PMP236: What to do When You Feel Restless in Leadership
Mar 10, 2021
Show notes
Spring time brings new opportunities. For some educators, it is a time of year when you may start feeling a little restless.
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Perhaps you will be considering new candidates for openings at your school. Or maybe you will be looking at new possibilities for your own leadership journey. In a previous podcast episode, Jen Schwanke and I led a discussion on spring hiring, and we had questions and feedback from several listeners. This week, we wanted to circle back with a follow-up conversation, including responses to the following:
Feedback from a Listener
One listener wrote in with this great reflection: “I really thought that the Principalship would be my last stop before retirement, but I am getting restless. I am not sure if it is because the Principal role has turned out not to be the ‘dream job’ that I thought it would be. It is difficult to tell during this pandemic. This is my third year as the Principal of my building and 8th year in the same building. I loved every day as Assistant Principal, but I am just not feeling that same joy now.”
“Listening to you and Jen has really made me focus my search and consider where I can add value in my current school district or surrounding districts. It made me laugh when Jen told her story about applying for the HR position. I feel the same way about interviewing, and I almost submitted my name for an HR administrator vacancy. I realized after listening to you that HR would not be a good fit for me.”
What do you do when you feel restless in your work?
Here are several ideas Jen and I discuss (listen to the full episode for more context):
As you think about the new semester, you may be looking at opportunities for movement or change. As you do, be careful not to search for ‘joy’ when searching for a job. Joy is not sustainable all the time in any work. First, you have to look for the right fit in your work and life – find the consistent behaviors that help you flourish. Then make that fit in whatever setting you find yourself.
In addition, look to see ‘where the hole is’ and fill it. Are you bored? Are restless because you don’t feel supported or respected? Are you feeling disconnected from colleagues? Look at the root causes to see if those issues can be pro-actively addressed before making a big move.
Especially during a pandemic, be careful not to overreact the temporary pressures that have been a part of this difficult school year.
Another component to keep in mind is that your teachers are feeling this way too. Most educators share something in common right now: there is just not as much joy without assemblies, parties, and moments to meet without masks. But keep in mind, you have also made school work with new lessons learned. That’s a different kind of joy – realizing the lessons learned through difficult times.
Finally, ask yourself what self-care practices do you employ when you feel you are at your best. Focus on the practices that work for you when things are not so crazy, and give yourself permission to re-engage with those actions now. You may be surprised that some of the ups and downs you experience are significantly influenced by those daily practices and routines.
What questions do you have about your own search or next move? Reach back by email with questions at will@williamdparker.com. What is one step you can take today to ‘fill the missing hole’ in your own self-care that may help you finish out the semester with more inspiration and joy?
PMP235: Leading Re-Entry in a Pandemic with Andrew O’Farrell
Mar 03, 2021
Show notes
Andrew O’Farrell has been the Principal of Beach Street Middle School in West Islip, New York since 2009.
Prior to becoming a principal, Andrew was an assistant principal of Lindenhurst Middle School. Andrew began his journey in education as a Social Studies teacher and then became the Dean of Students at Dyker Heights Intermediate School I.S. 201 in Brooklyn NY. Andrew has been married to his wife Kathy for 20 years and they have three High School/College aged daughters.
During September 2020, his school successfully managed re-entry for students. In this week’s podcast episode, he shares lessons he has learned through a school year like no other, including:
Collaboration from district, community, teachers, and students that set the tone for planning and re-opening
Supports and strategic protocols that provided guidance for hybrid learning that soon led to full in-person instruction
How students have adjusted, remained flexible and showed amazing resilience throughout the school year
Lessons learned about the power of listening and relationships
In addition, Andrew tells a heart-warming story of student success, and he shares how being a part of a Principal Matters Mastermind has enhanced his own leadership journey.
PMP234: Connecting Students to Caring Adults with TJ Warren
Feb 24, 2021
Show notes
This week, I had the privilege to interview TJ Warren, Director of Programs for Stand in the Gap Ministries.
Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Stand in the Gap is an organization committed to impacting the lives of orphans, widows and prisoners in partnership with generous donations from individuals, churches and businesses as well as various foundations. Specifically, he has been directly involved with assisting youth from difficult backgrounds and those who have aged out of foster care.
Listen to the entire podcast episode to hear more about TJ’s background and something surprising to know about him. Here is a short summary of our conversation:
Working with Students from Trauma
WDP: What are some important ideas for educators to keep in mind when working with youth from traumatic backgrounds or those without essential resources?
TJ Warren:First, it is important to learn to identify trauma-behavior. When you see behavior that is out-of-norm, remember there is usually a story behind that behavior. Behavior that is outside cultural norms should be a red-flag that it may be coming from trauma. We must have restorative responses, not punitive ones, if we are going to create safe environments where students can actually learn. This begins by knowing your students and understanding where they come from.
As adults, we need to work from a relational perspective, not a transactional perspective. Respect is not something we demand from students. Instead our attitudes toward children must be that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just as we hope they will treat us likewise. But we adults must initiate a posture of dignity and respect if we hope to see the same cultivated in children.
WDP: One of my classroom practices was to tell students every day, “I’m glad you’re here.” At the secondary level, eventually students would ask me why I said that phrase every day. When they did, I would remind them what an honor it was that they chose to step into class each day. Years later, I remember a former student visiting me to tell me how that phrase, “I’m glad you’re here,” was one that brought him a lot of encouragement while he was living in a very insecure home environment.
TJ Warren:Yes, the power of repetitive routines creates a biological response in the attitudes and expectations of students. It’s paramount. In essence, we are re-teaching students to feel safe – especially the ones who come from really hard places. Routine reduces the tendency of hyper-vigilance. When students are focused on survival, not learning, those repetitive routines provide them with a way to anticipate a safe learning environment. They begin re-orienting to those routines and expectations before they even come into your classroom.
