EDAD 659 Project Journal Writings
- 1. Sandberg - 1 EDAD 659 Journal Nathan Sandberg EDAD 659 Lewis & Clark College EDAD 659 Journal Writings
- 2. Sandberg - 2 Superintendent Evaluation Reading through this evaluation was interesting. There were some things in this tool that were what some would call “blunt”. The first thing I noticed was the self- evaluation and that it was perceived to me that this superintendent thought very highly of themselves. The respondents felt differently. In looking at the big picture of this evaluation, the feedback was all based on perceptions. Some statements in the feedback were “sting” words. “Lack of trust” and “culture of fear”. For me personally, this summary would have really hurt. While I am the type of person who carries this kind of feedback for a long time, I am not sure I could have overcome this feedback. Now I would have been much more humble and reserve in my self-evaluation that would not have set myself up for this drastic difference. Being a person that cares about relationships with stakeholders, I want to do my best to make sure this is never the perception of me. There is a point to a “good fit”. It is not about where you live and more about the fit. Sometimes it is perfect and sometimes things change over time and it is no longer a “good fit”.
- 3. Sandberg - 3 Qualities of a Good Leader When it comes to being a good leader, there is not a quality I feel is more important than relationships. Many will tell you that is important in all aspects of life and this is true. Developing good relationships with people will help build trust, which is another important quality. Not much can get accomplished in a school if there is no trust or relationships built. Good leaders have a strong moral fiber. This also helps build trust with staff. Never throwing somebody “under the bus” for the sake of getting your way. Another important quality of a good leader is to be self-reflective in your daily practice. It is important for me as a leader to be a daily learner. We are constantly learning and this business changes every single day. Good leaders know to surround themselves with people that compliment themselves. They do not surround themselves with people who are alike. They know they need to compliment their weaknesses and they do that by surrounding themselves with those people. In taking the personality test the results came back with Defender (ISFJ-A). What stuck out to me was under the category of tactics. It said that I was 65% judging vs prospecting. I do not personally feel like I am a judgmental person in my daily practice. It did say that I am more introverted vs. extroverted. This is no surprise to me. It also put me toward the of feeling over thinking.
- 4. Sandberg - 4 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Grumblings (Pg. 15) As I read this story about Kathryn, I wonder her reasoning for doing nothing her first two weeks on the job. While the author could just be setting this up to look like she is a disaster as a new hire, there could also be some solid reasoning why she is doing what she is doing. It is common that some new leaders come into a new organization and do not do anything for quite some time. I have learned before stepping into leadership that this was the right thing to do. Take time to learn the organization and all of its systems inside and out. Ask probing questions along the way about the systems that are in place. The problem is that while I did know this, I didn’t follow this. I went right in and started making changes. While they were not huge changes, they were changes none-the-less. While my time as an athletic director was a time that I will cherish for the rest of my life, it taught me a great deal in just those short two years. Making changes to any athletic program or the system as a whole, really “riles up the troops”. Not their fault. They were just protecting their territory. (Pg. 30) Kathryn resisted the temptation to avoid confrontation by communicating via email and knew it was better to be handled face-to-face. I do admire how she did handle this situation. One question that does come to mind is with leadership and how busy these positions are being pulled 90 different directions all at once, how do you find the time to take care of all of these important things all in face-to-face conversations? The reality is that you cannot. I believe that you have to find a balance and deal with each situation as they come about. My practice is try and help make a balance. Look at each situation through the lens of “How will this effect the relationship?” There are just somethings that must have a conversation that is face-to-face.
- 5. Sandberg - 5 I remember back in 2011 when I was getting moved from one school to another in the same district. My principal at the time sat me down to have this conversation face-to-face. While he didn’t have to because it was a very positive reason why the district was moving me, he chose to. The relationship was more important to him than the message. Goals (Pg. 78) Kathryn asks a team member what the PR goal for the last quarter. One of the team members did not know and assumed other team members were talking about those goals. As a team we need to function as a cohesive group and all need to be aware of the goals and the data. Every team member is equally important and all need to be on the same page about where the organization is going. We rise as a team and we fall as a team. Every team members success is the organizations success. Every team members failure is the organizations failure. We must come together to embrace these as a team and not individuals.
