As part of the #edublogclub year-long challenge to blog on education, this week’s topic focuses on leadership.
Boy do I wish I knew then what I know now. When you’re fifteen and starting your first job, it’s hard to have the wherewithal to understand the criticism and compliments that a boss doles out. But certainly once you get it, however long that takes, this recognition is a vital step in your own development as a boss. I’m appreciative to have recognized this fairly early and as a high school student actually submitted an article to our local newspaper recognizing my fantastic first boss.
So, over the years I’ve been collecting and reflecting on the qualities in leaders that I’ve worked with and under as well as successes I’ve had as a leader.
- Be someone who listens: Now this is a quality I am working on because I get so excited about a topic that I ramble… fast and I’m not actively hearing the other person.Slow down and be in the moment.
- Be someone who makes a decision: I have had and still do have bosses that cannot make a decision. Rather, they want others to do it for them. One of the most respected administrators I’ve worked with took it one step further. Regardless of what her decision was, you knew that she had listened first and then made the best decision she knew how to make. And you felt fine with whatever it was because you knew that she heard you. And she took the responsibility for making the decision.
- Be someone who is personable, but still keeps some distance: Being personable is necessary. Knowing about family, friends, interests, skills, and hobbies is important, but as a leader or talking with a leader also does not mean that we need to meet for drinks after work or that I need to hear about your recent family crisis in detail.
- Be someone who inspires: Like the John Quincy Adams quote, I want to feel empowered. I want to be better because and for them. Educators talk about this regarding students: “it’s not filling a the bucket, but lighting a fire.” Educators should remember this around our colleagues too. I need all ten fingers and toes, plus some to count my colleagues who inspire me.
- Additionally, be someone who compliments: Tell them that they inspire you. I am a firm believer in compliments. I like getting them and I love giving them. I try to compliment a colleague, mentor, or boss as often as possible.
- Be someone who believes: I will never forget 2010 when I walked in to my administrator’s office to tell her about an opportunity that another librarian had presented about hosting an author visit (it would be a first for me and the building). Plus I was a big fan of this author’s work and so were our students. I didn’t say more than a few words and her response was “yes, whatever it is, yes.” She saw my passion and excitement and knew that I would see it through. It started by believing in someone or something.
- Be someone who dresses the part: This doesn’t mean spending two hours getting ready in the morning nor does it mean having thousand-dollar suits, it means dressing how you want to be addressed.
Leadership is a work in progress, but if every experience is an opportunity to learn, then we are all better for it. It’s multi-faceted. It’s never perfect. But it’s a start.
As part of the #edublogclub year-long challenge to blog on education, this week’s topic focuses on discussing my classroom or place of work.
Along with the resolutions and changed habits that come with a new year come feeds pushing challenges to read a certain number of books for the upcoming year. And while I enjoy seeing the “year in books” Goodreads sends me as an avid user of the site, I will not be entering their reading challenge. Nor will I print out and complete a Bingo-style reading chart, promise to read a certain amount of classics, or read a book a day. Why? Because I like to have some control over my reading habits, sometimes my brain can’t wrap itself around Charles Dickens, and there are days I might read two books.
There’s nothing more lovely than a meaningful gift– especially if you’re a book nerd and you get bookish things. So imagine my excitement when I unwrapped this beauty this past November. Lovely and photogenic.
I am kind of obsessed with Elana K. Arnold. I first read Infandous and was enamored with the creativity and depth of the characters. More importantly, though was how the story was told. I had a few readers at the time for it who loved it as much as I did and that added to its appeal. Then, I downloaded What Girls Are Made Of from Netgalley and realized that Arnold is a masterful storyteller. Both books are similar in delivery with essentially two stories woven together and focused on a notable relationship between a mother and daughter with a varied cast of secondary characters and situations to make them distinct.
Memorable character: Unequivocally Paige. She is the star of the show and the title character and it wouldn’t be the book about her battle with herself, being in her head, being her every single moment of every single day. Her emotions pour out on the page through the skilled hand of Gulledge to create pages like the ones included through this post. She’s someone who is growing and maturing and reflecting, even when it’s difficult. See all of her huddled around her head? (Don’t mind all of the post-it’s sticking out of the side. We’ll get to some of the others in a moment…
“notice me” in her eyes when she happened upon her love interest. Everyone who has begun to fall in love has felt this way, yes? The perfect marriage of creativity and empathy for Paige.
Gulledge succinctly interweaves this fear when she’s holding her heart in her hands hoping not to step on the hundreds of banana peels that litter the floor.
Readers Be Advised 