WDP: Can you help us understand the perspective of a young adult who is transitioning out of foster care?
TJ Warren: Think about the routines that give you peace of mind in your life and home. Now apply that to young adults who are unraveling because they are losing those places of safety. First, expect some unraveling. Second, if you have access to organizations like ours, connect students with transition organizations at least six months before they age out. Organizations like ours will connect students with a team of mentors to help them safely transition.
WDP: The success of students happen when they are able to transition from school into those next areas of growth or support in life. Wraparound services like yours help students make that transition.
TJ Warren: Yes, through LifeLaunch, we solely focus on surrounding young adults with supportive mentors and connect them with other services that help with that transition. In Oklahoma, we operate LifeLaunch throughout the state. Anyone can access our website for current trauma-informed research and mentor training.
Now It’s Your Turn
You can listen to even more great takeaways by listening to the podcast episode! Even as you lead during difficult conditions, what ways can you help connect students in need with mentors or community organizations that may provide them support? You can find out more about resources for assisting young adults transitioning from foster care at https://www.standinthegap.org. Or reach out to TJ Warren by email at tj@sitgm.org.
As you know, culture drives the outcomes of your school, and Emily unpacks ways to not only live your own excellence, but to multiply excellence in others. In her book, you will learn:
How to use your lived experiences to help someone else
How to unlock the key to connecting with all kids, even those who seem unreachable
How to build partnerships with families so that they desire to work with you
How to make difficult conversations not so difficult
How to help every student, parent, and colleague achieve excellence…and more!
Meet Emily Paschall
Emily A. Paschall has served as a teacher, district coach, school administrator, professional learning trainer, and motivational speaker. Currently, she serves as assistant principal at Cedar Hill Elementary in Ardmore, Alabama.A fellow ConnectEdd author, her passions lie in teaching, learning, and serving others. She leads a nation wide group of administrators through supportive social media sites with shared ideas, information, and motivation. She is best known for founding the ElemAPNetwork where she offers various opportunities for administrators to experience a live exchange of best practices and fresh ideas. Her work is recognized around the world from educators who desire to learn how to create a climate and culture that promotes excellence.
Emily’s innovative methods for driving student engagement, promoting academic rigor, and stimulating excitement about school has created a ripple effect in others across the country.
Multiplying Your Excellence
Listen to the entire episode for even more takeaways! The following is a short summary of the conversation:
WDP: Emily, welcome to Principal Matters podcast. Can you fill in the gaps on that intro and tell listeners something they may be surprised to know about you?
Emily:I almost didn’t become a teacher. But Mr. Wade, one of my education professors in college was so inspiring, he had me hooked on the decision to become an educator.
WDP: Let’s talk about your new book. What is the overall message you want educators to know in ‘Eyes on Culture: Multiply Excellence in Your School’’?
Emily:I have always worked in high poverty schools. I didn’t grow up in that type of environment. I quickly realized that in order to reach my kids, I had to get in the trenches and learn their experiences. As a teacher, math specialist, and administrator, I realized we have to do whatever it takes. Relationships are the foundation of everything we do, but it is not just about relationships. The two most important qualities are compassion and grit. We are rooted in relationships, but we must also be committed to helping them reach learning goals.
WDP: Why is ‘being a champion’ for students so important for education leaders?
Emily:Some kids do have a champion, but many don’t have anyone rooting for them at home. How are we going to motivate them to become better? Kids must know we believe in them. One of my favorite ways to champion for kids is by riding the bus with them. With 600 kids in my building, I have to be very intentional about knowing them. Every Friday, I ride a different bus – it’s a great way to know students and bus drivers.
One student, Michael, for instance, was a student who I was only having negative interactions with at school. One Friday morning, I rode Michael’s bus. He was the first rider that morning, and we he saw me, he was stunned. I noticed he lived in a difficult home environment, his shirt was inside out, no one was waiting with him when he got on the bus. I realized I was probably the first person he would talk to that morning.
I invited him to sit by me, and before long he said, “Ms. Paschall. Do you see that red bike over there? That’s mine.” From that moment on, Michael and I had a new connection and I was able help him in ways I never had before. This was a turnaround moment for his learning and entire his school experience.
WDP: You also talk about celebrating student success. Why is that important to you – especially as educators manage during a pandemic?
Emily:If we celebrate the positives with our students, they are more likely to want to come to school. When I first became an administrator, I realized kids were only coming to my office for negative reasons. So we began recognizing students through positive phone calls home. As a school, we developed a Cub Award. Momentum is the greatest of change agents. By recognizing the positive things kids are doing, we call parents on speaker phone to celebrate what they are doing. For so many parents, it’s a great learning experience for them as well. It’s a wonderful way to connect with students and parents. I love to video those moments to share on social media because it’s so heartfelt to see students share with parents something great they have been doing.
WDP: How have you been able to held onto culture even during a pandemic?
Emily: When you’re faced with tough circumstances, it doesn’t make or break your culture, it reveals your culture. Last March when we had to shut down, we had to decide how we could stay connected to relationships with our students. I have always been a fan of home visits. Our teachers decided to do home visits – from the porch or yard – and our teachers did more than 1,000 home visits from March to May – reading them books or bringing them surprises. When we started back in the fall, we were so discouraged about not having parent nights. So, we decided to home visits again to meet them. The majority of staff met their kids this way. They knew our kids circumstances and knew all their parents before school ever began. December was the hardest month this year because of quarantines. We didn’t want to close, but it has been very hard as we’ve tried to cover staff. I’m so proud of our school, though, that we had the highest percentage of our students back in our building this year. More than 90% of our students have been able to return to in-person learning.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Emily’s book is packed full of ideas like the ones she has shared in the interview and more! One of the lessons Emily conveys in her book is that one of the most powerful things you can do is carry the banner for your school. It is easy to go silent when you’re discouraged. But that is one of them most dangerous things you can do right now when students need to know we want them in our buildings. Are you portraying your school in a way that makes people want to be a part of it?
