LeaderTalk

Backing up

Technology is a wonderful tool. Particularly when it works. This is a story of a time of great despair that eventually turned out well, but taught me a valuable lesson in the process.

From an early age (technology-wise) I was taught to back up my data. Not that I always did that consistently, but I do currently have two different backups of my data. Of course, the fact that it is December and one of the backups I found out was last modified in July makes me wonder about its usefulness.

My computer held all the research and notes for a paper that was due for a graduate class I was taking. One day I realized that I could not access any of my applications. Not that I was panicked, but a little anxious as the paper was coming due quickly. I went to my trusty zip drive to retrieve data and found out that I was unable to use it in either my computer nor a desktop that I had at home. Now, for those of you more technologically savvy than myself, there may have been much less anxiety than I was feeling. But the thought of having to find all the research for the paper again in such a short time frame had me less than fully confident in the prognosis.

To make a long story short, I did manage to re-install the operating system, run some updates and have all my data available and working in the span of half a day (our technology expert is wonderful and extremely helpful.) Of course, the lesson I learned was that REGULAR backups of data are imperative. Had I backed up to our server at school, I would have had no worries even if the computer and zip drive were dead. A little paranoia has set in as I contemplate saving to a 3rd backup. Which reminds me, and please excuse me - I need to go back up some data.

(cross-posted at Superintendent's Blog)

Great Questions

As I read a couple of blog entries from the past, I was struck by a post about the quality of writing that is occurring on LeaderTalk and realized that I had been falling prey to a negative perception about quality and success.

Reading LeaderTalk is always inspiring and thought-provoking. I began regularly reading, but not posting very often. After awhile, I began to doubt my ability to provide a post that was worthy of the material that had been posted previously. That all changed when I began to wonder what it was that was keeping me from writing a thoughtful piece that may help someone who read it. 

For me, it has to do with a definition of success. I don’t know that I will ever be a fascinating writer as many of the authors I have read over the years, in books, journals, blogs, etc. The one thing I do have to offer, however, is my thoughts, opinions and experiences. Just as every other writer throughout history, those musings are unique. If they provide value to at least one person, then they are a success.

I have read many self-improvement books, articles, and blogs. So many of them speak of creating our life through our thoughts. As I read the beginning pages of “What the Bleep Do We Know?” I was struck by the concept of asking great questions to help change the direction of our lives. The examples given were directed primarily toward individuals, but I thought about how that concept would easily extend to groups and organizations. So, I started our pre-service talking about reflecting on great questions, including asking lots of what? Why not? How?

Some of this is evident in DuFour’s work with professional learning communities. What do we want our students to know? How will we know they’ve learned it? What will we do if they don’t learn it (or what will we do if they already know it?) But I also think that we can go deeper than that. Among many questions we must ask of ourselves, what is our purpose? is important, What is essential for these students (and staff) to be successful? And, for myself as I look at the 21st century skills framework, what great questions can I ask our staff, board, community, and most importantly, students to develop the best educational system possible?

And leading back to the introduction of this post, I must also continue to ask, what can I contribute of value to my district, community, administrative peers, and the world at large? As I answer all these questions, creating value and direction should be easier.

Building Relationships

As I thought about what to blog on, I kept coming back to the theme of relationships.

Last week, I attended an Interest-Based Strategies workshop and came away with a better understanding and appreciation for building relationships as the foundation for success.  I went in thinking I would get the step-by-step process that we could integrate into our decision-making. I did get that, but also a realization that building relationships is the key to that process working.

In IBS, representatives from all constituencies are present as each side delivers their story to the others. If the foundation for respect and relationships is not built, each person may already be developing counter-arguments to defend their own position. I found that throughout the process, most of us were trying to develop solutions first, which gets in the way of listening. When this happens, we may miss information that may help us make a better decision. After listening to stories and interests from all sides, options are brainstormed, followed by working toward consensus. 

I think this pertains to building relationships in the same way. If we are busy either preparing a defense of our own position or trying to find a solution to the problem, we can miss out on some of the nuances of the conversation. This may cause us to miss information, leading to misunderstandings and less than the best decisions.

I find myself going back to a strengths philosophy when talking about relationships. Realizing that everyone has a unique combination of talents and interests forces me to try to see all sides of an issue, better understand other people and find a way to get to common ground in our discussion.  As a first-year superintendent, I have found that by focusing on the strengths of individuals within the district, we have been able to move forward. I believe the base we have built in this first year will enable us to continue pushing ahead, making changes, and providing the best education for our students.

Using your Strengths

I too, would like to thank Scott for creating this forum and inviting me to write.  I felt a little overwhelmed today as I tried to come up with something to write, particularly after reading all the excellent posts that have been written previously. As I did that, I realized that I had just come up with my topic. 

For the past couple of years, I have been studying strengths through Gallup and the books, material, and workshops they have that are based on individual strengths. As I pondered my nervousness about writing something that would measure up to the outstanding commentary I was reading, I understood that I was basing my thoughts on one of my signature themes - Competition. Persons with this strength not only participate to win or be the best, but are always comparing themselves to those around them, instinctively aware of other people’s performance. It was in that feeling of comparison that I felt the twinge of anxiety, but also the feeling of challenge to do something that would measure up. 

I have found that by focusing on our strengths we become better at what we do. When we focus on student and staff strengths, we are better able to get higher performance and achievement.  I have found that with our staff, there is a positive energy that helps people become more attuned to learning and improving. Instead of focusing on weakness areas, which take tremendous effort for many people to improve in, the idea is to manage “non-talents” so they do not derail success.

One example I have used consistently is in the area of organization. As one who is not highly organized, I find myself needing to be better organized to get tasks done and projects accomplished.  Here I use my strengths of Competition and Strategic (seeing patterns and playing out alternative scenarios) to accomplish what needs to be done. I may create a comparison or competition to create a better outcome. 

I use the Gallup terminology only because I have become very familiar with it. Our staff took the StrengthsFinder this past fall and the conversations and understanding that came from it have enhanced our communication and helped us become a better community of learners.  Everyone has strengths. If we look positively at each person’s individual talents and strengths, and accept the fact that each person is unique, more and better work gets done. Parents and teachers can help their students excel in their strength areas and learn to help them manage their non-talents. Teachers can differentiate instruction based on student strengths and students can learn to build on their strengths to become better learners