- 6. Sandberg - 6 Collaborative Leadership A disconnected child is a discouraged child. Knowing where your students come from and the community is very important. My first principal took his whole staff on a bus to show us where some of our students came from and the neighborhoods in which they lived. This was an eye opener for me. What was revealed to me was dirt roads going lots of directions. On each side of the roads were single-wide mobile homes. These were not new mobile homes either. There had been many modifications to these home that could only resemble that they were used to house more than one family. My thoughts raced in my mind. “This is what I got into education for?” As a young and naive teacher, I knew this was not what I was there for. I was there to educate students in the world of science and mathematics and that there was nothing more important than an education. While I do believe that education is very important, nothing is more important than survival, safety, and security. That is what these families were doing, surviving. What I hadn’t learned yet is that many of our students all across this country come from homes where survival is their top priority. On the other side of that coin, we have students who survival is taken for granted because they come from homes with two parents who both have jobs and provide all of the essential needs for their kids. Many do not have this. As teachers and students of privilege shout out “It’s Friday!” and they are leaving with smiles because it is the weekend, some students leave with sadness because Monday’s are their favorite days. These are the days where they know where their next meal comes from. They know they have people there that care about them. Their fear of going home removes all of that sense of security that the school brings. Awareness is the first level of change.
- 7. Sandberg - 7 Strengths Based Leadership (Pg. 7) Society encourages us to be well rounded individuals, but this approach inadvertently breeds mediocrity. This makes complete sense because you spend all of this time getting good at lots of skills, you never really master any of them. As leaders I believe that it is important for all of us to know and understand our strengths. From here we can focus on our strengths rather than improving our weaknesses. Knowing your weaknesses is important so you can complement your team to help you fill in where you are deficient. Why followers follow the most influential leader in their life: 1. The most effective leaders are always investing in strengths. ⁃ Leaders who focus on people’s strengths will build better relationships and trust in the long run. When we focus on people’s weaknesses, they are likely to disengage. In order to have a full and successful team we need everyone engaged in the organization for it to move forward. Everyone comes with strengths and weaknesses. Knowing them and utilizing them to your advantage is important. ⁃ When a teacher has a weakness we don’t focus on it. We support it with people and systems that can help fill that deficiency to help make them stronger. Personally I must have things written down in order for them to get accomplished. Things must be organized in a fashion to where I know exactly where to get them. I need people to take on certain tasks that I know if left up to me, would not get accomplished. 2. The most effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and maximize their team. ⁃ These people need to be people that compliment your strengths. The worst thing I can do as a leader is surround myself with people
- 8. Sandberg - 8 just like me. I can see my wife rolling her eyes right now with just the thought of this. 3. The most effective leaders understand their followers needs. ⁃ Everyone has needs. It is always nice to know those that you follow are looking out for your needs especially over their own. It is never fun to work for somebody who only cares about their personal needs and not the needs of the team. That kind of power can only get you so far. (Pg. 43) “People create memories, not things”. “10% is the platform, but the rest is the people”. As leaders, we are in the people business. Managers work with things, leaders work with people. How do you balance the need for putting time into the system, which is needed, and working with people? I find myself diving deep into many tasks that soak up much of my time. When I do have time to break away and go into some classrooms, all I hear when I enter the room is “Did you need something?” I know that this has nothing to do with them not wanting me in there. The face is I don’t get out enough on a regular basis to make this the normal. I told myself long ago that I would not work with things and that I would instead work with people. I had two very different principals a number of years back. One of them was very logical and very clear about what he expected. So much that it at times was overbearing. It intruded into the classroom. Teacher’s feared to say anything at staff meetings that was even remotely different than his thinking. You could always find him if you needed to talk to him. He would be right at his desk when you needed him. The other principal, completely opposite. Wanted to listen to different ideas that were not his thinking. Never kept the status quo just because that was how it was always done. Also, you could never find him at his desk when you needed to speak to him. Some would not like that at all, but he was doing just what he needed to do and that is be with people.
- 9. Sandberg - 9 (Pg. 44) “Deliver to people the intangibles like smiles, relationships, and caring service. Everything else they can buy.” The power of this statement is so true. People can buy anything. They can’t buy relationships which is why I feel that having a relationship-building core is the most important strength a leader can have. Being able to build relationships helps with building trust. People might not always like the final decision, but they respect it and trust it is the best choice. It is important for me to invest more time into developing people through relationships. Here I learn their strengths and can tap into them to help build a strong team. (Pg. 79) You are a leader only if others follow. This is very true. How can you lead of nobody follows? You can force people to bend to your will through the use of power, but that will only work for a short time. Power erodes relationships and it is difficult to repair and gives you a reputation. I have a friend, John, that works at a small school who was hired by a principal that use to be his high school teacher who eventually became an administrator. While their relationship started out as student-teacher, later became principal-teacher. The principal had some great qualities about himself. Very organized and always used data to make decisions, often to the point that the data put a wedge in between relationships. Since the relationship started as a student-teacher relationship, he felt that he could use his power over John. It was obvious to the staff in the building that he would treat John different than the rest of the staff. This abuse of power did erode the already built relationship that was between the both of them. At the time of his hire, John was excited to go to work for a former teacher of his. When it came time for the principal to retire, John was looking for different qualities in the next leader of the building. That shift in focus lead to a great relationship-builder for the building. While this principal had a different impact on me and in my leadership, it was a great first-hand example of why power only gets you so far.