Now It’s Your Turn
It is a responsibility and a privilege to tell the story of your school. How are you capturing the moments of excellence happening with your students and teachers – even during a pandemic? How can you share those ideas out and ‘carry the banner’ for your school?
Connect with Emily
To book future speaking engagements, contact her at EmilyAPaschall@gmail com. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Instagram and Voxer via @EmilyAPaschall.
PMP232: Looking for a New Education Position
Feb 10, 2021
Show notes
Winter is a time of year for frigid temperatures across much of the U.S. It is also a time of year when principals look ahead.
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Many education leaders may also be considering new positions as they think about the final semester and plan for next school year. This week, Jen Schwanke, Principal of Indian Run Elementary in Dublin, Ohio, joins me again as we talk about important ideas to keep in mind if you are considering that next step in your own education career. Here are some questions we discuss:
How are you adding value in your position, and what value could you bring to a new one?
How do you not take it personally when a school or district is not looking for the particular value you bring?
How do you keep in perspective when you really want a position but don’t get the offer? (Will and Jen both share vulnerable moments when they did not receive offers or opportunities they really wanted.)
Tips for Your Own Search
Listen to the entire episode for more conversations about the following:
Understanding how adding value is the most important part of job seeking
Letting your resume reflect your value
Knowing if you found a good fit
Thinking about your digital environment when interviewing virtually
Not pursuing something that isn’t right for you
Accepting if the interview doesn’t feel right, the job won’t feel right
Considering the reasons WHY you’re looking for a new position
Understanding if you DON’T get the offer, it’s not personal
Leaving others with ways they can make their school better – with or without you
Let’s Wrap This Up
Jen wraps up this conversation with a story about a friend of hers who realized why it is important it is to ‘be yourself’ and to accept ‘who you are’ even when you’re not chosen over someone else. Listen to the entire episode for more takeaways and stories!
You can check out previous Principal Matters episodes on tips for interviewing for education positions or questions principals may face in interviews at the following links:
Whether or not you’re offered a position, ask yourself: What value can I provide in an interview or interaction with a prospective opportunity? At the end of the day, if you can keep that your focus, then the goal is no longer about you, it’s about helping others – which is what others need most from your leadership.
Book Recommendation
If you want a deep dive into your own gifts and how they match best with the work you love, I recommend a book that helped me in that journey: 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller.
PMP231: Keeping Your Promises on Your Anti-Racism Journey
Feb 03, 2021
Show notes
When I was a little boy, I remember sitting in a small theater with my family where we watched the 1977 release of the first Star Wars movie.
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It was a pivotal moment. The visual effects and music were like nothing I had ever seen or heard. The characters were funny and endearing. Afterwards, I pretended to be Luke Skywalker with my friends who used tree limbs or broom sticks for light sabers.
I was eight years old at the time. Although the movie became iconic in its stamp on American cinema, I did not realize until much later that something was missing.
A few weeks ago, my 15-year-old son, Jack watched the movie with me via Disney Plus. When it ended, what was missing dawned on me, and I asked him, “I’m curious. Did you notice how many characters in that movie were black?”
He thought about it for a moment.
“Well, I don’t know what color all the aliens and droids were, but all the main characters – including the Empire and Resistance actors – they were white.”
I can guarantee that question never crossed my mind when I was eight years old, but I would bet it came across the mind of lots of African American girls and boys in 1977.
White School Leaders During Black History Month
This month marks the beginning of Black History Month. During the protests and marches that spread across our nation and the world, I was challenged, like many other educators to reexamine my own understanding of racism. Frankly, I made a lot of promises to myself to go deeper, to learn more about my neighbors and to find better ways for educators to meet the needs of all members in their school communities.
Keeping this promise has meant reading new (and old) books, having difficult conversations, and learning to look at life from the perspective of others – including re-examining some of my favorite old movies.
A Discussion on Race with Jen Schwanke
Recently, I sat down with Jen Schwanke, Principal of Dublin Elementary School in Dublin, Ohio, for this week’s podcast episode. We talked about the momentous summer of 2020. We talked about our struggle as white educators to become better listeners. And we discussed several ways education leaders can keep their promises about anti-racism.
Here are some of the takeaways from the episode:
Increase Your Reading
Over the summer, Jen and I read or reviewed several books we would recommend for other educators, including:
This summer Jen enrolled in a class at a local university on equity and social justice. Reading books and talking about racism in her own town in Ohio have brought those lessons closer to home. My family and I have participated in tours of North Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the Tulsa Race Massacres took place during May 31, 1921.
At Jen’s school, teachers have established an Equity and Inclusion Committee at the building level. They provide resources for learning and encourage an atmosphere where others can discuss what they are learning and raise awareness.
Think about how you can unpack the stories of racism where you live and ask others for their stories. As you attend school board meetings or city council meetings, listen and observe how your own community is responding to the needs of minority or marginalized community members.
Take Advantage of Current Events
February is Black History Month. This important celebration recognizes African Americans and their central role in U.S. history.
Talk about the struggle of meaningfully honoring Black History Month – moments in history that should be celebrated year-round, but ones that still deserve special recognition in February. In addition, think about the responsibility education leaders share in ensuring accurate history is a part of our shared history.
Black History month should not just include notable figures like Rosa Parks or Martin Luther King, Jr, although each is very important. We should also highlight contemporary heroes. With the election of Vice President Kamala Harris, for instance, we must allow our students to recognize the historic moment – a moment where millions of our students are seeing themselves for the first time in the person elected to one of the highest offices in the land.
A quick search History.com will show you that “the event grew out of ‘Negro History Week,’ the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history…Every year there is a specific theme. The Black History Month 2021 theme, ‘Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity’ explores the African diaspora (the dispersion of any people from their original homeland), and the spread of Black families across the United States.”
