Quote-A-Day: Day 289

#Reflection is meaningless if you don't change your #practice. #QuoteADay #Day289 #edchat #edu #Reflect #Act

It is never enough just to reflect.

Rather, we need to make sure that we use what we have learned from reflecting to actually improve our practice.

It is certainly true that we don’t spend enough time reflecting in general.  But, what is even more true is that often, when we do take the time to reflect, we don’t do enough with what we have learned.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that anyone who has a few free minutes can reflect.  But, not everyone who has reflected on a learning or leadership action can truly learn from his/her work.

If we are going to invest the time into reflecting on what has transpired, then we should be willing to make changes to our practice, if for no other reason than to support the time we take to reflect.

Moving from reflection to action can be challenging.  Here are three ideas to keep in mind to help you move in that direction.

Make a promise to yourself.  When we tend to promise ourselves we will do something, it makes it harder to walk away from.  Reflect on work completed and then make a promise to yourself that you’ll change your work in the future.

Make a promise to someone else.  Once we tell others about what we hope to do, we’ve set the change process in stone.  Tell a spouse or partner, one of your kids, students, or colleagues.  But, tell someone that you’ve reflected and will now change your practice.  Then explain how.  Now there are two people counting on you to make the change (you and the person you’ve told).

Make the change realistic.  Setting realistic goals is tied to our ability to meet them.  The same is true for changes.  After you’ve reflected and have committed to change, make sure that your modification in practice is one that you can implement.  Nothing stifles change like a change that can’t be made.

Regardless of what steps you take, remember that reflection doesn’t end just with reflecting.  We have to actually change what we do.

Quote-A-Day: Day 288

When faced with #adversity, clap, rather than cringe. #QuoteADay288 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L #WelcomeChallenge

Adversity is something that at first blush, we might want to shy away from.  After all, who wants to put themselves in a situation that bucks the status quo and generates feelings of stress and anxiety?

But, in reality, adversity is something to be welcoming of, if not outright welcomed.  When faced with it, rather than cringe, we should clap.

Facing challenges is something that we all need to do in order to become better.  After all, we can’t see growth unless we have something to learn from.

And, we won’t learn anything if we don’t do something different, or if we shy away from a new challenge.

Adversity, by itself, is nothing more than an opportunity to be exposed to something new.  True, there are adverse situations that are incredibly negative, and that knock the focus and motivation right out of our systems.

But, if we can recover from these situations, and if we can keep taking a few steps forward, even if we’re forced to also take a few steps back, we can come out of the adverse scenario better, stronger, and more poised to effectively learn and lead.

While it’s true that we don’t want to be faced with adversity every moment of our lives, we do want to come face-to-face with challenge regularly enough to keep improving.

If given the choice, I would take the learning associated with overcoming adversity over the lack of change brought on by the status quo.

What would you choose?

Quote-A-Day: Day 287

If you spend all your time worrying about succeeding, you'll miss all your time enjoying living. #QuoteADay #Day287 #edchat #edu #LiveFirst

As a species, we have a drive to be successful.

This drive looks different to different people, but the idea is the same:

Leave a mark on the world, a mark that highlights who we are and what we did.

Yet, interestingly, if we spend all our time worrying about being successful, and being concerned with what we did in our short time on this planet, then we miss out on what life is really about.

Living.

Much of what we do has nothing to do with being successful.  It has to do with being human, and sucking up every last drop of life we can.  When we focus too deeply on one goal (success in work, let's say), then we put blinders on to all the great things that are going on in our lives outside of that realm.

That isn't to say we should reduce our drive.

But, we must make sure that we shift the gear into neutral long enough to slow down, and enjoy the scenery.

Speeding through life might get you "success," but it will also make you forget (or ignore) all the additional inputs into the system of life.

And for leaders and learners, that is a horrible thing.

Success must always be on our radar.  But we can become better, we can become "more," just by considering life and responding to it (all potential success aside).

After all, why bother succeeding, if you don't have the frame of reference (or don't remember it) to consider where your life began and where you hope for it to go?

Quote-A-Day: Day 286

Be who you are, as it is the only way to become who you want to be. #QuoteADay #Day286 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L

Today I let my nerd flag fly.  I went down to the city for the New York Comic Con, something I do each year.  I'm a fan of sci-fi, comics, and all things geek, and I enjoy heading down to the Con to see what the major vendors are showing for the coming year, and what smaller vendors have to offer.

We need to make sure that we allow ourselves to be who we really are.  Being who we are makes us more likely to be able to become the people we want to be, as we aren't attempting to hide anything in our persona or actions.

In addition, being who we are just makes us feel good.  Why shouldn't we celebrate our likes and interests?  After all, if we want to be true to others, we have to first be true to ourselves.

Leading is all about helping people get better, including ourselves.  Since we need to always be on a constant path towards improvement, and since we need to make sure that we are transparent and true to ourselves, then why not use who we are as a springboard to who we want to become?  If nothing else, this action also showcases great behavior for others.