- 10. Sandberg - 10 The Ideal Team Player Introduction “Make a list of most valuable qualities a person should develop, being a team player should be at the top.” I like how the word “develop” is used in this statement. While some people have these skills already down, others need time to improve on some and build a solid foundation in which to be a team player. Not everyone comes in with all three of those solidly in place. Many adjust as they move along and hone their skills to being a team player. These skills are very subjective as well. What one person determines a candidate is smart I could easily swing the opposite side of that and call them a “jackass”. I believe that these virtues can swing on a scale to the culture of the organization. Real teamwork requires tangible, specific behaviors: vulnerability-based trust, healthy conflict, active commitment, peer-to-peer accountability, and focused on results. As a team we must embed the three underlying virtues: humble, hungry, and smart. The Fable “The most unhappy people in a organization are the ones who don’t fit the culture and are allowed to stay. They know they don’t belong. Deep down inside they don’t want to be there.” This is very true, but many leaders do not confront this in their organizations and they must. It is only fair to the employee and to the organization and the others that work there. Having people around that are toxic can make or break your organization. I have seen first hand how other staff members flourished when one person has been removed from the building. It always amazes me how one single person can have such a negative effect on a school. If these members are pressed to bend to the culture of the building, they will always do one of two things. Measure up to what is needed or they will move
- 11. Sandberg - 11 on. Most people who are extremely toxic people will move on. Pg. 100 It’s about looking for indications. Not being humble = arrogant, condescension, dismissiveness, and self-centeredness. Looking for these indicators are key to finding a team player. These stick out to me easily amongst all of the virtues. It is a little more difficult for me to see the hungry and smart virtues, but somebody who is not humble can easily be pointed out. Unless they have no arrogant side to themselves and are more on the side of lacking self- confidence. Defining The Three Virtues Humble These individuals are quick to point out the contributions of others and slow to seek attentions for their own. I personally do not and cannot stand any sort of recognition. Now from time-to-time my principal will encourage me to branch out there not to receive recognition, but to be visible and viewed as a leader. While we do need to be visible leaders, I worry that being too “in front” of people leads to manager. I love how being humble leads to humility. This has to be the single most important attribute of a team player. While reading the book, I loved the quote “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less”. This sums up all of the beauty of being humble. Thinking of others and learning their strengths and tapping into their strengths to build the organization. Hungry Hungry people never have to be pushed. They self-motivate and are diligent in their work. I worry at times that I am in this category too much. I easily get singularly focused and can go to the extreme where work becomes my life and consumes me. Leaving me with very little time with the things in life that really matter, my family. I often think about the jar story and how it resembles our lives: A teacher walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the
- 12. Sandberg - 12 table. He silently places 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and they agree it is. He says, “Really,” and pulls out a pile of small pebbles, adding them to the jar, shaking it slightly until they fill the spaces between the rocks. He asks again, “Is the jar full?” They agree. So next, he adds a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the pebbles and asks the question again. This time, the class is divided, some feeling that the jar is obviously full, but others are wary of another trick. So he grabs a pitcher of water and fills the jar to the brim, saying, “If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?” A bold student replies, “No matter how busy you think you are, you can always take on more.” “That is one view,” he replies. Then he looks out at the class making eye contact with everyone, “The rocks represent the BIG things in your life – what you will value at the end of your life – your family, your health, fulfilling your hopes and dreams. The pebbles are the other things in your life that give it meaning, like your job, your house, your hobbies, your friendships. The sand and water represent the ‘small stuff’ that fills our time, like watching TV or running errands.” Looking out at the class again, he asks, “Can you see what would happen if I started with the sand or the pebbles?” This helps keep me grounded on what is important so I do not get trapped up in work. Smart This is the one quality I need to most work at. I am not very good at interpreting body language to recognizing how others are feeling based on what I am saying. For me, people need to get right to the point. I have a very difficult time in reading passive aggressiveness and putting an end to it due to not recognizing it. I know that I must have somebody around me that will give me honest feedback about feelings and such. I can communicate well, but sometimes it comes off short and almost like I didn’t care about the situation. On my end it was delivered in a quick decisive manner and moved on to the next task. I need to slow down and remember, my priorities are not others priorities. What is important to me isn’t necessarily important to others. Pg. 167
- 13. Sandberg - 13 Hungry only: The Bulldozer - Determined to get things done. No understanding or concern for how their actions impact others. I have seen this in me from time to time. I get trapped up with lots going on and my mind has a difficult time focusing so then I start to hurry to “clear my plate” and sometimes it seems like I am just “plowing through”. I can see others when they are this type of person. My concern is that I don’t always see myself when I am exhibiting this trait. Sometimes I do after it has happened.