Let’s Wrap This Up
My son and I have continued watching the Star Wars movies together. Recently, we finished the Empire Strikes Back, originally released in 1980. I won’t make you guess how many African American actors we saw. I’ll just say: Billy Dee Williams. Remember him? Lando Calrissian. Just him.
Not surprisingly, we have come a long way in the past decades of representing the diversity of our nation in media productions. But not surprisingly, we still have a long way to go in keeping the promises we have all made to do better.
Now It’s Your Turn
What promises did you make this summer about better understanding racism and its influence in your school community? In what ways are you creating a safe environment for students to talk about issues that most concern them? What other books or resources would you recommend during Black History Month? Listen to the entire podcast episode for more takeaways.
PMP230: Managing Decision-Fatigue with Jen Schwanke
Jan 27, 2021
Show notes
What do you do when every decision is a new one? How do you keep perspective amidst decision-fatigue?
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This week, Jen Schwanke, Principal of Indian Run Elementary in Dublin, Ohio, joins me for a conversation about leading through a pandemic.
Welcome back Jen!
Jen Schwanke is the author two books on education leadership. She provides keynote presentations and trainings for school leaders across the nation.
A frequent guest and co-host of Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast, her books and resources are available at her website: jenschwanke.com.
Questions & Answers with Jen Schwanke
Listen to the entire episode for great takeaways and stories. Here is a summary of this week’s conversation:
WDP: When you’ve done the work of school leadership for a while, you begin to enjoy planning ahead. What do principals do when they are always planning ahead?
Jen Schwanke:This is not forever. Pandemics don’t last forever. We’ve had the hope for a long time that “this is almost over.” But the bigger lesson is that we are still building relationships and staying connected to families. We are also learning about what really matters in student learning. Maybe this is a year teachers are freed from some content that needed to be removed. I think we will have new tools after this that we never dreamed of.
WDP: Even in my own family, my daughter who is a high school senior has been experiencing a virtual setting as an All-State band member. Is it ideal? No. But she’s still found joy and moments to learn that she wouldn’t have otherwise.
Jen Schwanke: Think about what your daughter is learning. She’s learning to be flexible. Students are not getting hung up as adults are on what is being lost. They are resilient. We have a lot to learn from them.
WDP: How are you helping your teachers during their own decision fatigue?
Jen Schwanke:In some ways, things are easier, especially for teachers who have less classroom management issues. What’s harder is packing in content in a new ways and shorter time periods. Or their planning has doubled with synchronous and asynchronous learning. My role has been to keep giving the grace and the benefit of the doubt. One of my veteran teachers told me she couldn’t do remote learning. Now she has become one of the best teachers I have seen on teaching remotely. The decision for her was how deep would she be able to go, and she made the leap. I’m seeing teachers stronger through this experience, not weaker.
WDP: Sometimes I think the dilemma we have is not recognizing all the new skills we have learned. Most of us did not know how to teach and communicate through virtual settings. Now we all have new skills.
Jen Schwanke: Yes, technology has made this do-able. The funny thing is that we didn’t hesitate to take risks as young educators. As older educators, we have to keep that same mindset. When we do, it feels like we’re young again.
WDP: What are doing to keep teachers encouraged?
Jen Schwanke:I don’t have it all figured out. But I have found that surface-level appreciations don’t get you as far in this new situation. One-on-one, look-me-in-the-eye, asking about personal and life updates – those kinds of questions give teachers permission to share their stories with you. This pandemic has allowed us to take time to share stories and know our people better.
WDP: How are you managing keeping up with what meaningful instruction is happening in your school?
Jen Schwanke:I know some states and districts have exempted schools from evaluations. I want to do evaluations in this new setting. I feel almost a drive to document the amazing things I’m seeing teachers doing well this year. This year they have had to make a 180 in their approaches to communicating with students and teachers. I want to use my observations and evaluations as way to celebrate that success. Are some teachers struggling? Yes. But we also have a lot to gain from this experience to carry into future learning.
WDP: What I love about that perspective is your decision to make the best of this experience. You also are making the decision to find the joy in this moment of difficulty.
Jen Schwanke:I’m seeing teachers do amazing things. I’m looking forward to reminding them about that when someday we’re back in school full-time. I chaff against the notion that we are facing a learning gap we cannot overcome. I think teachers and students are more resilient than that.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Yes, it is challenging to lead during a pandemic. But there are also positive moments you can be capitalizing on during this season of learning.
Now It’s Your Turn
In what ways can you take advantage of this unique time to take note of the new ways of learning your teachers and students have embraced?
How can you use observations and evaluations as way to elevate those new lessons for future learning?
What is one way you can remind your teachers that they are still making a difference, no matter what setting they find themselves in this year?
First, he says that much of what we consider valuable in our world arises out of ‘lop-sided’ conflicts – the act of facing overwhelming odds creates moments of greatness and beauty. Second, he says that we consistently get these conflicts wrong. We mis-read them. “Giants are not what we think they are” (page 6).
This reminds me of the ‘Bull fight’ story from another book by Tim Elmore who says, “If those bulls knew that the little red cape was not their real enemy, and began to pursue the real enemy, that little matador wouldn’t have stood a chance” (Pivotal Praying, page 107).
This week my guest Principal Samantha Batrom shares the lessons she has been learning while facing unexpected giants in her own school leadership journey.
Meet Samantha Bartrom
Samantha Bartrom is the Principal of Coastal Academy High School, a charter school, serving students in grades 9-12. Her school is located in San Diego, California. Prior to becoming a Principal, Samantha served as an Assistant Principal, Director of Student Leadership, Writing Specialist and 6th grade teacher. She also has experience supporting military families through previous work for the Department of Defense. Also known as the “Power Lifting Principal,” Samantha enjoys competing as a powerlifter. Samantha is also a member of the Principal Matters Mastermind.
