Who checks you?

I was going back over some notes that I scribbled down earlier this year when I was reading one of Brené Brown’s books, and I found this series of questions: Who tells you when you are acting outside of your values? Who is the person who knows you so well that they (a) know the values that guide you, and (b) can check you when you have strayed from them?

Having the opportunity to build a team is a privilege, one not afforded to everybody. When given the chance to assemble a team, unfortunately, too often leaders will surround themselves with people who tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. We don’t like hearing hard truths sometimes, but we all need people in our lives that will tell them to us when we need to hear them. How do we make sure we have the people around us that will be our greatest cheerleader and will keep us grounded as well?

I don’t claim to have all the answers, but for me it begins with knowing my blind spots. The most effective leaders {people} that I’ve had the chance to work with have always known themselves. They will often ask themselves: what are my growth areas and who can bring that expertise to our team and help me grow? The biggest mistake we can make is trying to manufacture conditions that make ourselves the smartest person in the room. That’s ego. That’s dangerous. I want to have the best team in the room and if you’re not hiring someone who brings something to the team that you can’t, then you’re simply doing it wrong. For me, the people I choose to surround myself with, who tackle the tough stuff, are the people I need to understand my values and tell me when I am acting outside of them. But what does that look like? And, what does that have to do with our school?

1. It begins with our leadership team. If you haven’t had the chance to get to know the extraordinary group of individuals that lead our campus and ensure we all have what we need to get the job done then you’re missing out. Be sure to attend our parent sessions and community events and you will quickly learn that, collectively, this group has what our campus needs.
2. It means that when we have a chance to add folks to our teaching staff, we are looking for a skill set we don’t already have. I think it was Jimmy Casas who said that you should want your school to be more like your new hires, not attempt to make your new hires more like the school. Bringing folks in with new ideas and new areas of expertise is how we grow as a teaching and learning community.
3. It means that all of us, every single teacher, parent, and student, need to be open to the idea that when we ‘check’ each other and ask the hard questions about what we are doing, that we have our collective best interests in mind. Do you know what the key to this idea is? Do more asking and less telling. I’m talking about all of us – students and adults. At the end of the day we have the same goal, helping each other consider our blind spots is one of the kindest things we can do for each other…when it’s done in the right way.

This time of year is one of my favorites. We’ve shaken off the newness, we’ve gotten one grading cycle behind us, and everyone is settling in to routines. On the horizon we have all sorts of fun and exciting annual traditions and we will soon be asking ourselves where did the time go? Enjoy the weather changing and remember to embrace the chances we have, and people around us, that help us to grow and learn together.

#conditproud

Dan