Here are some pics from the day:

Quote-A-Day: Day 285

Remember the company you keep is the community you make. #QuoteADay #Day285 #edchat #edu #satchat #satchatwc

Who we are is in part based on who we are connected to.  Therefore, as we contemplate building our professional and personal communities, we have to understand that the company we keep is akin to the community we make.

If we surround ourselves with others who want to learn and lead, then we're apt to build a community that is filled with learners and leaders.  If instead we surround ourselves with those who are not interested in learning, or even worse, with those who believe they have nothing else to learn, then we are guaranteed to create a community that is closed, rather than open.

While the direction our leadership takes is partly determined by us, it is also influenced by those around us.  Those we call friends, acquaintances, and mentors are also nodes in our community.  Depending on the community we want to build, we need to make sure that the company we keep meshes with it.

How do we make sure our company and community are aligned?  Here are two practices to consider:

1.  Be true to yourself.  Trust your gut around others and know what is in your best interests.  The best leaders can only lead for others once they've taken care of themselves.  By surrounding ourselves with those who can make us better, we, in turn, can do our best to make others better than they were.

2.  Don't be afraid to move on.  Some relationships are always good, others are always bad.  Still more are good at one point, and then become less beneficial later on.  In those cases, we need to know when it is time to move on.  There is nothing wrong with ending a relationship.  In fact, it is far worse to keep a toxic relationship going.

By cultivating our company to lay the foundation for the community we hope to build, we can make sure our vision and goals are aligned with that of others.

Quote-A-Day: Day 284

A #shortcut is rarely "shorter" in the long run (though it can certainly deliver a "cut"). #QuoteADay #Day284 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L

Who wouldn’t want to take a shortcut from time-to-time?

The invitation of potentially saving time, and getting something crossed off our “To-Do” list even earlier is an enticing one, indeed.

Yet, this is an invitation that comes with strings attached.

A shortcut, by its definition, is meant to reduce the time we spend, by making a cut to something (steps involved in a process, people who might play a role, planning time, etc.).  And cuts, by their very nature, are more often bad, than good (even tax cuts, which we all love, can have a negative effect later down the line. . . take a look at some of the impacts on school districts after New York State’s tax cap).

When we think about it then, a shortcut is better avoided than taken; it ends up rarely being “shorter” and often more “cutting” than we initially would have thought.

Instead of looking for a shortcut, we should become more effective planners and collaborators. Let’s look at why.

The best planners are able to map out not only the steps to take, but the “What Ifs” that could be a factor.  This type of comprehensive planning provides us with an opportunity to truly get a sense of time, and just as importantly a frame for when we can hope to complete our work.  The better our time estimate, the less likely we’ll need a shortcut; most of the time we attempt to cut time short when we haven’t planned for things to take as long as they are currently.

With collaboration, often the best partnerships provide the most efficient and effective work.  To make the most powerful partnerships, we have to delve into the data.  Who is best for this work?  What time do they need?  What support can be provided?  Shortcutting collaboration means we’re either forming partnerships that will be less effective, or we’re cutting short creative and innovative time (or even worse, cutting out potential collaborators from the mix).

It is important that we take our time in the work that we do.  Therefore, we have to be realistic with our goals and action plans.  It is better and more fulfilling to meet a number of long-term smaller benchmarks, then to erode support and relationships by trying to take a shortcut to a goal that we didn’t know would be so far out of reach.

Quote-A-Day: Day 283

If you aren't prepared to wait, ask yourself if you are truly prepared to #lead. #QuoteADay #Day283 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L

In the movies, leaders often take action regularly.  And usually, they take action immediately, in a flurry of activity.

And they tend to save the day.

A lot.

In the real world, many leaders do take action, but that action is interspersed with much waiting.  Whether it is waiting to collect data, waiting to talk to others, waiting for the right moment to build capacity, a leader’s life is filled with starts and stops.  But, that doesn’t mean that a leader’s life is ever dull.

The best leaders see the power of this waiting and see it as a necessary part of being effective, and a necessary part of taking action.

Leaders who are constantly jumping into action are leaders who are constantly trying to put out fires.  While this works for some, it connotes a leadership style that is about triage rather than triumph.  We should never want to lead through triage, as decisions are always worth less when reflection isn’t built into the equation.

Leaders who understand the power of waiting see that it not only helps them think through next steps, but provides time to bring others on board, test the water through idea or action “piloting,” and allows for the collection of data/feedback through a number of different channels (their PLN, the media, the community-at-large, etc.)

No one loves to wait, but the best leaders structure their work so that while they wait on some ideas, they are moving forward on others.  The best leaders integrate waiting so effectively that while they may never have a dull moment, they’ve embedded enough wait-time for initiatives to be successful.

Therefore it pays to quiz yourself on the following:

If you aren’t prepared to wait, ask yourself if you are truly prepared to lead.