WDP: Can you think of a time where you have faced an enormous ‘giant’ to later find out what you were facing was something much different or more meaningful? If so, can you share that story and lesson?
Samantha:Let me take you on a walk down memory lane. A couple of summers ago, I just returned from a trip to Europe. My chief executive officer came to see me. He wanted to know about my trip. I told him about Postano, Italy. And then he asked me to prepare myself to channel those favorite memories into an unforeseen challenge. The summer renovations to my current building had not gone well, and we were not going to be able to begin school in my building. We were two and half weeks away from the start of school, and we needed a backup plan.
We had about 400 students who needed a home for school to begin. We ended up finding space at a nearby convention center in the San Diego area. QLM has large meeting rooms for conferences. I stood and looked at the enormous space with no walls, desks, white boards or technology. I was at a crossroads: delay the start of school, or make this work.
I was able to gather other directors from our organization. This giant was too big to face alone. We stood in the space and imagined what could we accomplish. Two days before school began, we brought students to campus to meet. Imagine walking into a huge convention room that looks like a maze. We were able to turn that space into a school. Once we made it through that orientation day, I knew we could make it work for the start of school.
WDP: What unexpected outcomes did you experience from conquering this ‘giant’ of moving your entire school?
Samantha:Even though I thought finding space was my giant, I soon discovered the bigger challenge was finding a way to foster a love of learning in an environment where everyone could hear one another. Our students and teachers had to whisper to teach and learn. Very quickly, though, they learned to use ‘inside’ voices with one exception. Whenever students were giving presentations, their classmates always gave them a round of applause. Pretty soon, anytime a presentation was happening, the rest of the school heard and the entire school would applause. What began as an overwhelming challenge actually turned into a moment in our school history that students still talk about today.
Even today, our seniors will brag about how much they had to overcome then – even as they struggle with the challenges of a pandemic today.
WDP: What are some other ‘giants’ you feel like you are up against in your own leadership journey right now?
Samantha: I think the greatest challenge lies around the uncertainty. We are coming up on a year since my school closed. Since then we have been able to serve students in small groups and virtually. Depending on our governor’s guidance, I never know from week to week what our reality is going to look like.
Back in March 2020, virtual learning was what I call Distance Learning 1.0. When August 2020 came, we were launching Distance Learning 2.0. We started with a schedule with students that was mostly virtual. By October, we were welcoming small groups back to the school through a hybrid schedule.
WDP: When you transitioned to having kids back in the building, how did you manage the anxiety of balancing safety and access?
Samantha:Throughout distance learning, we maintained incredibly close contact with our teachers. By the time we were talking about bringing students back to campus, we had talked about every aspect as small groups and as a large team. There were no surprises. The question we keep asking: What’s at stake if we do or do not take this step to bring more students onto campus? Once we ensured we had systems that assured safety, we felt empowered to take the step.
As the day drew near, my assistant principal told me he felt like we were the Titantic – organizing the furniture before another tragedy. But once we decided to step forward even with the risks in mind, we welcomed students back. And having them back in the building with safe protocols, masks and social distancing – we ‘ripped off the bandaid’ and this completely changed the atmosphere and removed the fear.
Let’s Wrap This Up
As Samantha and I wrapped up this conversation, we also talked the steps she has taken to hear one-on-one feedback from teachers so that she knows how they are feeling and coping with the added burdens of teaching virtually and in hybrid settings. We also talked about how the Principal Matters Mastermind has helped her collaborate and share ideas with other leaders. As she explains, principals should not lead in isolation.
Listen to the entire episode for even more takeaways!
Now It’s Your Turn
How are you staying connected to the parts of leadership that matter most to you – relationships? As you think about your teachers and staff, how can you reach out one-on-one to find out where each of them is emotionally? Perhaps you are facing decision fatigue. How can you be honest about your own struggles with your team while remaining patient with those whom you are serving?
PMP228: Strategic Leadership During Times of Uncertainty
Jan 13, 2021
Show notes
Years ago, when I was transitioning from assistant principal to high school principal, my superintendent gave me an assignment to map out goals for the next three years of my school.
Photo by shixart1985 – Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/156445661@N02
What was helpful about this assignment was the long-term planning required. Determining where I wanted my school to grow in the next three years meant taking a hard look at student data as well as understanding my school’s culture, community and resources.
In essence, my superintendent was asking me to think strategically. It is the strategic vision that helps us define the overall purpose and mission of our schools. But strategy is ineffective unless it is followed by action. I also needed organizational and tactical applications. Enter my staff, teachers, students and school community members. Leaders cannot implement strategic vision without the input and relationships of the people whom you are directly serving.
You may be asking: “How do I work tactically, operationally, and strategically during a time of pandemic?” “How do I respond to the pressures you are facing with current social and political unrest?“
Before I answer those questions, I want to first unpack the terms tactical, operational, and strategic in two separate applications.
#1 A Military Application
A few months ago, I interviewed Colonel Brad Ruttman, an Airforce officer and fighter pilot, on my podcast. Colonel Ruttman talked about tactical, operational and strategic leadership from a military perspective. In the military, tactical leadership involves the ‘boots on the ground’ activities and personnel – those who are involved in like maintaining equipment or the delivering of weapons, for instance. The operational side includes the day-to-day management and coordination of systems, protocols and policies that govern implementing the work at hand. Strategic leadership involves understanding the purpose of the overall mission and communicating what’s ultimately at stake as the entire organization is involved in successfully accomplishing its mission.
Colonel Ruttman told a story of when his commanding officer came to visit a division of maintenance operators at the end of their work day. He wanted to see them increase the speed of maintenance on aircraft so that pilots could accomplish more flights. He began to talk to them about strategic concerns happening with rival countries. Colonel Ruttman noticed the maintenance personnel members were only politely listening. Frankly, they didn’t care about the strategic mission at that point. They were at the end of a work day and wanted to head home and pick up their kids from football practice.
