Quote-A-Day: Day 312

Encourage doing the right thing.

Discourage doing things right.

#QuoteADay #Day312 #edchat #edu #FailToLearn #LearnToFail

There’s a difference between doing the right thing, and doing things right.

Doing the right thing means we’re supporting solid moral thinking, and leading and learning in a way that promotes helping everyone get better.

Doing things right assumes that there is one right way to do things.

And that’s wrong. J

We should always be encouraging others to do the right thing (and we need to make sure we’re doing this ourselves).

However, we should never encourage others to do things right.  Because, realistically, there is no one right way to do things.

We want those we serve to see the power of failure, and to understand they should be reaching to make mistakes, rather than reaching for a right answer.

When we build capacity for failure, we help others see that there are multiple ways to arrive at a solution, and importantly, that there are multiple solutions to any problem.

As effective leaders, we need to be sure we’re always doing the right thing, but should never worry about doing things “right.”

Quote-A-Day: Day 311

The best #decisions are never made in #isolation. #QuoteADay #Day310 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L #Collaborate

The best leaders are also effective decision-makers.  However, being an effective decision-maker shouldn’t be a lonely proposition.  In fact, the best decisions happen when they’re made along with others.

A decision made by one person is a decision that has likely been impacted by only one point of view.

This is dangerous, as even in our most neutral states, we still always exhibit some sort of bias.  To make sure that the decisions we make actually considers all the facts and information that are out there, we need to engage input from other stakeholders prior to making any type of determination.

Along with the fact that it is just good practice to decide collaboratively, we also get the added bonus of building capacity for the work that we’re doing.  Like with anything else, if you want to engage people, give them a role to play in the process.

By working together to make decisions we put everyone on equal footing.  And nothing is better for scaling any given mountain like standing together to survey your options.

Quote-A-Day: Day 310

We have to be willing to let each day end, so a new one can begin.  #QuoteADay #Day310 #edchat #edu #FindTheEndpoint #TakeABreak

Let me tell you, today got away from me.

I had been out of the office on Monday and Tuesday, and today was all about trying to catch up (not incredibly successfully, I might add).

I've had little to no time to think about my Quote-A-Day for today, and I'm yawning.

Continuously.

So, as I sit here at 10:36, anxiously waiting to go to sleep, I had a thought.

Even the most committed leaders have to let today turn into tomorrow.  After all, how can we be the bearers of a new and better day for those we serve, if we won't let the day end for ourselves?

In my leadership work, I've learned that no "To-Do" list is ever wholly completed, and if we let ourselves, we'll work until we fall asleep in our chairs.

That isn't a way to live.

And it isn't a way to lead.

So, I'm ending this blog post here, as I want to get a semi-good night's rest (I still shoot daily for over seven hours of sleep each night; sometimes more successfully than others. . .today isn't a real success :) ).  Since every day is a new one, we should know when to let the current one end, so we can welcome a fresh opportunity to lead, and learn, during the next.

Quote-A-Day: Day 309

Stepping out of your comfort zone is actually more comfortable than staying within it. #QuoteADay #Day309 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L #NYSASCDSymp

Today I have the opportunity to attend New York State ASCD's annual symposium.  Last year we started the conversation about poverty in schools, and this year we're continuing on the theme by expanding into instructional strategies to help educators not just identify and address it, but help those from poverty learn and lead like all other students.

Teaching students from poverty is pretty new to me.  In fact, I don't intricately know much about poverty at all.  While we had some money "issues" when I was growing up, and while my wife and I always wish we had more money, I've always been a middle class person, able to pay bills and make ends meet, able to put food on the table and every once in a while take a vacation.

In my teaching experiences I learned with students from primarily upper-class backgrounds.  "Poorer" students were students like me, who grew up middle class.  There were likely a few students in poverty, but I didn't work with them on a regular basis, and when I did work with them, I treated them like all the other students (how little I knew).

In my current leadership experiences, I see a bit of a bigger picture, but still, I work in an area that is predominately separate from deep, deep, poverty.

