment. There was a great list of ways to build that caring environment that will also help to build trust. The ideas are simple things that we can easily implement in our daily routine, but that can make a huge impact.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Reflection 6
Leadership Connector, Continuous Renewal
Finding balance is extremely important for us, especially as we are entering into our new positions. We have heard many times, from many leaders in our district, the importance of caring for ourselves and staying healthy. Our superintendent has also expressed the importance of prioritizing our lives and putting things in check: God, family, then work.
As I was reading, I was thinking about my life currently and to be honest I feel like I am robbing my kids and myself. I go to work, I stay late, I bring work home...when do I spend time with my kids or with my husband? It has become very clear to me that I need to make some changes and prioritize things, but that is easier said than done.
Finding balance is extremely important for us, especially as we are entering into our new positions. We have heard many times, from many leaders in our district, the importance of caring for ourselves and staying healthy. Our superintendent has also expressed the importance of prioritizing our lives and putting things in check: God, family, then work.
As I was reading, I was thinking about my life currently and to be honest I feel like I am robbing my kids and myself. I go to work, I stay late, I bring work home...when do I spend time with my kids or with my husband? It has become very clear to me that I need to make some changes and prioritize things, but that is easier said than done.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Reflection 5
Leadership Connector, Competence
"A leader must recognize that he will never know everything he needs to know" is an important statement for us to realize as we are going into leadership roles. Often times we look up to those who are 'leading' and think they are perfect and know everything there is to know about the area they lead; however it is important for us to know that this is a continual learning process. As we begin these roles we need to embrace this knowledge and learn competent ways to respond when we simply don't have an answer. We can do this by working with other administrators and continuing to build our own capacity.
The list of skills that the text offers is also a very beneficial reflective tool that we can use to help guide us a new leaders. It touches on many ideas that we have already incorporated into our day to day as teachers, but we can expand on them even more an administrative role.
"A leader must recognize that he will never know everything he needs to know" is an important statement for us to realize as we are going into leadership roles. Often times we look up to those who are 'leading' and think they are perfect and know everything there is to know about the area they lead; however it is important for us to know that this is a continual learning process. As we begin these roles we need to embrace this knowledge and learn competent ways to respond when we simply don't have an answer. We can do this by working with other administrators and continuing to build our own capacity.
The list of skills that the text offers is also a very beneficial reflective tool that we can use to help guide us a new leaders. It touches on many ideas that we have already incorporated into our day to day as teachers, but we can expand on them even more an administrative role.
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