#2 A School Application
When you apply this to school leadership, your staff and teachers are often the ‘boots on the ground’ or tactical personnel in working with students in learning and well-being. Principals and building administrators often function as operational managers in organizational leadership, hiring personnel, overseeing site budgets, and guiding instructional outcomes. District leaders are tasked with strategic leadership: understanding the moving parts of the entire organization, including policies, school finance, oversight and compliance, and developing and relaying the mission of the collective community.
But for the people you serve, all they often care about is right in front of them. For parents, they want to know if their students are making good grades. For students, they want to know if they can still be a part of their favorite sport or activity. For teachers, they want to know what their key responsibilities are for instruction.
To meet the needs of your school members, however, school leaders must pay attention to the tactical, organizational and strategic – even if it is not what you are communicating to others on a day-to-day basis.
Unpacking the Standards
Several years ago, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration put together the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, a document shared by almost all the national associations that support school leadership development. Just like we unpack standards for students, this report identifies ten standards for strong education leadership, including:
It’s easy to look at a list like this and see why education leaders, and principals in particular, have such wide-ranging responsibilities.
In any given day, you as the principal may be managing decisions involving placement and services for a student identified with severe and profound disabilities while minutes later observing and evaluating instruction for a teacher of Advanced Placement Calculus. You may be supervising students during a passing period followed by a meeting with a guiding coalition of student, teacher, and community leaders. You may be writing a weekly newsletter for your community and then attending an evening school board meeting.
The list goes on and on for how school leaders consistently manage the tactical, operational and strategic responsibilities under their care.
Managing During a Pandemic
And then throw in managing during a pandemic. Suddenly, you are asked to re-structure an entire school master schedules for in-person, virtual or hybrid offerings. Your district may be in a highly populated area where in-person instruction is impeded by high infection rates. Or perhaps you’re in a rural setting where your school began in-person but now you have so many adults testing positive, you no longer have substitutes available to service students so you have pivoted to virtual instruction for the first time.
Throughout this school year, the strategic tasks involved in education leadership have often been eclipsed by the tactical and organizational requirements of meeting the basic needs of student well-being and instruction.
So how do you keep leading in this new reality?
First, acknowledge that you can only control what you can control. Second, you are managing change. And change is stressful and always results in some kind of resistance.
Three things happen to your brain when confronted by change:
1. Fear Response
The Amygdala is the part of our brain that reacts to change with flight or flight reaction. Even in organizational change, our amygdala kicks into gear when we are asked to do something new, innovative, or disruptive. Educators know that disequilibrium is a powerful force in creating learning opportunities.
People cannot operate or think clearly when they feel deeply threatened by change. That is why leaders have to guide, direct, coach, and anticipate change with as much patience as they can muster. When we do, we help relieve some of the stress that naturally takes place when the amygdala floods the brain with danger alerts.
2. Personal GPS
The Entorhinal Cortex of the brain helps us navigate new settings, situations or changes. Sometimes people react to new environments with curiosity while others may react with panic. It is important to understand that when someone is either optimistic or resistant, they still have an uphill climb mentally when they are facing any new change. Think about the first time you worked in a new school or classroom. Until you figured out a place for everything and had organized that new environment for habitual use, you burned a lot of brain energy adjusting.
The same stress happens with any other changes: email upgrades, website changes for absence requests, curriculum mapping programs…pandemics. Any time we introduce anything new into the daily tasks of our team members or students, expect resistance as the entorhinal cortex kicks in the navigate the changes, memorize patterns, and establish new habits.
This is why many leaders I talk to have spent most of the year trying to establish new norms. Whether they are in-person or serving students virtually, they are working harder to establish routines that reduce the stress that happens with constant change.
3. Embedded Routines
The Basal Ganglia is the third part of the brain cortex Andreatta describes in her book. This is the part of the brain that helps us move from identifying new patterns to memorizing them and storing them into our brain as newly learned habits. The longer we practice an action, the more engrained it becomes in our muscle memory. And this happens because the basal ganglia transfers information into stored memory that if practiced long enough can eventually become almost second nature.
Here’s a quick application: Understanding how the human brain reacts to change helps us realize that resistance to change is normal. Under the best circumstances, you try to look down the road and plan for change in advance. In times like we are in now, you are often managing change on the run. Tactical, organizational and strategic leadership are still important. But keep in mind that change always result in times of resistance.
5 Practical Applications of Leading Through Change
As I’ve talked to principals across my state and across the nation, here are some things I’m learning that may be helpful for you to keep in mind as you try to manage the tactical, operational and strategic roles in leading during times of change:
Work the plan. Many schools with strong organizational plans for both in-person and/or at-home instruction have still been able to serve students. I know there is a lot of pressure for school leaders and teachers to feel like they must be back to school as normal and serving at high levels of performance. The truth is no one is doing it perfectly. Some are experiencing more success than others. For those I’m seeing be more successful, it is often because they developed plans far in advance that they are still executing with as much consistency as possible.
Remember when a new process becomes routine, it becomes more manageable. I’ve talked to many leaders who are beginning to find some stride in their new school protocols. At the same time, a surge in community infections can change that overnight. Don’t beat yourself up if you are managing conditions beyond your control. The safety and well-being of your students and staff must still come first as you respond to circumstances within and outside of your control.
You still serve as a powerful influence on maintaining patience and calm during uncertainty. A leader’s measured response during difficult times sets the tone for others. You won’t do this perfectly, but keep in mind that your brain and every brain in your building is trying to adjust to change. It’s okay to admit it’s stressful. Keep treating others like you would want to be treated when you are asked to change.
Find ways to celebrate success while maintaining a sense of optimism during times of uncertainty. I’m still hearing wonderful stories from principals who take time to recognize student and teacher success. This past week Kim Coody, Glenpool High School, near Tulsa, Oklahoma had one of her teachers highlighted on the nightly news for the ways he has been interviewing students and helping them serve families during the pandemic. Even though your communication with parents is more often about schedules or plans, still take time to give kudos to the others.