And what a shame that is for my learning and leading repertoire.

So, heading into tomorrow's conference, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone into an area where I am at best an excited learner, and at worst, incredibly naive.

And, I'm looking forward to it.

That's the point, right?  If we're going to be active learners, we have to admit we have lots to learn, correct?

I'm excited for the opportunity tomorrow to be out of my element, and consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to leave with more knowledge than I came with, and to be better prepared to address poverty, because no matter where you live, and no matter where you work, people are struggling with it.

And that's not okay.

Quote-A-Day: Day 308

Here it is. . . :)

Fastest is rarely most fulfilled. #QuoteADay #Day308 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L #TakeYourTime

It’s a fact that there is never enough time.  Try as we might, we’re always in a losing battle with this measurement.

There are never enough hours in the day, and never enough minutes in every hour.  While we can always be incredibly efficient, we can never do everything.

And that isn’t a bad thing.

When we start to assume that we can do it all, we start to push ourselves to do things faster and faster.  The problem with fast is that it rarely leads to fulfillment, and since we want what we do to always be meaningful, we should seek fulfillment first, and speed second (or maybe even third).

When we “take our time,” we have more time to think and reflect.  And, when we have more time to think and reflect, we’re infinitely more effective than when we have to make a decision “on the fly.”

Certainly there will be times when we have to make those super-quick decisions.  And, in those scenarios, speed is of the utmost importance.  However, those situations arise rarely, and in those often unfortunate circumstances, it is often more about making a decision than necessarily the quality of the decision itself.

Leading for fulfillment means taking the time we need to not only get the job done, but get it done well.  Our impact on those we serve will always be remembered by how we lead, rather than how quickly.

QuoteADay: Day 307

Sometimes to move forward, you first have to move back. #QuoteADay #Day307 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L

This morning, as I was turning back the few remaining clocks in the house that we forgot to do last night, I started to think about the idea of moving backwards to move forwards.

When we set the clock back, in order for our year to continue, we are, in essence, going back in time a bit so we can go forward.

While the idea of "going back in time" is a fun one, it isn't particularly realistic (as much as we wish it was).

However, the realization that sometimes we have to work backwards and/or fail, in order to get to where we hope to end up, is incredibly real, and incredibly important to remember.

The pathway to getting better as a leader or a learner is never a straight one.  Therefore, we shouldn't always expect that every step we take on that pathway will lead us forward.

There's something reassuring about taking a step back every now and then.  Maybe it's the fact that it proves that we aren't perfect (and never will be), or maybe it's the fact that when we take a step back, we tend to learn more.

Whatever the case, we should welcome the stutter-step approach to leading and learning as it is the only true way to get better.

So, as we continue along this year, and as the days get dark earlier, remember that setting the clock back doesn't just make the night come sooner.

It also makes the start of each day a little bit brighter.

Quote-A-Day: Day 306

We have to provide #learners + #leaders with choice. But never so much choice that they can't make one.#QuoteADay #Day306 #edchat #ASCDCEL14

Providing choice is an important part of leading.  We need to give those we serve the opportunity to engage with ideas and actions that interest them, and have to provide them with the tools they need to make those choices.

There are two main challenges when it comes to "choice."

The first is making sure that we provide choice in the first place.

We may be embarking on a mission that interests some, but not all.  In a case like this, we have to provide opportunities for all stakeholders to get involved in a way that will benefit them most and spark their interest.  Even the most intriguing initiatives aren't intriguing to everyone.  And, even the most "dull" initiatives will spark the excitement of some.  By making sure that there are multiple methods for stakeholders to engage, we can bring even the most disengaged initially, into the fold.

Second, we need to make sure that we provide learners with an ample number of options, without providing so much choice that they can't actually make one.

Choice is only good when people have the tools to make one.  And, if we provide too many options, then we're effectively taking tools away from those who need them.

The best leaders understand that choice is a necessity.  They also understand that if all you give is choice and no direction, you won't be any better off than if you gave none at all.