Keep tabs on your staff and teachers. Another principal, Samantha Bartrom, from Coastal Academy in Escondido, California, told me recently, she has made it a point to reach out to each of her teachers for one-on-one feedback. When she does this, it allows teachers to voice in private what they may not want to voice in a larger group setting. Keep building trust in your staff so that they you care and want to listen.
Let’s Wrap This Up
At the end of Andreatta’s book, she gives advice for how to take personal, proactive steps during times of change. The three strategies I liked most:
• Self-care • Mindfulness • Play
Just like you may increase good nutrition, sleep, and vitamin intake to increase your chances to stay healthy during past flu seasons, taking care of yourself through healthy practices allows you to better manage the stresses that happen to your brains, bodies, and emotions during times of change.
Now It’s Your Turn
In the days and months ahead, school leaders still have a far way to go before pandemic conditions improve and vaccinations begin making a significant difference. Thank you for the ways you’ve lead with courage and sacrifice. Whether you are managing tactically, operationally or strategically, you are doing so during times of enormous change. Leading in uncertainty is hard. That’s why we need leaders like you.
How can you plan ahead while also giving yourself permission that it is normal to be stressed during times of change? How can you practice patience in the ways you interact with anxious students, staff, and community members? What’s one action you can take today to keep caring for yourself so that you can keep caring for others during times of uncertainty? Thanks again for doing what matters!
PMP227: Me, Myself and Bob. 7 Lessons from the Rise and Fall of VeggieTales
Jan 06, 2021
Show notes
Have you ever had a dream you’ve been unable to fulfill?
Phil Vischer was born in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1967. He grew up mesmerized by Disney films, Star Wars, and later by MTV. Phil also came from a family that was deeply religious. As he grew up, he longed to see media created that would portray his Christian values in ways that were both appealing and entertaining.
Phil Vischer was a technology wiz, even at a young age. Some of his earliest memories involved making special effects with his grandfather’s home video camera. And when the first Atari 400 personal computer was on the market, his family found a way to buy one for him.
He went to St. Paul’s Bible college in Minnesota, but he dropped out in his second year and began his first company making advertisement videos in 1989. It was during his twenties, that he began to experiment with software that allowed him to do what no one else was marketing at the time, lattice deformation: the ability to make digital images “squishy” instead of just blocks on a screen. This discovery led to his creation of a cartoon character named Larry: a green cucumber with quirky eyes and a toothy smile. Later he created his sidekick, Bob the Tomato, and the VeggieTales industry began.
Actually, the company was called Big Idea Productions, started in August of 1993. Throughout the origin story of the company, Phil Visher had several benefactors whose combined contributions gave him the capitol to take the next steps he needed in making his first 30-minute children’s video with animated vegetables telling stories from the Bible with funny songs and Phil’s brand of sly humor throughout.
For the first time in his life, Phil felt he was on the verge of creating something that matched the dreams he had as a boy. He idolized the stories of Walt Disney, and he thought maybe this was the opportunity to launch something as appealing as the Disney brand but with a focus on the values of his faith.
By 1994, Vischer had a staff of 4 and 50,000 orders for their first two VeggieTales videos, “Are You My Neighbor?” and “Dave and the Giant Pickle.” By November 1996, with 700,000 copies of his first six videos sold, Big Idea Productions now had 15 staff and revenues at $1.8 million. By 1997, with the release of “Madame Blueberry,” Big Idea Productions had 36 staff with $4 million in the bank and no debt.
Enter the leadership team. It was at this juncture, that Vischer decided to bring in some heavy hitters in finance and marketing. He hired a new company President who took over day-to-day operations, and increased the staff to 80 members with 8 million videos sold.
But the rapid growth soon hit several snags. As Phil’s dream began to grow, he began to wonder would happen if Big Idea Productions became successful enough to build an amusement park. Already, families were traveling to their office area outside Chicago to see where ‘Bob and Larry’ were being made.
That same year, Phil and his leadership team took on several new ventures in addition to children’s videos. The idea for a new office headquarters launched a $10 million dollar building project. In addition, an idea for an extended video release soon became plans for a full-feature film.
Also, Big Idea Productions started a new cartoon series as well as creating lots of merchandise. All these decisions moved Big Idea Productions from creating an essential product (children’s videos) to several products while hiring at a rapid rate to keep up with anticipated growth. By July 1999, with the release of the video “Larry & the Rumor Weed,” the company had 150 staff.
From 1996 to 1999, revenues grew 3,300 percent, from $1.3 million to $44 million. It seemed as if Phil’s dreams were coming true – that everything he touched was turning to gold. But here’s the catch. Expenses at Big Idea Productions had grown to $30 million a year, and this was not factoring in the anticipated final budgets of several of the upcoming product releases.
By the start of 2001, Phil began seeing the writing on the wall. The company had 210 staff, but missed their company’s growth estimates by 80%.15% of the staff had to be laid off, which was not nearly enough to cover the losses Big Idea Productions was incurring, but he didn’t have the heart to cut any deeper.
They abandoned the plans for a new headquarters. By the time Big Idea Productions released its first film, “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie,” the company had to raise the money necessary to finish the movie, and ticket sales did not recoup the costs. Then the President of their partner distribution company died. Releases of Big Idea Production’s other new product lines fell well below projections. And Big Idea Productions was sued by HIT Entertainment, the company taking over from its distribution predecessor.
More cuts followed in the of winter of 2002. By April of 2003, with only 65 staff remaining, Big Idea Producations entered its final chapter of devastating events, HIT Entertainment won its lawsuit against them, and the company went bankrupt.
If you were able to follow that timeline, Phil Vischer’s company went from the launch of a dream to its bankruptcy in 10 years. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that so honestly unpacks the rise and fall of a dream. But Phil Vischer does not try to place the blame anywhere else but with himself. How did this young man who launched a dream at age 24 watch it unravel by the time he was 34?
He relays 7 takeaways:
Lesson 1: Never lose sight of the numbers.
Like ignoring your health at your own peril, Vichser paints a picture of a company where he let go of control of the finances as it grew. He asks an important question for creative types vs. managers: Who should call the shots? In his case, he says if he could back in time, the answer would be both. “The balance between creative inspiration and good stewardship is vital to any successful enterprise. Neither can be subordinated to the other without serious and detrimental consequences,” Vischer explains. Whether it is a trusted partner or board of directors, Vischer advises that leaders find others whose mutual interest is seeing you succeed while at the same time being willing to tell you ‘no’ when it’s needed.
Lesson 2: Ignore the voice that says, “You deserve it.”
Your personal commitment to not over-spending (or rejecting the attitude that some work is beneath you) will set an example for others on how you want them spending the company’s time and money. The temptation will be to push expenses up to match your perception of other successful executives. Pretty soon, Vischer, warns you’ll start paying more for everything, and so will your organization. The temptation ‘you deserve more’ should be called out for what it is: selfish. It lures you into a mindset of extravagance rather than humility. Then Vischer applies this to his own Christian faith. Christians should believe anything good they receive is a gift of grace, not something they deserve. You should never think you are better than anyone else. When it comes to money, choose the budget rental car, for instance, and avoid the temptation for more.
Lesson 3: If you successfully identity a need and create a product that meets it in a unique way, you are the expert.
This is an important lesson for Vischer who doubts his own ability to lead a company without bringing in experts – even some with whom he does not share the same values of dreams about the business. His point is to not doubt the value you bring and do not keep people on your team who doubt your value.
Lesson 4: Know yourself.
The simple lesson here is to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Then you’ll better know who to bring along to compliment your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. This becomes a challenge when Vischer realizes his leadership team is meeting without him and making strategic decisions without his input.
Lesson 5: Bigger is no longer better.
Watching his company grow so quickly gives Vischer a false sense of security. As a result, he commits to hiring more staff and beginning more projects than he has the capacity to fulfill. Fast forward to the present, and Vischer now runs a much smaller business where he operates from a philosophy that smaller and smarter is better and more flexible. And he believes key relationships, not size, build strong businesses and organizations.
Lesson 6: If I did it again, I would let my business model determine my pay scales.
Vischer makes the mistake of believing he can only attract talent if he pays equivalent salaries compared to other industry leaders at the time, like Disney. In retrospect, he would have rather attract team members committed to the mission, even if he has to pay below market value to grow slower and with more stability.
Lesson 7: Build a team that rows in the same direction.
Vischer tells a painful story of a long meeting with his company’s leadership team where they are discussing the mission of Big Idea Productions. When Phil voices the mission of his company: to create videos that proclaim biblical truths for children, the CEO at the time says he did not agree with the mission. Looking back, Vischer realizes he was sharing his dream with audiences and investors but had not instilled that same mission and core values within his own organization.
Final thoughts…
In the last chapter of the book, Vischer gets even more personal about the loss of his dream. He reveals how much of his identity was wrapped up in the ten years of creating and growing Big Idea Productions. He was being invited to speak on television, in large churches, and was covered in Inc. magazine. His mission to ‘make a difference’ in the world had become all consuming.
Ironically, he realizes his work has become even more important than his own spiritual growth. In essence, his dreams were lost. But in this loss, he rediscovers the joys of what matters most. He begins to transition from a mindset of ‘making a difference’ to simply finding satisfaction where God has placed him and looking for the ways to joining God in the work he sees around him.. By the end of the book, Vischer makes a point I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone else make in a business story. When he was running Big Idea Productions, he had read ‘Built to Last’ – the book that coins the acronym BHAG ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal.’ Phil realizes that his pursuit of a BHAG became more important that his pursuit of what matters most to him, primarily his faith.
I’ll quote him here: “I am very serious when I say this, beware of your dreams, for dreams make dangerous friends. We all have them — longings for a better life, a healthy child, a happy marriage, rewarding work. But dreams are, I have come to believe, misplaced longings. False lovers. Why? Because God is enough. Just God. And he isn’t enough because he can make our dreams come true — ”
Let’s Wrap This Up
As I read Phil Vischer’s book, I had to ask myself what lessons I could apply to my own dreams. And as you lead your school or organization in the coming year, let me encourage you to reflect on lessons from someone who saw lived the fulfillment and loss of his own dreams. For many people 2020 has been a year of lost dreams.
Schools are going into a new year with tighter budgets. School leaders are still facing the uncertainty of how much longer they will be managing the protocols of a pandemic. For many students and families, the situations are equally stressful. For those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic, the loss is bitter and personal.
So how do you keep pursuing what matters even in the face of so much uncertainty? Phil Vischer’s book is a helpful glimpse at some common sense reminders on how to keep your eyes on your purpose, remaining optimistic while also facing the future with wisdom.
Now It’s Your Turn
As you step into a new year, consider these questions as you think about plans for yourself and your own school or organization:
1. How do you not lose sight of what matters most as you pursue your dreams and goals?
2. How do you keep perspective on the real data driving the outcomes of your organization and not become disoriented by what you ‘think’ is happening? 3. How do you resist the voice telling you that ‘you deserve it’ when you want to something else that may not be good for you or your team?
4. How do you trust your own expertise while also trusting others who can help where you are weak?
5. How can you build a team of others with like-minded goals and core values so that you are rowing in the same direction?
I don’t know if you have ever pursued a dream you have lost? Or maybe you are reaching for a dream now you’re not sure if you’ll ever reach. As you look at lessons from Phil Vischer’s story, keep in mind how important it is to keep your dreams in perspective. Don’t let them control you. Keep what’s most important in mind even as you move toward reaching goals in 2021.
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